Evening star., 1939-05-23
Chaos Faced Unless
Economy Is Begun,
Woodrum Warns
Further Experiments
In Spending Opposed
By House Member

Representative Clifton A. Wood
rum, Democrat, of Virginia, dis
cuSsed Public Spending" last night
in the National Radio Forum, ar
ranged by The Star and broadcast
over a Nationwide network of the
National Broadcasting Co. The text
Of his address follows:
When the Democratic party, of
which I am member, came into
power in 1888, we had made some
pretty definite and specific promises
to the American people Not only
in our platform, upon which we were
elected, but in the utterances and
commitments of our candidates.
Many of those promises we have
kept. Some of them need attention.
We promised an aggressive attack
upon the disjointed economic order,
under which in a land of great
plenty and great wealth there was
so much idleness and want and de-
spair. We promised to take cogni-
zance of the individual sorrow and
suffering of the unfortunate. We
promised to set up certain social and
economic reforms which would make
more tolerable the lot of the Ameri-
can worker and the American
farmer, the two groups that suffer
so much in times of great depres-
sion. We likewise equally and en-
phatically promised business and
industry that we would set our
economic house in order.
We condemned in scathing tones
the existing system Of deficit financ-
ing and promised to balance the
Federal budget. We proclaimed in
stentorian tones that the credit and
financial integrity of the Nation
must be protected and preserved. We
laid down the proposition that it
was fundamentally true that there
could be no lasting or permanent
prosperity and no economic soli-
darity unless the credit of the Nation
was preserved. To the Workingman
and to the farmer, who were the spe-
cial objects of our concern in that
time of stress, we promised to so
coordinate our national economy
that they would not have to live in
fear and trembling from one day
to the next, but that they would be
able to so plan their lives that they
would be secure in the thought that
there would be a job for the worker
and a market for the farmers pro-
duce.
Economy Bill Cited.
In an effort to make, good those
pledges and promises, we set about
courageously to set our economic
house in order. Many of us in and
out of Congress remember the hectic
days of 1888 when we considered the
bill to Preserve the Credit" of the
United States, known as the economy
bill. So much concerned were we
then about the credit and the
financial integrity of our Govern
ment that, under the impetus of
ringing challenge in a message from
our President, we passed legislation
which cut more than four hundred
million dollars from the current ex-
penses of the Government. We felt
that the situation was so desperate
that we reduced expenses all along
the line, including all Federal sal
aries, and the compensation of
veterans.
I cite these facts merely to show
that in the early days of our efforts
we felt keenly and sincerely that
much importance should be attached
to balanced Federal financing.
In order to meet emergency relief
conditions it was necessary for the
Federal Government to spend large
sums of money and to put it into
circulation quickly, and without that
careful supervision and control that
should ordinarily attend such un-
dertakings. The public reacted very
quickly to public spending. 1t liked
1t. Pressure groups were immedi-
ately organized. Insistent CAM
paigns were inaugurated for bigger
and better and more public spend
ing. Energetic State and local Off
cials quickly saw in the generosity of
Uncle Sam an opportunity to pass
on to the Federal Treasury many of
their burdens. They have made the
most of that opportunity.
Praises Roosevelt leadership.
Let me say at this point in order
to make my personal position very
clear, that, believing that there was
a great emergency facing the Ameri-
can people and in order to prevent
actual suffering and distress, I have
supported almost without exception
the objectives of the present admin
1stration. I sincerely believe that
except for the courageous and hu-
manitarian leadership of our Presi-
dent in those early days of this
emergency there would have been
quite different story to tell in our
country today. However, I am one
OF those who do not believe that the
system or the operation has been
perfect, and 1 am not willing to con-
tlnue to turn over without restraint