The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-05-27
SEEN and HEARD>
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NATIONAL CAPITALA< /
BY Carter Field wZ
FAMOUS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

cient revenue. The only question Is
when they will be imposed.
Cutting the Costs
Economy cutting government
expenditures: Tremendously impor-
tant. but not frightfully interesting
to the average reader. Moreover,
it is difficult for the proverbial milk
man In Omaha to get worked up
over whether economy is achieved
by horizontal cut of ten per cent
in all appropriations, or fifteen per
cent in such appropriations as the
President, in his discretion, may
consider proper. A really self
governing people. in the school
book sense of the words. would get
all hot and bothered about this, but
there is no indication of much in
terest.
Neutrality: Promised just few
months ago to be real issue. But
at that time there was genuine fear
throughout the country that there
would be q big European war very
shortly, in which the United States
might easily become involved, For
reasons difficult to explain, and hav-
ing very little to do with the truth,
this fear, which was SO high but
short time back, has subsidized. Con-
sequently there was almost total
lack of interest when the neutrality
bill finally was passed.
Government reorganization: This
never did excite the public half as
much-not tenth as much--as Ii
did the senators and representa-
tives. The lawmakers have selfish
interests, friends in bureaus which
might be reduced, transferred or
abolished. But the mechanic in De-
troit, the steel worker in Gary, and
the farmer in Iowa care nothing
about it whatever.
Economy Road
The economy road is not SO easy
for the federal government as the
average business and professional
man seems to think. In fact it is
just about as difficult a thing as
one can imagine.
Consider the mental processes of
a senator or member of the house,
for example, when he tries to de-
eide whether he will follow the
wishes of the President, and vote
for discretionary cut of fifteen per
cent in all appropriations, or wheth-
CIR he will follow some of the house
and senate leaders. and vote for
horizontal ten per cent cut.
The discretionary cut means SIM
ply that President Roosevelt could,
at his pleasure, make cut i'm any
appropriation congress might vote,
the only limit being that the cut
must not exceed fifteen per cent of
the total.
The horizontal cut means simply
that congress would arbitrarily re-
duce every appropriation by one
tenth, leaving the President no
discretion at all.
In approaching a decision as to
which way to vote the congressman
knows that both solutions are bad
unbelievably bad. In fact, probably
the only thing that could be worse
would be not to economic at ALL
The discretionary cut theory hits
the congressman right where he
lives. He knows If he votes for that
and should later on want a little
mercy shown some particular prof.
ect affecting his own district or
state, he will have to go on his
hands and knees to the White House
for it. Or worse still--he might
have to 60 to some arbitrary and
not even politically minded bureau
crat for his favor--say Harold L.
Ickes or Harry l.. Hopkinsl And
before he got what he wanted-he
can be sure as he now looks at the
picture--he would have to promise
to vote for whatever the White
House or that particular bureaucrat
| might want at the time.
Finds Reasons
But when he examines the ten per
cent horizontal cut, he finds there
are plenty of reasons why he should
oppose that. On its face it Is TN
scientific. 1t is clumsy. 1t Is in
flexible. Its surgical cure not only
impairs but destroys efficiency in
the most unexpected places. Judg-
ing by the results, it is like taking
a sixteen-inch naval gun to kill a
mosquito.
Yet to attempt to discriminate
to have congress perform its logical
function of deciding just how much
shall be spent by each bureau Of
| the governments inpracticable
! in the face of the certainty OF log
rolling. You vote for my appropria-
ton and ! will vote for yours. Which
always winds up with the total ap-
preparations bigger than ever.
Then there are the personal an
| giles. A senator may believe that
economy-inspired cuts should be
imposed in bureaus A and B and C..
He may be enthusiastic about more
spending in X and Y and z. But
IL suddenly appears that he has a
| host OF political lieutena1ts who are