The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-07-18

sentence" for large end water
logged. dangerously financed pub
Lie utility holding companies. This
vote came In the course of the
fight against the power trusts po-
litical and financial dictatorship !;
and was made to appear crush
ing defeat for Roosevelt, with i'm
plications that he has now been
spanked and sent home in disgrace.
Well, a vote Of 323 to 81, with 1865
Democrats voting against the Pres
ident's program looks like revolt.
But don't believe everything you
read in the city newspapers. ~
The power trust regulatory legis-
lation Is still in the making; but
that 1923 to 81 votes Is a distinct cpl
sode to be explained. The fact is,
Roosevelt was letting his crowd In
the house have a little free rein;
he was giving the boys a chance to
assert their independence; a sort
of spree which clears the air and
makes them all willing to come into
line; and they will all be in line
asking for Roosevelt support when
election time comes around again.
Actually, the New Deal program
to cut down the power trust to q
size where 1t cannot act the po-
litlcal and financial bully has not
been hurt In the slightest. You
will hear more of this as time goes
on.
GOVERNMENT FINANCES
Government costs more and more
with the passage of every decade {;
as we demand more the taxpayers
get more and pay for it. Right now
we are appropriating about $780,
100000 for the new fiscal year
which started July 1 and will end
June 80 Of next year; and the poll
ticians Of the anti-New Deal group
are moaning because they see q
public debt of $28,OOO,OOO,OO0.
We have, as I have related to
you, reduced the regular expenses
of the regular government estab-
lishment; but we have been faced
with the necessity of relief for the
20,O00,0OO people who could not live
otherwise. That is costing us about
81, 900, 100000 a year; and Roosevelt
declares it Is his duty to feed the
people first and balance the budget
next, a policy which will not be
seriously questioned.
Large expenses always provoke
political criticism and declarations
that some one Tin the opposition
party of course) could run the show
better and at less cost. We now
have the Presidential boom of Alt
Landon, Republican governor of
Kansas, whose friends point out
that he cut down the expenditures
in Kansas. ~. I
There Is a difference between
economies in state and In the ma
tional government. No President
can effect economies which In one
administration will turn a deficit to
profit; in fact it Is almost incon.
ceivable that this government could
continue to function and not have
to run partly on borrowed money.
In the first place our national
debt has been mounting for six
years; 1t began to increase tremen.
dously six years ago, and Is due to
two causes: one, the demands OF
the American people on their gov.
eminent; and, two, the decrease of
income due to economic causes.
Now 1t may be said, and it Is be.
Ing said, that Roosevelt ought to
stop spending. Well, congress, by
constitutional mandate, is the only
authority over our federal revenue.
The vast governmental structure
which does all this spending Is
therefore the child Of succeeding
congresses. The President may
suggest economies; but have rare.
ly known congress which didn't
override any President who wanted
to cut out existing expense. i
Now IL the American people ara
really interested, they may find this
suggestion practical: F..
That they elect congresses with
definite instructions to reduce GER
tan specific governmental expendi.
lures. That Is a more practical
method Of reducing taxes and ex-
penses than empty political plat.
form promises. - = H..
COLLISION PROBABLE
Looks like there may be a head.