Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-30

Members of the Government
| business organization; In these
meetings find a real encouragement.
/ approach them with knowledge of
| what has been done. / leave them
with increased hope for the future.
We gather here to consider the busi-
ness operations of the Government.
| 1t is here we discuss our policies and
aims, SO that all may contribute
| understandingly to their fulhllment-
We represent the most colossal bust
ness organization in the world. It's
activities touch almost every known
interest. Because of this 1t is I'M
portant that we proceed along oen-
mite business lines. And this pc
comes even more Important when
we pause to considel the one ana
only object of our ossrations-the
welfare of the Americak oeopie. The
profit of our labors go to The people
This is our constant inspiration for
loyal. faithful and devoted service.
In speaking of the business opera
tions of the Federal Government we
are not greatly concerned with the
amount of responsibility attaching 10
an office, Rather are we concerned
with the manner in which that re-
sponsibility is discharged. 1t is In
the discharge of our duties that we
find success or failure. In the vast
| business of the Federal Government
we must necessarily measure the
| product in the aggregate. This
aggregate is the sum total of all or
our efforts. No matter how high or
| how low the position held. each OF
us in the Federal service contributes
to the aggregate of the product.
We are often charged with IN
efficiency. But I am fully convinced
that the facts demonstrate that,
| measuring efficiency by the aggre-
gate of the product these last years
there is no business body more EN-
Gent than the business organization
of the Federal Government. You
have the opportunity and privilege
of serving all of the people. 1t calls
not alone for efficiency, but for high
ideals of service-a conception or
duty where selfish interest and selfish
desires have no place. 1t calls Tor
loyalty and patriotism.
Serving Sacred Cause.
We are serving cause which to
us should be sacred above all Things
the cause of the people or this
great Nation. Errors of Judgment
are excusable. There Is no excuse
for disloyalty. II there be persons
in our organization who have not
been loyal, who have not lived up to
the ideals demanded by the cause
we serve, they have not only con-
tributed nothing, but they have sub
tracted something from the efforts
of the loyal. They should be dis
placed.
When FIVE and a half years ago
we set about to put our finances IN
order we were faced with a public
debt of $23.977, 900 900. 1t Is easy to
save when not in debt. 1t Is an
entirely different thing to save and
economize when in debt. The rec
| ord of this intervening period has
shown that the vast public debt was
an inspiration for real accomplish
ment. We have seen that debt re-
| duced by more than S4.000,oo0 in
| the five years which ended June 30
| last. In these five years the sched-
ule fixed by law for debt reduction
| from our ordinary receipts was ex-
| ceeded by $2,096, 100000 In other
| words, on June 80 last we Were over
| $4,000 .000, 900 ahead of the schedule.
This excess debt reduction repre-
sents an extraordinary annual saw
ing in interest of nearly 100000. 900.
And in the same period of time we
have seen three substantial reduc-
| lions in rates of taxation. This has
been accomplished not at the ex-
pense of the character of service
rendered by the Federal Government.
! but manifestly and plainly to all for
| the benefit of that service. The out
| look today is that large sum can
| be applied this current fiscal year
| to the further reduction Of our
debt. II this is realized our debt on
I June 80 next will stand well below
| $19, 600 900 900. We will be then
ahead of the schedule more than two
and one-haf billions of dollars.
Military Phase of Debt.
The public debt has q direct con-
| nection with the question of mill
| tary preparedness. To the extent
| that we are able to reduce our public
debt and to eliminate the vast charges
of interest thereon, to that extent
are we adding to our military pre-
PREPAREDNESS; and to the same extent
/ are we tightening the burden of the
| people of this country. Probably of
all the great nations of the world we
1 are in the most fortunate financial
condition. But. aside from the many
| and other more important reasons.
we should, from financial standpoint
| alone, refrain from any gesture
| as miIitaristic.
| There are in this nation people
whoa advocate policies which would
| place us in a militaristic attitude.
| There are others who beguile them
selves with feeling of absolute
safety and preach a doctrine OF ex-
| IRENE pacifism. Both of these are
dangerous to our continued peace and
prosperity. What we need, and all
that we need, for national protection
is adequate preparedness. In that is
reflected our traditional attitude to-
| ward all nations. 1t contains nc
gesture of offense and no gesture OF
weakness.
am for adequate military pre-
paredness. 1t Is q question to which
III always give the most serious
thought in my recommendations tC
the Congress in the budget message
AS Comma nder-in-C Chief of the Army
and of the Navy, the Chief Executive
of this Nation has an emphatic re
sponsibility for this phase of our wei
fare. AS a nation we are advocates
of peace. Not only should we re
frain from any act which might be
construed as calling for competition
in armament, but rather should we
bend our every effort to eliminate
forever any such competition. We
cannot and should not divorce oui
own interests in this direction from
| the interests of other nations. Rather
should we view the matter from the
standpoint of the best interests o.
| all the nations. Surely the best in
terests of all are found in directing
to the channels of public welfare