Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-17
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
SEDALIA, Mo, october Is. - Go,
Smiths speech last night, as prepared
for delivery, follows:
No political party is entitled to tn
confidence of the people If it conducts
campaign of Misrepresentation
Throughout the country the Repub
lican party is conducting such cam
paign. In the last three weeks have
exposed large part of it. Tonight
propose to expose the grossest misrep.
resentation so far made by the Repub-
lican party as a reason why it. should
remain in control of the Government.
Lacking an issue and unable to point
to any constructive achievement, the
Republican party has. through its
orators, its public officials, its pres
bureau ana through its national COM
mittee, attempted to put into the minds
of the people of this country that py
what they are pleased to term Coolidge
economy they have actually reduced the
cost of operating the Government.
I shall paint for you tonight three
pictures Picture No, ! is what the Re-
publican party would like to have you
believe This picture was started as far
back as 1924, when the Republican
platform and the Republican campaign
text book of that year started their
propaganda and made the claim of re-
ducing the cost of operating the Gov
eminent. At that time the statement
was technically correct, because the
figures in the 1924 book were based on
a comparison between peace time and
war time appropriations expenditures
and revenues.
Cites War Costs.
The picture shows one fact and that
is a substantial reduction in 1924 as
against 1921, because in 1921 the Gov
eminent was still paying, and paying
dearly. for necessary expenses incident
to the war. 1t took years to disband
and return to their homes the two
million soldiers who were abroad when
the armistice was declared. 1t TOOK
years to muster out of the service and
return to their homes the two million
men in camp in this country. 1t took
wears to reduce the Navy to peace
time status and to disband the various
other costly agencies set UP by the Gov
eminent for the purpose of progressing
the war.
1t is, therefore, quite natural that
during 1921, 1922 and 1923 the enof-
NOUS wartime expenditures began u
drop, and because of that fact entire
pages of the campaign book of the Re-
publican party of 1924 were devoted to
a recital of the great reduction in the
cost of the Government. The CAM
paign text book of that year did not,
however. give the true cause of the re-
duction. to wit, the completed change
from a wartime to a peace basis, but
ascribed it for political purposes TO
what they claimed to be Cooildgc
economy. In that manner the economy
myth since made so much OF by the
party had its origin.
The children in our public scnools
know that it costs a great deal less &c
run the Government in time OF peace
than it does in time of war.
To show how this false picture was
built up we have to consider some CT
the public statements intended to lead
the people to believe that Republican
economy is responsible for reducing the
cost of Government.
Quotes Mills Speech.
In a recent speech over the radio
Undersecretary of the Treasury Mills
said. when comparing 1921 with lts
great war expenditures and 1878: we
spent $l,895, 100000 less"
That statement was undoubtedly IN
tended to make the people believe that
there has been a reduction in the cost
of government under the two Re-
.-,,Li;aor administrations Nothing
could be further from the truth.
The Republican national committee
IN an attack made upon me after the
delivery of my speech OF acceptance,
said:
while Federal expenses were Delng
reduced, New York State expenditures
we're almost tripled."
There again. we find an attempt 10
fix in the minds of the people that the
party reduced the cost OF
It is strange TO see IN
the very same statement that, In at
tempting to explain increases in FED
eral expenditures, they criticize me pc
cause they claim 1 ignored $4,000 IN
crease in the Vice Presidents salary
Three thousand dollars is very small
amount in saving claimed TO be as
high as two billion dollars.
They also said 1 overlooked large
item Of expense to make the White
House a safe place in which to live.
I hope they did not expect me to
criticize that item ! would be in favor
of that. Certainly if there is a man
in the United States who wants the
White House safe to live in, l am that
man.
Gould Go On for Hours"
I could go on here for hours recall
Ing the different public statements and
public speeches made by Republican
orators during the last four years, all
stressing their claim that Coolidge
economy was reducing the cost OF the
They went so far as TO
And fault with States and municipali-
ties for not following what they called
the good example of the Federal Gov
eminent when these various States and
civil divisions required more money for
the operation of government. BY con-
slant repetition they hoped to induce
great many people in this country TO
think there was something to their con-
tention.
The chief orator on this subject is
the director of the budget himself, Gen.
Lord. ! personally heard him say at
Poland Springs in June, 1925, while
l was attending the conference of gov
errors, that because of the budget Sys-
tenn established under President Hard
ing it was possible TO come within
$48 900, 900 of reducing the cost OF
by two billion dollars, be-
tween 1921 and 1925. The true ex-
PLANTATION of this reduction, however
he did not discuss.