The Missouri herald., 1922-05-19
WABBLlNG ALONG.

Old Paradox is in the saddle and
prancing up and down on the poiit!'
cal stage in this town. Republican
statesmen in both houses Of congress
are garrulOus and Vociferous in ,nt
boast that their achievements i'll the
matter of retrenchment OF public eX'
penditures are simply miraculous:
but here comes Secretary of Treas
ury Mellon who warns congress that
the deficit the current fiscal year
will reach the stupendous sum OF
$4S4,OOO.0OO Though congress pre-
tends that it has Saved" the people
billions in expenditures, we are tC
have an enormous increase of taxa
ton in the new tariff bill. Thus
economy is the war cry of the appro
priation committees of the two
houses. and extravaganza is the poll
cy of the ways and means committee
in one house and of the finance com
mittee in the other.
When the senate ratified the TOUR
power treaty the vaunt went forth
that the Republican President and
the Republican party had abolished
war, and Republican leaders in the
house of Representatives set abou;
legislation responsive to that bless
ing by reducing the naval force tc
$1,000 men. What happened? The
President, the secretary of state, the
secretary of navy and many Other
master minds of the G.. O. p. were
paralyzed with terror and set about
forcing congress to provide navy OF
$4,000 men. There was terliic
fight in the house about it. Lead
err" Mondell and Mr.. Kelly of the ma
val committee fought like tigers for
the smaller navy; but Harding, for
that occasion at least, was Gear
and congress yielded its Legislative
Job to the President. So it is the
policy that the American navy shall!
be as powerful as the British navy
It is glorious; but it is also costly
and plays the dickens with thai
boast of retrenchment.
Then there is the soldier bonus.
Nobody knows how many millions II
will cost; but the decree has, gone
forth and it will be enacted. Con-
gress was bullied into the committal
of this folly Harding says funds
must be found with which to pay the
bonus. That means another and
frightful increase in taxation. The
secretary of treasury warns that the
soldier bonus increasing the public
burdens, as certainly it will. is sure
to affect injuriously the public cred
it. Business warns that the in.
crease of expenditures is bound tc
delay the hoped-for day of prosperity
and that what the country needs Is
not more taxation, but less taxation
But the wilkins Micawbers are in
the majority in both houses Of con-
eress. They will enact the bonus.
Nav, if the President should find the
courage to veto it they will pass 1t
over his head. The sales tax Is IA
yored by many, and its advocates
contend that the people will never
miss the billions it is bound to cost
them if it is enacted. Others favor
having the bonus out Of the money
our allies in the war owe u.s. but
only England is able to pay, and she
can only pay the interest and that
is not enough to foot the bill.
Senator Moses of New Hampshire
is preaching sectionalism. He COM
plains that his state pays $1O,3OO'
900 Federal taxes. and contends that
six states pay SO per cent of all the
taxes levied by congress. That is az
silly as 1t is false. No doubt 62 per
cent of the taxes is collected in
those states; but the money is paid
by the consumers in all the states.
Families of the South who buy cot
ton fabrics spun and woven IN New
HAMPSHIRE help to pay New Hamp-