Evening star., 1932-02-18
FEDERAL ECONOMY
! URGED BY R|TCH|E
Maryland Governor Scores
Increased Activities at
Cost of Taxpayer.

~ OUT OF every So tHey edTH, were
stored by Gov. Albert C. Ritchie of
Maryland in a radio address under the
auspices Of the American Taxpayers
League, broadcast last night from Sta
tion WRC over the network of the Ma
tional Broadcasting Co.
Excursions by the Government into
the homes and into private business
and industry, Gov. Ritchie said, are
largely responsible for an increase of
$50 per cent in the cost Of Government
in less than two decades. Every dol
lar the Government spends is taken
from the pockets of the American peo-
Pile" he said. There are few these
days who have more dollars in their
pockets than their own reeds require"
he declared in explaining that a reduc-
ton in needless expenditures created
under bureaucratic government"
might make the difference between
want and suficiency."
With business compelled to reduce
both expenses and pay rolls, and the
family budget cut to the bone, what
has the Government done to reduce
its cost to the American people and
thus save them something on their tax
bills?" Ritchie demanded.
Part Of Address.
1uc CIOScIAOI Sdlu III pdlt.
These are stirring days, and stirring
things challenge our interest. Perhaps
II we could once get our feet on the
ground again, recover our morale and
see things straight and whole, this
crisis we are in would be the sooner
over
The world is not coming to an end
because England has gone off the gold
standard, or because other countries
do not like paying their just debts, or
because Japan gives little heed to the
League Of Nations.
I'VE will get over wheat stabilizing
policies which do not stabilize and pro-
hibition policies which do not prohibit,
and some day we will have tariff
which will let us do business with the
world again. and a railroad policy
which will point some way out of the
perplexing difficulties which beset these
arteries of American prosperity and
repositories Of American savings.
Stirring as these and other current
problems are, it is of but one that
am asked to speak tonight. That is
the problem Of taxation. 1t is COM
monplace to say that death and taxes
De always with us. But SO far as taxes
3e concerned, the whole truth is that
not only are they always with us, but
they affect profoundly our governmental
standards as we'll as the daily ad-
ventures OF our lives.
Ignorant of Appropriation.
1T is curious how Indifferent or how
ignorant people are in regard to Gov
eminent appropriations. 1t seems al
most as II they think that Government
funds come like meteors from the sky,
or that there IS some sort of mystic or
magical art which can produce them.
THE truth, Of course, is that the Gov
eminent can spend nothing it does not
collect, and every thing it does collect
comes from the people. In some cases
the people pay directly, in others in
directly, but always they pay. Gov
ernmental salaries and expenses. pub
lie works, Federal subsidies and sub
ventions-it makes no difference. Every
dollar the Government spends is taken
from the pockets of the American
people.
Now there are few American people
thesce days who have more dollars in
their pockets than their own needs re-
qu1re, and II the Government is taking
more dollars from the people than are
really necessary to run the Government,
then the people ought to know it and
stop 1t. This saving might make the
difference between want and plenty, or
ut least between want and sufficiency.
what it is costing them to run their
Government. In 1918, less than 20
years ago, the combined income and
eaYnings Of the American people was
$34, ,000, ,000, 900, and of this amount gov
eenmental expenditures took $3,ooO,-
900, 1000, or less than per cent.
Last year the combined income and
earnings Of the American people was
470, 900, ,000, 900, of which amount gov
srnmental expenditures took $14,000,-
0,000, or 20 per cent.
Large Increase.
I'm other words, during this period
Of less than two decades, the cost of
cent and the earnings of the people who
support Government increased less than
half that amount.
To-day, out of every S. the American
people earn, 81 goes to pay the ex-
penSeS Of Government.
While very considerable part Of
these increased expenses of Government
are due to necessities and to natural
growth and development, another very
considerable part is undoubtedly due to
new and to rapidly expanding govern
menCal acClVltleS.
1T is difficult, of course, for any one
who has not the opportunity of studying
at first hand the work of Federal de-
partment to venture a categorical judg-
ment as to just how or where its ac-
tivities can be curtailed; but all you
need do is run hurriedly over the list
Of activities Of the Federal Government
TO zee that obviously a lot of them can
be cut out, If there is only the will to do
IT, As the lawyers say, res ipSo loQuitur
the thing speaks for itself.
For instance, the Government I'M
dertakes now in a thoroughly detailed
way to tell the housekeeper how to keep
house, the storekeeper how to keep
store, the farmer how to farm and the
tinker how to tink.
Intricate information is given about
bed sheets and how long they wear.
trousers for children, making marma-
lade, preparing caviar for the table. the
relative merits Of front and rear loca-
uon for rainspouts and cutters, how to
deal with the knotty problems Of jam
med doors, leaky spigots, refractory door
bells and frosted pipes, the efficacy of
vending machines for hot dogs, the
habits OF frogs, how to cure an adven-
turous child Of running away from
home and whether lovemaking is more
prevalent indoors or out.
Government in Business.
There Is another class of govern
mental activities which is still more
costly, namely, excursions by govern
ment into the realm Of private busi-
ness.
II do not pretend to know in just
how many Undertakings government
y competing with private business. I
have been reliably informed that there
are more than $50 such cases. Before
me Is a list of 120. They run straight
through the alphabet, from agricul-
tural products, aircraft anchors and
awnings down to warehousing and
woolen and worsted goods.
"A minimum of government in bust
ness may be unavoidable in this COM
IL ,aalikinal Ia .nf hut