The Sauk Centre herald., 1941-08-28
CAPITOL PI![,!2
L-Ne2US
BY Representative Harold Knutson
Of Minnesota
Debt Passes 80 Billion Mark

The national debt passed the so
billion mark a short time back,
which is double the amount reach
ed in the World War. It Is pill
ing up at the rate Of $277.50 per
second and our individual share
of the burden now amount to
$376.97. At the rate the debt is
now increasing it is quite probable
that the 65,OOO million dollar debt
fixed by Congress early in this
year will be reached within the
next twelve months.
AS a member of the Ways and
Means Committee, where all tax
legislation must originate, often
speculate on where we are going
to get the money. Since the New
Deal came into power Congress
has enacted 13 major tax bills. The
14th recently passed the House
and is now before the Senate. From
now on we may expect one or two
tax bills a year, each more burden
some than its predecessor. Every
conceivable source is being tapped
for new revenue and I can see no
escape from a general sales tax
within the next two years.
Pork Yet Popular
Congress is as partial to pork
as ever. When the President ask
ed for 125 million dollars to sup
ply certain deficiencies In the
strategic highway system Congress
Immediately proceeded to jump
up to 800 million dollars and 1t
went through both Houses with a
whoop. The President promptly
vetoed the measure and the Sem
ate voted to override the veto by
a vote Of 81 to 10, which was more
than the necessary two-thirds. The
measure did not fare so well in
the House, where the veto was
sustained with one vote to spare.
Now we have another nice juicy
piece Of porking the making. An
omnibus bill will shortly be re-
ported out by the Rivers and Har-
bors Committee of the House that
will contain nearly 200 projects.
In order to give the measure re-
spectability the st. Lawrence Sea-
way will head the list. Attached
to it will be such cats and dogs
as the Florida Ship Canal, the Ten
nessee-Tombigbee River improve
ment and a number Of smaller
pieces Of pork. The idea for an
omnibus bill originated at the
White House. OF course, If enough
Congressional districts are taken
care Of the measure will probably
pass although I, for one, will not
vote for such a huge outlay Of pub
lie money as the bill will call for
No doubt many Of these projects
are meritorious but they should be
laid aside until such time as there
will be need for a public building
program to take up the unemploy-
ment slack, that will follow the de-
Tense program.
The st. Lawrence Waterway pro-
ject is well able to stand on its
own feet and should not be loaded
down with a lot Of pork as will be
the case in this instance.
How They Grow
It Is only two or three years ago
that the Army's press section was
contained in two offices with
Chief and two assistants. Today,
1t is in full bloom with a Briga-
dier General at its head, : dozen
1t. Colonels, Is Majors, 10 Cap
tains, Is Leutenants, 20 civilian
writer's, picture and radio editors
and more than $50 clerks, typists,
stenographers, mimeograph opera
tors, etc. The two offices have
grown into a half mile of rooms,
all busy turning out information
about the army.
This is a fair example of the
way government bureaus grow and
expand. I have seen many Of
them start out with a Chief and
a couple Of stenographers and in
a few years employ hundreds. No
doubt this has been going on since
the formation Of the republic but
If this tendency is not checked it
will ultimately lead to bureaucracy
in its worst form.
Who Gains?
On Wednesday next, the war In
Europe will enter upon its third
year. In the two years that 1t
has been in progress there have
been hundreds of thousands of
casualties and innumerable cities
and hamlets laid waste. all at a
cost that will bankrupt the coun-
tries Of Europe. Even non-bel-
ligerent countries have been oblig-
ed to maintain their armed forces
at war strength since the war be-
gan.
Think Of the waste. Millions Of
men being taken out Of productive
activities and put to destroying.
What are they fighting for? What
do they hope to achieve? 1t all
reminds me of a poem that learn
ed at school, one verse Of which
goes something like this:
"But what good came Of it at last?
Quoth little Peterkin.
'Why, that I cannot tell" said he:
"But twas a famous victory"
After the war Is over winners