The Washington times., 1935-01-10
JEFFERSON PEN
SHOULD WARN
DEMOCRATS
ECONOMY in Public Expense"
Statement Should Be
Needed, Says Writer
By JAMES T. WILLIAMS, Jr.


By JAMES T. WILLIAMS, Jr.
One of "the essential prin-
ciples of American government"
as declared by Thomas Jeffer.
son, is:
Economy In public expense,
that labor may be lightly
burthened."
The sum of good government,
according to the estimate JEFF
ferson gave in his First In
augural Address, was "a wise
and frugal government, which
shall restrain men from in.
juring one another, shall leave
them otherwise free to regulate
thier own pursuits of industry
and improvement, and shall not
take from the mouth of labor
the bread it has earned"
These admonitions of "the
author of the Declaration of
Independence, of the Statute
of Virginia for Religious Free
dom, and Father of the Univer-
sity of Virginia" as his own
illness for the average. American
epitath recites, have a time
liners for the average American
not only because this is the
stock-taking season of the year
but also because they are the
warning words of the Founders
of the Democratic Party which
is now in power at both ends
of Constitution Avenue and in
more than two-thirds Of the
States of the Union.
STARTLING FACTS
Another reason for recalling
at this time Jefferson'S appeal
for economy in public expense"
is to be found in some startling
facts and figures resulting from
q new and comprehensive study
just completed for the years
1923-34 by the National Indus
trial Conference Board.
The Federal Government, 48
State governments and over
$4,000 local government units
are included in the scope Of this
expert analysis of what govern
ment in this country is costing
the American people.
This authoritative study
shows:
First: That the American
people are now paying nine and
One-haIf billions of dollars q
years in taxes. This is one
fifth of the national income.
Second: Government expendi-
tures already approximate an
nuaIly 1512 billiOs dollars.
Third: In the last five years
the gross public debt Of the
United States has increased
about IL billion dollars.
For the year 1882 the gross
Indebtedness of all governments
Federal, State and local-in
the United States amounted to
$314.22 per inhabitant. And on
the basis of the Federal figures
for the end of the last fiscal
year and available information
regarding State and local gov
ernment this expert study dis
closes that for 1884 the gross
Indebtedness of government
throughout the United States
will approximate $375 per in
habitant-an increase Of 20 per
cent in gross debt per inhabit'
ant during the last two years.
Instead of striving to reduce
the cost of government to the
average American by moderniz-
ing of government through con-
solidation of governmental units
and the reduction of govern
mental employees our legislators
Federal State and local-ap-
pear to be chiefly concerned
with increasing the cost of gov"
ernment by levying new taxes
to pay for the extravaganceS Of
government of politicians by
politicians for politicians.
BOTH HOUSES
More proposals relating to
new taxation have been ad-
vanced in the last four years,
according to the National In
dustrial Conference Board,
than in any other period Of
the United States.
When President Roosevelt
warned the Congress the other
day that exceeding his budget
estimates would compel the
levying of additional taxes he
was doubtless speaking in the
light of the facts and figures
revealed by the comprehensive
study just completed by the
National Industrial Conference
Board.
(Coryright, 1898, The Washington TimesI