The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-12-09
NEWSPAPERS OPINIONS
SELF-RELIANCE

The spectacle of the congressman VINO throws
his hat in the air for balanced budget and then
fights like tiger to obtain larger appropriations
for his own constituents, has become so familiar
that it is cheering to read such statement as Sen
ator Bailey made yesterday. He is under fire, down
in North Carolina, because it is suspected that he
will support the presidents proposal to reduce e%-
penditures for road construction and thereby de-
prive his state of funds which have been pouring
into it from Washington. In his present statement
he insists that no member of congress can consls-
tently ask for reduction of government costs IN
order to balance the national budget, "and then
refuse to sustain the first move the president makes
in that direction" He will support Mr. Roosevelt
proposal regardless of the importunatc demands
of his constituents, and if the president is to UNI
dergo criticism for his effort to reduce public eX-
penditures Eat any point Whatsoever ne will be
happy to share that criticism with him.
This is politically courageous statement; for it
is never an easy thing for member of congress to
advise his own voters to look to Washington for
less aid and to rely on local initiative. There
are however two facts which, if well enough I'M
derstood, would make this increasingly necessary
task somewhat easier to perform.
In the first place, it is an illusion to believe there
exists in Washington source of funds into which
the states can dip without cost to themselves.
There is no magic in the formula of "federally
financed" roads or other public works. The gov
eminent in Washington has not tapped some myS-
FERROUS source of credit or drawn money from the
air II has no spending power whatever except
that which it acquires by taxing its citizens or by
borrowing from them, and borrowed money must
be repaid with interest. When the federal govern
ment grants" money to North Carolina to help
build n cross-statc highway, this simply means that
the citizens of North Carolina will eventually be
asked, through federal taxation, to help meet the
cost of this and every other similar grant to
every other state. and that in the long run the
citizens of North Carolina will pay approximately,
the cost of their highway.
Moreover there is this fact also TO be noted
Not only is North Carolina really paying for its
own "federally financed" public works, by the in
direct device of sending to Washington tax money
which returns to it grants, but the very lndi-
rcctness of the process involves in itself loss OF
local authority. Once Washington has taxed North
Carolina il is Washington and not North Carolina
which decides how North Cardinals money will be
spent Power necessarily goes hand in hand with
responsibility, under any scheme of government
and by yielding to the habit of expecting every
thing of Washington the states and counties and
municipalities are inevitably inviting a curtailment
of their rights. 1t is no accident that period
which has witnessed the payment of gigantic fed
eral subsidies has witnessed also the aggrandize-
ment of federal authority and the growth Of a
vast unhealthy over-centralzation Of power in the
national capital
The times call strongly for more self-reliance on
the part of local communities and individual citi-
zens in the solution Of their problems and Senator
Bailey's statement leads in the right way.-New
York Times.