The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-03-21

ing and equipment of all kinds.
II had time to give you the details
1t would present q picture which
You would find it difficult even to
believe. All these results Of reck-
less buying had to be disposed Of.
l mention only these as illustrations
Of the problems which confronted
US on the fourth Of March 1921.
Figures are usually dull, but l
am going give you a few figures,
which l think you will find both
striking and picturesque. We
gained control Of Congress by the
elections Of 1918, and on the fourth
we had possession Of both House and
Senate. With the war still going
on, on the eve Of victory as all men
knew, the American people had
gone to the polls and changed q
Democratic majority Of 100000 in
the country to q Republican major
ity Of 100000. Such q change Of
party under such conditions had
never happened before and was
really unimaginable, and yet the
American people had voted in such
a way as to make a net gain
throughout the country for the
Republican party Of 100000.
They were not passionately thrilled
by the coming victory, but were
still calm enough to get rid Of the
Democratic party as a necessary
condition Of peace and safety. The
new Congress was hampered in its
work, because it received no help
from heads Of departments or from
the administration, which was still in
Democratic control.
Appropriations Cut By Billions
Despite the obstacles, the Republi-
can Congress Of 1919 reduced the
appropriations over $1,500,o 200, 900
by making them q billion and a
half less than the Wilson admins
tration asked for in its last year,
and 100000, 900, 900 less than was
appropriated in the fiscal year pre-
ceding. This surely was doing
something, but before I 60 on fur
Their I wish to call attention to the
simple fact that one result Of the
war was to impose upon the country
as a permanent appropriation a bill
lion dollars to pay the interest on
the debt incurred by the United
States, and that the interest ac-
account was within one hundred mil
lions Of the total appropriations
for the government for the year
ending June 30,1916.
To be perfectly exact, the appro-
priations for that year were ST.
114,00O,000. The appropriations
for the next year, ending June 80,
1917, when we had been in war
three months, were 1925, 000, 900
for the year ending June 80, 1918,
after one year and three months Of
war, the appropriations were $751;
892, 10000 l think l am not mis-
taken in saying that these are
figures that are not dull, but the
next year we surpassed those that
| have just given, for the appropria-
tions for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1919, were $27,065, 900, 900.
Then the Republican party came
into power in March, 1919, and they
repealed war appropriations aggre-
eating more than $4,000. 600, 900.
For the fiscal year ending June 80,
1920. the first under q Republican
Congress, the appropriations aggre-
gated $6,495, 000, 900. and remember
that the year before they had been
$27, 900 900, 900. For the next fiscal
year, ending June 80, 1921, they
were decreased by the Republican
Congress to $4,7S0, 200, 900, and for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1922,
So, 300 900, 900, just short Of 81
900, 100000.
Since the present Congress has
been in they have reduced appro-
priations asked for by the depart
ments of $5,S37, 10000 to $l,428,-
900, 900. This was the work Of the
present "do nothing" congress. This
is partly owning to the fact that
during the year ending June 80,
1s21-93,6 s4 people were dismissed
from the public service, and since
the armistice 320,278 employees
have been dropped from the civil
pay rolls.
Revenue Act Defended
Let me call attention briefly to
what the "do nohing" Congress has
done during the extra session. which
began on the 18th Of April and
W. -.n-.I L.