Evening star., 1936-01-25
Political Expediency Leads
To National Bankruptcy
To the Editor of The star:

40 Lue GultOT Ol Lie otAEs
In your Sunday edition, under heading
wondering About Federal Credit" ap-
pears statement attributed to President
Roosevelt under date Of March 10, 1888,
For three long years the Federal Gov.
ernment has been on the road toward
bankruptcy X y" and whether one ap-
proves or disapproves of present policies,
it Is the duty Of every worthwhile citizen
of these United States to ponder and
study the significance of this statement,
and the conditions that possibly prompted
it, viz: Ever increasing Federal Govern
ment expenditures and rapidly mounting
public debt due to extravaganza in ap-
preparations by Congress.
From a high figure in excess of Is bill
lions in 1919, there was gradual reduc-
ton each fiscal year until a low Of 16
Since then each year has seen an in
lures being in excess of revenues.
No executive, whether Democratic or
Republican. can properly be held solely
responsible for extravaganza in his ad-
miniStration when such funds have been
authorized and provided by Congress
supposed to be representatives of the peO-
PIC. 0CAl6 CACCtCO Wy Vic PCOPAC w N0AA
out their wishes or protect their inter-
estS as citizens, legislators are the SER
wants of and not the masters of the peo-
pie. Therefore, If there is extravaganza
in government it is due either directly
to members of both houses voting for
unnecessary expenditures and in excess
of revenues or indirectly by being in
different to the manner in which appro-
l,vvt <J4
partmentS.
No changes in the fundamental proc
eSses of government are necessary or re-
Quired if the elected representatives of
the people will give as much attention to
the kind and purpose of proposed legis-
lation as is given to whether or not it
will affect their political future. 1t is
probable that in the horse and buggy
days of the adoption of our Constitution
it was not envisioned that legislators
would be elected, not on the basis of
representative citizens of a community,
but because of membership in major
political party, to which allegiance is con-
sidered primary and the general welfare
of all the people secondary.
A rapidly increasing public debt that
is bringing these United States to the
brink of national bankruptcy should be
sufficient warning to every true American
that continuance of rule by politicians
means loss of everything that has made
this country the greatest and most
envied nation on earth.
Partisanship political bias and prejudice
are prime factors in the deterioration of
representative government. An estab-
lished democracy is only as good as the
representatives the people select. The
least governed are the best governed, so
it behooveS every American citizen to see
that Federal Government activities are
confined to those specifically defined in
the organic law of the land, and expendi-
lures reduced to an amount required by
the actual necessary expenses of the CEN
trail government only. and that appropria-
tions be confined to an amount not in
excess of that represented by the revenues
for the preceding year. Administer af-
fairs of government on business, not
political, basis and deficits and mounting
public debt will be thing of the past.
Common sense is as necessary in govern
ment as IN business and the everyday
life of every citizen.
A. H. SHELLENBERGER.
Travilah, Md.