The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1939-03-23


the IVA appropriation. The senate
restored the cuts. The house con-
ferees Welded TO the senate, and
the house then voted 1874 TO ia to
spend the money. Close, yes, but
plenty.
Take another sample, the silver
policy. Administration critics attack
it as perhaps the most foolish thing
the government is doing, from an
economic standpeint-thoagh some
experts contend nothing compares
with what the government has done
about cotton. The silver policy is
divided in two parts, paying sub
sidy of more than 20 cents an ounce
on all silver mined inside the United
States, and buying silver from for
eign countries.
Minority members few days ago
forced a vote on an amendment 10
the bill in the house, which would
have eliminated the buying of silver
from abroad, but would have left
the domestic subsidy. But even this
failed. The vote was l55 to $50
against the proposed economy.
Hhile Expenditures Mounted
Receipts Materially Dropped
Now lets take a look at the treas
ury situation, in view OF this evident
prospect that congress is not going
to reduce expenditures. The latest
figures available as this is written
are for the fiscal year, which began
July |, last, up TO the end of the day
on February II. Expenses for this
year-referring to this period and
not the full year of course-were
s5,867 PIG, $40 as compared with s4,.
764, $40. 658 for the ponding pc.
riod OF last year. Receipts, how.
ever, were s3,645, 500,2 for this
year, and So ,844 46l ,038 for last year
So that while expenditures mounted
by more than Sl.ll0,000 900 receipts
fell off by about $500, 5000
So that for practically tWo-thirds
of the fiscal year we are now pass.
ing through the treasury is about
81 800, 600, 900 worse off than for the
comparable period of the last fiscal
year,
As this is reflected in debt and
foreshadoWs what is going TO happen
to this government along that line,
it might be of interest to say that
figures for the same day-the close
OF business on February q of this
year-shoW that the public debt OF
Uncle Sam was 500. $50 479 STD %.
This had risen from S37 ,631. l68, 041.19
on February 27, 1898,
Shors Hhy Britain Wanted
Franco 10 Yin in Spain
The answer to why the British
foreign Office has consistently want
ed Franco to win in Spain, despite
the fact that obviously such a vic.
tory would increase not only the
power but the prestige of Italy and
Germany, is very clear, once stated
whether one agrees with the logic
debating it or not Indeed the fac
that it is the Berlin-Rome axis thai
keeps British statesmen awake a
! night--a fact which on the surface
would seem to create a desire III
Downing street for a crushing de
feat of Francois an integral par
of the reason for wanting Franco Il
win.
The logic behind this is also til,
logic which has caused Presiden
Roosevelt and Secretary of Stat
Cordell Hull to be deaf to the plea
of the liberals in this country. An
believe it or not, hatred of commu
nism here and fear of the bear tha
, walks like man in England ha
! precisely nothing to do with i'll
, Simply stated, this mystifying lof
ic revolves around the route fror
, England to India and the East, vi
/ the Mediterranean sea. If you wi
take good look at any fair scale
/ map of the Mediterranean, you wi
I see why. Look at the narrow pas
, sage between the tip of Sicily an
, the projecting point of Tunis, i
, North Africa. Every ship goin
from England to India, East Afric
or the Far East must traverse the
, narrow strait, or else the still small
er passage between Sicily and tn
mainland Of Italy.
Before the days of the World wa
this did not seem important. TIL
Italians might speak of the Meditel
, ranean as Mare Nostrum, but til
, British controlled both entrance
Gibraltar and the Suez canal. Bl
with the World war came the rea
: ization of the military importanc
! of the submarine and the airplane-
! and of floating mine fields. Prit
I to that time g4hee III British nav colt
) assure control of the surface of II
{ sea, and therefore of free passat
/ for her merchant vessels and thos
of any other nation to which ST
| might choose to grant passage.
I So Great Britain Had
: To BE Friendly With Italy
c So the British made up the
/ ( minds that can,n xvbat r,,aV tha