The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-30
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We're Saving Billions. Must We Fight Again. To Cure Mysteries. We're Very, Very Rich.
 By ARTHUR BRISBANE

w C IG cry, v Et4 y NIGH.
 By ARTHUR BRISBANE
 Not ali tho news is bad. Europe IS gloomy. men are idle hero but here's one fact encouraging to Amer- icans This is the only covntry lu the world that is Iiying within its Income.
 The statement is made on the au- thority of Mir. Madden. chairman oi the appropriations committee h the House of Representatives who knows more about our finances thany any body else.
 We are spending money freely; thi Lord knows 1t and taxpayers know It. But few realize how much Presi- dent Hardlngs administration and tho men in charge Of the budget and the representations have done to cut down expenses.
 In 1919 the government spent nine teen billions Tn 1920 1t spent seven 2rd one-half billions. In 1921 the biiA was six and one-haif billions. In 1922 we shall spend about four and half blifions. The budget of 1928, eiiminaung post office costs. which come hack largely in receipts. win be q trifie over three billions.
 To come down from nineteen bii- lions in 4s1s to three billions in 1923 is doing well. Especially when you know that 1t costs two billions of dollars year for fixed eharges, fn- terest on the national debt pensions, sinking fund. etc The cost of the civil part of the government leaving out army. navy and war debts Is only three hundred and forty million dollars.
 MT. Madden is paid s7,5oo q year by the people for the work that he does. He earns that money.
 Lloyd George says that the United states must fight again if Iurope fights. whether the United States wants to or not. It may be sos maybe not. If people sink our boats, tell usftvhere we may and may not trade, or send ships. we may find ourselves fighting again. But 1t isn't likely that we shall aver again be quite such easy lenders as we have been. That's one comfort
 At Genoa the war seems to be dy- ing down a little and common sense comes to the front Lloyd George produced some effect when he told ths allies to beware of a hungry Russia and an angry Germany
 Getting together uniting to start the war again. to make Europe take another swim in a sea of blood.
 Ancient Egyptian documents have been found showing surgeons per forming all sorta of operations in those days. Some of the ancient rem edies wers as fopiish aa our scheme for making sld mea Into young men sSf,, rcnxev tns
 politan Museum in New York. There
 hg Sstdia efdcAs prescription.s written on stone. It tells how to burn powdered emeralds to cure feminine hysterics.' Tn this day such mysteries arc cured more often by large, pretty pearls. hung on string.
 People of this country have no idea how much money the nation Is really worth. Nobody dreams of the wealth that 1t will represent in the future. Mir. Craig, who manages finances for inc city of New York, for instance. mentions casually the fact that dur ing four years New York city has in- creased its debt eleven million dol- lars a year. And in the same period the assessed valuation of New YorlS's real estate has increased two thou sand million dollars. That increase is a little more than the entire debt of the city. A very respectable debt, but slice of Central park could be sold for enough to pay 1t all How much is the United States worth?
 Seven big steel companies will unite to make on big company and try to fight Judge Gary's United States Steel Corporation. They will have hard work. For the big steel com pany with hundreds of millions piled up, has been buying coal lands. ore lands, and possesses underground a fortune that would make Croesus dizzy.
 Railroads also suggest big com binations, saying that only big com binations are effective. That is true and such combinations should be en- couraged in the interest of economy. Also watched and strictly controlled in the interest of the public. which intends to share in the profits of