Evening star., 1928-12-15
Timely Warning to Congress
Seen in Presidents Message

"Our splendid Treasury Is not a bot.
tomleSS, automatically repleniShins
fountain of fiscal supply" is the sen
tence accepted by the press as the mos
significant part of the Presidents an
nual budget message.
The figures presented, in the opinion
of the New York Sun, should give the
free-Spenders pause" and that paper
adds that the showing points to 9
balanced budget, but the leeway in ar
estimated surplus of only $60,000,000 is
less than per cent of the national
revenue. Congress must walk softly,
concludes the Sun.
The necessity for care in appropria-
! tions also is emphasized by the Port
land Oregon Journal with the state
ment: Those who are producing the
wealth of the country are constantly
asked to give little more for the sup
port of the Government. Governments
have their functions. They are con-
stantly thrown into new fields of en-
deavor. They are constantly forced into
new activities Through the demands
of people and conditions the expense
continues to mount, but it is mounting
faster than necessity requires, and it is
becoming a constantly increasing bur-
den on those who are required to pay
the bills And there are too many off,
cialS who are reckless with other peo-
pies money"
"An analysis of the budget" accord
ing to the Scranton Times, would seem
to indicate that only the closest kind of
economy will keep the books balanced
to the end of the fiscal year; that the
reduction of the national debt will
henceforth move along at slower pace.
and that there is little likelihood of
further tax reduction for year or so
at least"
cit will be one of the chief tasks of
the Hoover administration to continue
the intelligently organized policy of
balanced budgets and expenditure con-
troll which is now in force advises the
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, which, however,
finds satisfaction in the present situa-
ton. mo country in the world is in
so happy position on finance as the
United States. We have had three sep
arate tax reductions since the close of
the war and still face the prospect of
a continued surplus, despite a steady
increase in Government expenditure
The temptation to more spending will
persist"
Congress will think carefully before
inviting veto or before authorizing
new taxes for the production of addi-
tional revenue" in the opinion of the
Chicago Daily News, which asserts that
enthusiastic advocates of big and
costly enterprises have not paid much
attention to fiscal facts, but Mr.. Cool
idge has. His blunt notice to Congress
should moderate the excessive zeal of
the complacent and busy spendthriftS
of that body" The News adds: PRO
posals entailing large new expenditures
clearly must go over, to be dealt with
by the new Congress and the new ad-
ministration in the light of the Federal
Treasury's condition and prospects in
the next fiscal year."
THE budget shows conclusively," 1t
Is pointed out by the Providence Bulle-
tin, 'that the upward trend in national
expenditures, which was sharply marked
in 1929 for the first time since the
World War, has not yet been arrested.
Appropriations of Congress to
date. taken in conjunction with the
Presidents warning that he will not
tolerate unnecessary supplementary ap-
preparations this Winter, suggest that
the 1929 disbursements will not greatly
exceed this years figures. The 1890
estimated expenditures, however, as re-
vealed in the budget message, will bring