Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1922-01-05
WARS HORRIBLE WASTE

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Mr.. Il. C. Lettingwell was the as
sistant secretary of the treasury in
charge of finances during the war.
While he was in the treasury he be-
came deeply impressed with the mag
nitude of government Expenditures and
the lOoseness, inefficiency and waste
that are a part of government meth
cd. All the secretaries of: the treas
ury since the outbreak of the war
have shared this, feeling of -apprehen-
sion and concern with Mrs. Letting
we'll. I quote here a recent utterance
of his on war, expenditures;
"Of the $4OOOO 100000, exclusive of.
interest on the public debt, spent in
the fiscal year 1921, 'S1,101,615,01
was spent by the War department,
$650,373, S35.5S by the Navy depart
ment, $SO0OOO,00O on the railroads,
$3.50, O00,0 by the bureau of war risk
insurance, and $357, S14 ,S9701 by the
Interior department., mostly, take it,
for Civil war and Spanish war pen
sions-a total of $3,eS0,O 100000 under
these heads. r..
an the fiscal year 1920 the War de
partment spent S1,61OWOU0O, and the
Navy department 100000, total
of $3.50 100000. Secretary Mellon
estimates that in the fiscal year, 1921,
the War department will spend $TQ25,-
100000. and the Navy department
$70O0OO,0OO, a total of $1,725 900, 900;
and that in the fiscal year, 1929, the
War department will spend $570,000i-
600, and the Navy department $545,
100000, a total of $1,115,O00 900. This
makes a three-years' total of So $780,
100000.
Germany went to war to realize on
her investment in arms and armies.
The burden of universal military SerV-
ice, expenditures on the army and
navy, subsidies and doIeS, became in
tolerabe. She thought she would re
peat the exploit of 1870 and make war
so profitable in territory and indem-
mites as to recOup herself for the
outlay of 40 years preparation. The
splendid resistance of the BelgianS and
the French and of the little British
eXpeditionary force made the short
war a futile dream. The unframed
manhood and unmortgaged resources
of the Western World, of the British
empire overseas, and finally of Amer
lea, determined the issue. Germany
suffered economic collapse, though her
armies, beaten but not routed. were
still on enemy soil. SO Germanys
military preparedness was her cause
for making war and was the cause Of
her defeat In the issue, it was eco
monte preparedness that mattered
most.
"TOday, men, women and little chill
dren are starving to death in Europe be-
cause of the wars horrible waste and
because of the still more horrible waste
of after the war. Two years and q
half after armistice, nearly two years
, after peace was concluded between
Germany and the allies, millions of
1 men are under arms, eating and wear
! ing the produce of the fields and of
the labor of q civilian population
which must bear the lUttl of taxes and
imitation necessary to maintain those
armies in economic idleness. The peo-
, pies of continental Europe are stag
gering under the load of ornaments,
far too great before the war and in
tolerable now. Their rulers hold them
selves IN power by subsidies and dOleS,
by playing, now on their fears, and
again on their avarice, still again on
8 nationalistic ambitions or ancient ra-
Cial hatredS. The allies have under
taken to insure Germany's economic
recovery by insisting upon her disarm-
ament and the payment Of reparations
which means the development Of a
huge export balance; but for them
selves they reserve the doubtful privi-
lege of remaining armed to the teeth. &. +.
1--WE have demonstrated our mill
tary power. We have shown what
may be done in a few short months
to make an army and transport it to
Z wage a foreign war. We have no need
to be aggressors abroad, we are invul-
nerable at home. Let us accept the
responsibilities of the position Of lead
ership which is ours show the world
how to beat swords into plow-shares,
relieve the peoples of the world of APP
.prehension and lead them back into
the ways of peace and plenty. If we
prepare for war we shall have it. If
we lead the world in preparation for
lpeace we may have that" 49,,