Evening star., 1931-11-29

IEe FOTuL
L ranged by The Washington Star
and broadcast over a coast-to-
coast network of the Columbia Broad
casting System last night follows:
A long, hard. stormy session is in
prospect, probably the most trying SeS-
sion in years. There are an unusual
number of crucial and perpleixng ques-
tions on which 500 men must make
decisions. II political partisans, spar
ring for party advantage, place OBJ
stacles IN the way, the going" as We
say. Is going to be very difficult.
The coming Congress will have the
opportunity to practice what 1t has
been preaching in recent years. Re-
publicans and Democrats alike have
been urging everybody to cooperate,
ESPECIALLY the farmers.
Partisans Can Do Harm
Now it is up to all of us in Con-
gress to do little cooperating among
ourselves-Republica and Democrats
lin a working union for the common
good serving America unitedly and
lunselfShly.
A partisan Congress can do the
country great harm and little or moth
ing of good.
A cooperating Congress that will
suspend partisan activities and have
in mind the general good of the coun-
try in its time of need, will put patriot
ism above partisan advantage, that
will put craftsmanship above politics,
is the best thing that could happen.
And let me say right here that I
propose to cooperate with any mem
Der, any group or any party that has
anything to offer for the general good.
The fact that it may be offered by
a Democrat will not cause me to shy
from it. Oftentimes something does
come out Of Israel.
There are lot of things that need
fixing this Winter, and If the members
OF both branches of Congress will lay
aside their partisanship and join
hands in finding out what is the best
thing to do and then do 1t, the coun-
try will be better of.
Congress faces a big John fact,
several big jobs-when it meets one
week from Monday. propose to dis
cuss briefly few angles Of one Of
those jobs this evening.
Thinks Demand justified.
All over the country the cry is going
up:
Taxes must be reduced"
And I think the demand is justified
In the face of the demand for lower
taxes, Congress faces a deficit in the
Federal Treasury-a deficit of one bill
lion dollars for the past fiscal year, and
6 promised deficit for the current fiscal
year. In round numbers one could
safely say that Congress faces the job
Of taking up nearly two billion dollars
slack in attempting to balance Uncle
Sans budget.
Public expenditures have increased
four times; our total public debt seven
times in trifie more than 10 years!
AH
our share OF taxes. For years we have
been disproportionately taxed. ESpe-
cially is this true of the farmer, whose
taxes absorb 81 per cent of his in
come-much more when that income is
Escanty, as it Is now. The tax burden
is one of the things seriously depressing
land values and weakening the basis
of loans.
All of us are paying for more gov
eminent than we medical, State
and national. The increase of de-
linquent taxes is becoming serious
problem in all cities. We are making
it luxury to own home. And the
homecoming citizen is the Nation S
best asset.
In line with the cry. Taxes must be
reduced" Congress will face the job of
cutting down on expenditures by the
Federal Government and its agencies
Already there is much talk, and there
will be much more talk, of more economy
in Government departments. I would
like to feel more hopeful about this
than honestly can.
Economies Praised.
The Hoover administration undoubted-
ly is effecting many economies, and those
are worth while. There will be an effort
to reduce salaries by the next Congress.
| hot mill 1Aa hao RI ik~
applied only to the higher salaried
officials.
I am also glad to see that President
Hoover has recognized the one place
where a substantial saving in Federal
expenditures is possible. That is in the
amount OF money expended for war pur-
poses.
Now we must remember, in all dis
cuSsionS of governmental expenditures,
that the problem is not peculiar to my
township my school district, my county,
my State of kansas, or to the United
States.
This burden is borne by all the coun-
tries In the world. European nations
are struggling under an even heavier
load of debts and taxes than are we in
the United States.
And in all these countries it is the
war burden that is the biggest single
item and If common sense could be used
by all peoples, the most unnecessary
item, of public expenditures.
My friends the nations Of the world
are spending more than four and one
half billion dollars a year for armamentS
these figures do not include payments
for pensions. payments on debts con-
tracted in past wars, nor care Of the
disabled veterans of past wars
This four ard one-half billion dollars
a year Is the cost of preparing for
future wars. It is a staggering sum.
! Also it may surprise some folks in the
United States to know that the United
States, measured in terms of money,
spent on armies and navies, leads all the
nations in the world.
q. S. Biggest Spender.
OF course, measured in the number
of men under arms, and in terms of
battleshipS and other war vessels, we
do not lead the world in preparing for
war. But in downright cash expendi-
lures for the next war that every one
breads, but nearly every one looks
forward to, Uncle Sam is the biggest
spender among all the nations. This is
explained, in part, by the fact that
Uncle Sam pays higher wages, higher
wages in the Army and Navy, higher
wages for all labor performed, higher
prices for all materials, than any other
government.
Last fiscal year, according to the best
figures have been able to obtain, the
United States spent more than $700.-
100000 for arms, armament, and men.
This is in direct expenditures for Army
and Navy purposes Great Britain spent
under $500,000,000; the Soviet Union of
Russia under $60o,000,0o0; France under
$500, 900 900.
We still are learning the bitter les
sons of the war. Yet the nations that
are borrowing money to balance their
budgets, including our own, continue
to Spend not less than 5O0 million