The Colorado statesman., 1923-01-20
ECONOMIC EXPERTS OF GOVERN
MENT HOPE FOR STABILITY
AT HOME AND ABROAD.
SECRETARY HOOVER CHEERED
Savings Have Been Effected In Run
nina tho Country's Business,
Though Democrats Assert more
Economy Might Have Been Effected.
Bv EDWARD q. CLARK


economic conditions seem to be fairly
well agreed that the new year upon
which we are just entering VIII oe
rather more than fairly prosperous
II has been held that government OF
ficials are optimistic by force OF the
offices which they hold. but neverthe-
less no government servant can atord
to paint too rosy a picture lest later
its presentation shall refute him as
prophet.
Now that 1t seems reasonably Ger
tain that America, somehow some
day, is to attempt to aid in straight-
ening out the tangles of Europe anu
the world. there is renewed hope that
coming stability abroad may help 10
maintain stability T. the Uhiteu
States. Secretary Hoover OF the De
partment of Commerce is known as
being hard-headed engineer ana
business man. He seems to be cheer
full concerning general conditions ana
the outlook for the future
Some of the departments OF the
government are not costing as much
to maintain as they did year OF t"o
ago, and this year or two ago uoes
not include any part of the real war
period. There have been cuts IN the
estimates and in the appropriations,
and II is only fair to say that the
hands holding the knives are the
physical property Of both Repupllcahs
and Democrats.
Economy as Campaign Argument.
Politics is a curious thing. The Re
publicans are going to depend TO
some extent on their record OF econ
omy In the government for a cam
naipn plea in 1924. The Democrats
are going to depend upon the plea
that If the suggestions they have
made as a minority party had been
mt through the saving to the govern
ments treasury deposits would nave
been much greater than Is the present
case. Moreover, of course Democracy
will claim that Republican compari-
sons are made with expenditures dur
ing the war, when they were neces-
sarily great.
There have been cuts In the appro-
priations for the army and navy and
in the appropriations for nearly every
other department of government.
Now. as matter of fact, anything
that is cut from the expenses OF
department Is greater cut than
might appear on the surface. The
country is growing larger all the time
and the cost of administering its
many activities naturally increases.
1t costs more to run ten custom
houses than 1t does to run eight. 1t Is
perfectly conceivable, therefore, that
even If 1t should cost more to run
department one year than it did the
previous year. nevertheless real
saving may have been effected.
There will be no omnibus public
building bill probably for some time
to come. Neither the Republicans
nor the Democrats as parties care to
enter into this field of expense, when
the demand Is for lower taxation.
Nevertheless there will be disappoint-
ment in many places in the country
because certain public buildings which
the communities had longed for as
useful ornament are not to be erected
a. iOuS lliilc " SOliiS.
Europe's Idle Wish to Work.
Students of economics in Washing
ton say the evidences are strong that
every element in the population in
every country abroad Is anxious that
Industrial work shall be resumed
quickly on a prewar scale. A large
part of Europe has been loafng be-
cause 1t has had to loaf. The stu
dents of economics are to some extent
also students of human nature, and
they say that, stories to the contrary
notwithstar ing, the idle workmen in
England who are getting government
aid to support them while they are
enforcedly idle, would much prefer
10 do some work TO earn the money
which they are getting.
If the United States or any repre-
sentative body of business or banking
interests in this country, with the
approval of the government, could
find some means to stabilize condl-
tions in Europe, the belief of govern
ment officials here Is that the new
year will be prosperous not only for
the United States but for the peoples
of all other countries.
Senators and representatives some
times show personal resentment be-
cause of the seemingly all-pervading
thought that every congress likes to
be extravngant. Virtually every de-
bate that is heard in the house or
senate is charged with expressions
which demand economy of administra-
tion and economy in general govern
ment activities. 1t is true that con-
gressmen sometimes are inclined TO
be extravagant in their demands, but
this Is true only when their own dis
tricts or states are demanding some