Evening star., 1932-09-18
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Leading economists, as we'll as poll
i ticians, ARE row emphasizing the fact
! that States and cities and smaller sub
divisions. even more than the Federal
Government, must reduce expenditures
before there can be any permanent re-
lief from the business depression and
unemployment. american cities are
like families living beyond their means
is the finding Of such authoritative
spokesmen as Calvin Coolidge, Herbert
D. Brown, chief of the United States
Bureau Of Efficiency. and Representative
William Williamson of South Dakota,
former chairman OF the HOu&f Commit
tee on Expenditures in TIE government
departments and q memb6f of the spe-
cial Economy Committee OF the House.
Representative Williamson points to
the warning last March by former Pres
ident Coolidge that taxes-local. State
and National-had climbed from 64 per
cent Of our national income in 1918 to
14,4 per ceptspf our national income in
1880. Since then our national income
has greatly fallen. Mr.. Williamson
stresses. with no corresponding reduc.
tor 1852 the total tax burden will run
very close to 20 per cent Of our national
Meome, and he says "manifestly such
load Is beyond endurance"
He sees the greatest danger IN the
tremendous increase Of expenditures by
States and lesser subdivisions. He Is
now seeking segregated data for the
smaller units, such as townships and
school districts. He has had a table
prepared from data gathered at hiS re-
quest by the Census Bureau which dis
closes that State revenues increased
from Sass, ,232, ,597 in 1915 to $2,243, TO-
687 for 1890, while expenditures for the
same period increased from $494 907, ,084
to S2,290, ,270 ,069. State expenditures
continue to mount higher and higher,
he says, with every passing year and to
outrun revenues, SO that the net result
was to increase the gross debt OF the
States for the period under cOnsidera-
ton from $500, ,4O8, ,081 to the stupendous
sum of S2,444,l2 ,20l. In other words,
notwithstanding the tremendous in
crease in taxes, expenditures exceeded
income by $l,290, ,270, ,059.
Representative Williamson has made
a similar study OF cities having pop
ulation of 80, 900 or over. In 1918 these
cities had an income OF S666,277ll
with total expenditures aggregating
1884, 14l, $50. BY 1880 income had in
creased to $3,418,502 .995 for the year,
$40, ,6SI, 1853. With only two exceptions
the annual expenditures for the period
had exceeded income, with an ever-in-
creasing volume of Indebtedness, which
had reached q staggering total OF Sl0.-
0l8,4l6,034 for 1880. This Indebtedness
has been greatly augmented during the
last two years, Representative William
son warns.
The counties have followed the same
course. Their revenues for 1912 were
s370, ,043.046; expenditures. $685. l81 .760,
and gross debts, 1895, POT ,409. Ten
years later taxes collected amounted to
S745 000. 600 and the gross debt stood
at 81, ,386, ,430, 900. During the next dec
ade ending with 1882 revenue. expendi-
lures and indebtedness have continued
to mount.
Giving a slant on what he has in
mind TO urge when Congress reassem-
bles, Representative Williamson says:
1T Is clear that this trend cannot be
allowed to continue without bringing
absolute disaster. In many parts OF
the country taxes already are conf1sca-
tory. Unless there is to be a complete
socialization of land We must face about
and end it by reducing expenses OF
government and municipal and
county and township and school district,
as well as National-"to a point where
the cost will be brought to a level that
the people can afford to pay.
1T Is time we were devoting more at
tention to sound economics and less to
relief panaceas that are only tempo
rary and indifferently effective at best.
1t should be possible to work out our
interests in such manner as to give
etnk 4n ivc
employment at fair wages and prevent
recurring booms and corresponding de-
pressions Until this end is realized We
Shall not have reached that economic.
stability to which the people are en-
titled"
Shall we cripple the Constitution to
remove lame ducks'?" is asked, rhetori-
cally, by Representative Byron B. Har-
Ian of Ohio, who pcints out that William
Mckinley, Abraham Lincoln and Champ
Clark are three of the many hundreds of
defeated Congressman who have served
their communities as lame ducks" While
the ratification of the amendment pro-
posed to the States by Congress is being
awaited, Representative Harlan and
others are endeavcring to educate"
the people back home that the multi
piled duties and activities which con-
front new member of Congress re
quire considerable preparatory education.
The governmental departments all have
to be learned" he says. The necessary
contacts have to be established and
four months time is all tco short to
permit any Congressman to prepare
himself to render real service to his
community" He argues also that most
Congressman are men of standing in
their communities, who have consider
able butiness or professional activity to
adjust before starting in on their duties,
and all this must be done if a public
official is to give his whole time to his
work"