Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-02-10
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WARS HORRIBLE WASTE

WAkS HORKIBLE WASTE
Mr.. Il. G. LeffingwelI 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 expeditures and
the, leoseness, inefficiency and waste
that are 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 Mr.. Letting
well. l quote here a recent utterance
of his on war expenditures:
"Of the S4,000,000O00, exclusive of
interest on the public debt, spent In
the fiscal year 1921, $1,1O1 ,6I5,01332
was spent by the War department
$3.50, 37S. S355S by the Navy depart
ment, $S00,000,000 on the railroads,
$230.000000 by the bureau Of war risk
insurance, and 1851, S1489701 by the
Interior department, mostly, take it,
for Civil war and Spanish war pen
sions-a total of $3,OS0,OO0OO0 under
these heads.
''In the fiscal year 1920 the War de-
partment spent $1,610.000,0O0, and the
Navy department $740,O00,O00, a total
of $2,350000,0O0. Secretary Mellon
estimates that in the fiscal year, 1921,
the War department will spend $1.025,-
100000 and the Navy department
S700,000,000. a total of $1,725. 100000;
hof In hn thn
War department will spend $570,000,-
600, and the Navy department $685.
100000, a total of $1,115,00O000. This
makes a three-years' total of $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 doles, became In
tolerable 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
expeditlonary 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 Germany's
military preparedness was her cause
for making war and was the cause of
7 her defeat. In the issue, it was eco
nomic preparedness that mattered
most.
To-day, 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 a
half after armistlce nearly two years
after peace was concluded between
Germany and the allies, millions of
men are under arms, eating and wear
ing the produce Of the fields and of
the labor of a civilian population
which must bear the load 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 i'll power by subsidies and doles,
/ by playing, now on their fears, and
I again on their avarice, still again on
| nationalistie ambitions or ancient RAJ
| 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
/ huge export balance; but for them
selves they reserve the doubtful prlvi-
/ 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
wage a foreign war. We have no need
to be aggressors abroad, we are invul-
/ nerable at home. Let us accept the
| responsibilities of tie 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. Ii we
propare for war we shall have 1t. If
/ we lead the world In preparation for
/ peace we may have that.