, 1923-02-17
Carving Cost Of Government.

IN JULY FIRST, 1922, the beginning of the pres
" ent fiscal year, the estimated deficit of the
government was $69s,OOO,OO0. That is the esti-
mated receipts then i'll sight lacked that much Of
meeting the expenditures which were then antici-
pated for the ensuing twelve months.
Democrats made a great deal of noise at the
time over the estimated deficit. They misrepresent-
ed the facts in that they informed the public the
deficit was actual rather than merely estimated.
The latest treasury figures show that the de-
ficit for the year ending January 30 will not be
more than $92,000,O00 and in all probability will
be less. So far the reduction in the seven months
has been 5000, 000, 600.
1t represents an actual cut in the ordinary ex.
penditures of the government; it represents what
the various executive departments and agencies
have been able to save by introduction of econom-
ical methods. 1t is not a theoretical saving, it is
not a bookkeeping saying-it is a dollars and
cents saving. 1t has been accomplished by the
careful watching day by day of the routine expen-
' ditures of the government.
I 1t is n magnificent showing. Tho credit for it
belongs wholly to the Republican administration
1t is a showing made possible by two things; first,
the budget law; second, the application of the
budget law. The budget law is a Republican
product, but without conscientious application of
the law it would avail little or nothing; that ap.
~plication has been also a Republican policy.
The Democratic party is against the budget sys
tenn. OF that there is not the least doubt-the
record speaks Tor itself. One of the big c~onstruc
tive acts of the Taft administration was an inves
tigation of the administrative agencies of the gov
eminent with a view to the Introduction of n budg
etary system and other administrative reforms
that would have Tremendously reduced the ex
penses of the government. The Democratic con
gress elected in the middle of the Taft administra
ton proceeded promptly to kill this movement by
refusing appropriations for its continuance.
The Democrats remained in undisputed control
of Congress from March 4, 1911, to March 4, 1915
"a period of eight years. During that time they
made no effort to enact any budget law. During
that time they squandered the public's money by
the billions and imposed upon the nation a burdeI
of taxation that will take generations to lift. Null
DUPLICATION of jobs and bureaus and multiplication
of ways to squander the public funds character
lied the eight years of Democratic control of tn,
legislative branch of the government.
Tho Republican congress elected in November
1915, enacted a budget law, practically identical
with the one under which we are operating. Th'
enactment of this law was opposed by the Demo
cratic minority in Congress. The act was opposed
by President Wilson.
This certainly makes the record clear and undis
putable that the Democratic party is opposed to
budgetary system of handling the public finance
Nor has the Democratic organization changed it
effective. Less than a month ago Senator Het
lin, recognized as one of the three Democrats
leaders in the Senate, launched a vicious attacl
upon the budget system during the discussions il
the Senate of the agricultural appropriations bill
He asserted that Congress had surrendered it
right under tho budget system, and that the Re
publican party was responsible for creating tn
budget bureau and giving it the power to MAX
~stimates. He asserted this was wrong, that i
should not give such power and that il the Demo
cratic party should again get control of Congress
this power would be taken away from the bulge
bureau. In other words, Senator Helm made TIL
pledge that the Democratic party, If it gains con
troll of Congress again, will wipe out the bulge
bureau or else so radically modify the budget Law
as to make it imperative.