Montgomery County sentinel., 1938-01-20

WaShington.-Some seventeen or
eighteen years ago when I was a
staff writer for the
IN Terms or Associated Press,
Billions specializing in f.
nance, ! was called
upon to write the 'lead' or general
story about the annual estimates of
expenditures sent to congress that
day. The late L. c. Probert was
my chief. He read my story and
ordered me to rewrite the first para
graph, saying: "You ought to stress
that total more; make it read some
thing to the effect that billion DID,
lar congress has arrived Show
where these government expendi-
lures are heading"
The circumstance impressed me
for some reason. I can recall the
incident as vividly as though it were
yesterday: "The era of billion dol
lar congresses appears to be upon
us" but it was one of those incidents
that was just a good story to a
writer. Little did I realize then
what it would mean when viewed
from the perspective, say, of 1898,
for only the other day President
Roosevelt submitted the annual es-
Inmates, now called the budget, for
the next fiscal year. The call was
for 81, 1858, ,043 1000. That was not all.
He said there likely would be addi-
tional requests for money later
and he added a most significant
expression or observation that prob
ably we can expect the annual
federal budget to run around seven
billion dollars in the future.
In truth, where are these govern
ment expenses heading? And what
do they mean in the lives of pres
ent and future citizens and taxpay-
ers? What does it mean in taxa
ton and especially when one con-
slders that besides this list of sched-
uled expenditures, there is little
matter of thirty-eight billion dol
lars in national debt? Then, we
ought to remember there has been
deficit for nine successive years
nine years during which the gov
ernment has spent more than it re-
ceived in income, and there probab-
ly will be at least one more.
AS the figures were approved by
the President and sent to the capitol,
the government will spend $539, ,000,-
O0O Tits deficits) more during the
fiscal year that starts next July
l than taxes will bring into the
treasury. That means, of course.
more borrowing and more borrow
ing means an increase in the public
debt. Onward and upwardl Or
should we say it in a revised form:
upward-and upward!
Most of the newspapers made
headlines out of several items be-
cause they were huge, immense.
Attention was called to the fact that
the appropriation for national de-
fense-the army, the navy, the ma
rine corps-was 1891 ,000, 900. That
was the greatest peacetime total in
history. They also referred at length
to billion dollar appropriation for
relief, and to an item Of $976, ,0OO,-
600 In interest on the public debt,
and to $3.50, 900, 900 for pensions to
veterans of wars.
These are startling in their size.
They should occasion comment.
Sometimes I think it requires stag
gering totals to cause people to stop
and think a bit. Maybe these will
do that. But in any event, the
budget Just submitted to me seems to
carry some additional significance,
matters that deserve more thought
than the size Of those items men
toned. I refer to the general trend
as exemplified by the Presidents
remark that we may expect seven
billion dollar budgets in the future.
AS to that indication, is il not
about time to call haltG Through