Evening star., 1924-03-04
CAN YOUR TAXES BE CUT?
A Series of Articles on the Cost of Government;
Where the Money Goes, and Why.
BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR,
Author Of "Can Europe Hold Together?'

find no explanation OF the increase
in any Of the 426 pages Of the last
eR9rt Of there ins Was spent for the
fiscal year 1928 q total Of $4so.o00
for investigation and prosecution OF
war frauds" The Attorney General
in the 1928 report says that he Is In
direct charge Of this war fraud. work
far has been accomplished. He says,
though, that Hundreds Of ceses now
under investigation and many pro-
eoedings Of q civil and criminal char.
referred to in this report"
Another item Is $4,000 for print
ing. and binding. and 100000 for
"miscellaneous items"
ment of Justice. Listen! For 1928.
q total OF $2.0s7.o00 was spent for
detection and prosecution of crimes.
This item Is increased for 1924 by
approximately $4,000. This is 2
things It is kept more or less secret
The Attorney General Is given wide
latitude in spending this money. II
can be made q source of much evil
There has been much criticism in the
years has been directed.
Cost Cut ~ Fines.
So much for the Department Of
Justices current expenses. They to-
tailed $4.335.000 in 1928, and will be
increased by approximately 100000
(2) Taking up the salaries of all
federal Judges. including those of the
United States Supreme Court, total
Of $1.6S7.000 was spent In 1928. This
Ii expected to be increased approxi-
mately 100000 in 1924. Chief Justice
ary, whereas as President of the
United States he received $4,000 a
year. Expenses of all the federal
courts in the United States, including
judges salaries. fees of Jurors. wit
total was approximately $13.0o0.oo0.
For the care of all federal prisoners
and the operation of and maintenance
mately $3.100,000 must be added. In
the new plan of government reorgani-
cation the supervision of the federal
prisons Is taken from this department.
The balance of the expenses can be
covered under that mysterious term
ut times q very useful one-of mis-
cellaneous items"
Altogether. then. the Department Of
Justice. for the fiscal year which
closed June 80, 1928, had 663 persons
employed In Washington and 200
outside Washington, a total of 1868.
This is an increase of TAB persons
over the number employed In the
work In 1916.
The Department of Justice spent
approximately 21,527,000 for the
year. But this department also COL
lected some revenue. mostly from
federal fines, penalties and forfeit
the net expenditures for 1929 were
approximately $14,600,00o.
Equals Eighteen Days OF Navy.
Here is a system which covers like
a fine-tooth comb the whole United
States 1t operates extensively in
every state In the Union and In the
foreign possessions Of the United
cluded the salaries of every federal
Judge from the nine men on the
United States Supreme Court down:
all attorneys. bailiffs, witnesses
everybody connected with the judi
cial part Of the government. 1t has
hundreds of ain-clothes detectives
everywhere. under the eagle eye of
William J. Burns, who receives $500
year salary from the departm ent;
In any department of the government.
Yet out of every $1,000 the people
Of the United States paid into the
United States Treasury In taxes In
ceived only 65 cents. 1t is less than
is given Gen. Hines every twelve days
to carry on the Veterans Bureau. 1t
is less than the American people gave
to Mr.. DENLY every eighteen days to
spend on his Navy. Some reduction
in expenditures can be made in this
department-probab considerable
amount out Of that 100000 secret
fund-but the great expenditures of
this government of the United States
are not in the Department of Justice.
We must look elsewhere for our big
cuts.
(Copyricht, 1924, in United States and Great
Britain by North America Newspaper ALL
ance. All rights reseryed.)
(Tomorrow-The Post Office: The
Greatest Public Utility)