The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-06-06
FEDERAL SURPLUS
NOT UNM|XEO GOOD
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FEAR
1T WILL LEAD CONGRESS INTO
EXTRAVAGANcE.
DEFICIT INDUCES ECONOMIES
Senator Smoot, Foreseeing Passage of
the Soldiers Bonus Bill, Thinks
That the Present Taxation Rates
Cannot Soon Be Lowered.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

BY EDWARD 3. CLARK
Washington.--It may suggest pes
simism, a disposition to knock, and
some other ~ungracious acts and condi-
tons of mind, but old-time government
officials in Washington seem to think
that If there is a surplus shown of
government income over expenses In
this fiscal year, congress next winter
may seize the surplus, If it only be OF
a dimes size, to encourage 1t In ex-
trayagant appropriations.
The word today is that there prob
ably will be a surplus of $20O,OOO,OOO
remaining after the government ex-
penses for the fiscal year ending June
30 have been cleared up. 1t is OF
course possible that this Is too large
an estimate, but the present indica-
tons are that the excuses of income
over expenses will be about the amount
that has been named.
Senator Smoot of the senate finance
committee recently had no illusions or
delusions. He has invited criticism
and n%ear-wrath by suggesting that he
sees no marked signs in the future
of relief from ~present-day taxation
rates. The Utah gentleman has been
in the senate a good many years, and
financiers generally regard him as hav-
ing a long vision, and, except, perhaps,
when 1t comes to certain tariff sched-
ules, a long head.
Deficit Leads to Economy.
A deficit, of course, is a bad thing,
but where the deficit is just under the
breaking-even line it is a better thing,
according to the viewpoint of some
of the government officials, than is a
surplus that goes a dollar or two over
the breaking-even line. A deficit,
whether it amounts to ten cents or
to ten billion dollars, always is used
by the directors in chief of govern
ment functions as a text for insisting
on economy. Congressman know, also,
that the country, hearing of a deficit,
becomes ~insistent that expenditures
be kept down, but they also know that
the country, hearing of a surplus, pays
little attention to the amount thereof
and becomes willing, and at times,
urgent, that money be spent on things
which the various localities have an
idea that they need.
The surplus and deficit have been
playing see-saw for some time. The
hailing of the first pronouncement of
a surplus hardly had time to become
an echo before the wailing over an an
nouneed deficit sounded on the tax
payers ears. Then the teeter went
the other way and surplus bobbed up
once more. 1t looks today as if it
were to stay up for the rest of the fiscal
year, which has about seven weeks yet
to run.
John Thomas Taylor, one Of the
legislative representatives of the Amer
lean Legion, declares that the bonus
bill will be passed at the next session,
and that votes enough are assured to
overcome a presidential veto. There
are some evidences in the country that
the bonus bill will be pushed to a
passage, and evidences also that
Major Taylor is right in his estimate
of enough votes to make a veto of no
avail. Senator Smoot apparently knew
the situation, for in his recent state
ment he took notice of the seeming
certainty of the enactment. of the
bonus bill into law and, although not
ordinarily a dreamer, he saw visions
of pension bills of another kind yet
to come.
Congress May Get E~xtraVagant.
1t is not necessary to be a%ntagonistic
TO bonus legislation to know that its
passage will wipe out a surplus and
will add something to the taxes which
today are not featherweights. There
are other things, however, than bonus
bills to give rather somber thoughts
to government officials bent on econ
omy. provided the end of the fiscal
wear shall witness the declaration of
a fairly substantial surplus.
Even when the balance was on the
wrong side last year congressman, ire
spectiye of party, did not show always
a strong leaning toward economy. The
rivers and harbors bill which was
glued on the army bill, represented an
extravaganza, and congress probably
knew it when in order to ave the
appropriations life it made it a part
of one of the greatest and absolutely
necessary appropriation measures.
The fear in Washington among gov
eminent officials is that with a sur
plus written either large or small in
the records, congress next year will
make the treasury report the excuse
for legislation something more than
colored with extravaganza.
Women of North and South Unite.
An event of historic Importance and
charged with sincere American senti-
ment has just taken place in Washing
ton, where for the first time since the
Civil war days the Woman's Relief
corps of the Grand Army of the Repub-
lie and the United Daughters of the
Confederacy have met in joint session.
The occasion of the meeting was the
unwilling and dedication of a stained
glass window of rare beauty which
the two organizations combined to
give TO the American Red Cross for
insertion in the great window frame