The Glenwood post., 1923-11-29
Uncle 1sd's Bed Time Stories
Current Events for the Children
and Grown-ups, Too
MONEY AND SYSTEM

Saturday evening always held thrill
for Ruth and Jack. Not that any
thing particularly exciting ever hap
pened, but it was the end Of i day
that meant no school, and all of us ran
remember that. 1t may have meant
chopping wood and cleaning up few
chores around the place, but as one Of
our well known cartoonists says,
Them days is gone forever"
On this particular Saturday, Ruth
and Jack had attended birthday par
ty nearby, and what time they did
have. Ice cream, cake, candy, popcorn
and everything that kiddies love to
eat! They had played all kinds of
games and brought home several prizes.
Strange to say, despite the great guam
tity of food consumed at the party,
the kiddies, Jack especially, had no
trouble putting away very large
dinner.
1t was shortly after dinner, when
Uncle Ted, who had been reading the
evening paper, spoke up with: "May-
be you children would like another
story tonight.
"Would WEI" answered Jack.
"You know we would" said Ruth.
"Not long ago I told you a story
about Secretary of the Interior Work
and the many phases of activities that
come under his management. / partic-
ularly told you of the fine work he is
planning in order to put the reclama-
tion service on it's feet and make it
pay instead of lose money. He knows
it is in bad shape and he will no doubt
go to congress for the necessary help
to remedy the trouble. When we real
ize that the total amount of money
spent has been more than $125, ,OOO, 900
while the settlers have only been able
to pay back about $15,00O,0O0, then we
know something is wrong. But let us
go from this side of our government IS
money problems to brighter side, and
one which we hope will be kept bright.
"I mean the budget. The plan put
into operation by the Republican ad-
ministration at Washington to operate
the government of the United States
as nearly as possible along business
lines. I want to talk of the budget be-
cause now is the time when it is being
whipped into shape for the coming
year, and also because the budget, as
it is with every constructive govern.
mental activity, is being attacked from
certain sources. You see, kiddies, the
budget plan, as put into operation un-
der President Harding, takes away the
chance for many politicians to get
what is commonly known as graft.
Money cannot be appropriated for one
thing and spent for something else
under the budget. The different de.
partments must submit an outline of
what they want and then the director
Of the budget goes over that and de
cides what he shall ask of congress to
run that particular department o,
branch of Uncle Sans business. 1t is
a business. When you remember that
the postal service alone is the largest
single business in the world-then what
would our entire government amount
to if considered as one business, includ
ing all the departments?
"It would be SOME big, wouldn u
it, Uncle Ted?" said Jack.
eyes, Jack, it not only would be
but IS. That is why we must figh.
the enemies of the budget who would
destroy this finest move toward better
and more efficient government and put
in its place the plan that meant waste
loss and everything else that goes with
a poorly run organization.
General Lord, director of the bud
get, has completed his estimates for the
next fiscal year and the plan outlined
for economy by President Harding has
been made even more effective than it
was at the first. President Harding
fixed the limit of money to be asked
for by the executive department at
$1,700,0Oo,o 900. Not only did President
Coolidge instruct General Lord to kecr
to this figure and continue the work
as it was started, but after the reports
are made up it is found that the total
will not reach $1,7Oo,oO0,oo0. That is
certainly good news for every citizen
and taxpayer and it is the finest rec
ommendation for the administration of
the new president. 1t doesn't take
long to tell this, but it was the hard
est kind of work to make it possible.
| ffno-arn1 o-l ckorkal L.