Evening star., 1945-08-24

who oppose waste Frank X. Kent.
and urge thrift with the taxpayers
money at once array against them
not only the great public payroll
class but all the pressure and special
interest groups.
Literally millions have personal
interests which retrenchment threat
ems and they fight like tigers to
protect them. And always the idiotic
cry is raised by the spenders against
the economists that the latter put
property rights above human
rights" How much public money
has been inexcusably squandered by
the demagogues of the last II years
who have mouthed that phrase can
only be estimated.
Those who have struggled to check
the scandalous excesses of the
wasters have had to sustain long
and vicious attacks from the political
pigs with their feet. in the trough
who know no scruple as to the
methods and weapons they use.
Leaders of the fight have encoun-
tered extraordinary efforts to injure
them politically in their home States
and districts. This makes the more
gratifying the success last week in
the Virginia primary, where his
choice for governor was nominated
by 212 -to-1 majority over fever
ish opposition by CIO labor lead
ers, so-called liberal" journalists
and other disgruntled elements. OF
Senator Harry F. Byrd, the out
standing figure for the past 10 years
in the fight against unrestrained
spending.
Fortunate for Country.
And it Is fortunate for the coun-
try not only that Senator Byrd is
In the Senate but that the people
OF his own State, against all his
opposition can do, exhibit such
overwhelming approval of him and
his record. For no man who reflects
upon the fiscal facts as they now
exist can doubt the need of such
a man as Senator Byrd in this
present situation.
Here we are with a national debt
so vast that there is at least doubt
whether it can be swung in way to
regain control of Federal finances
and restore fiscal equilibrium. AT
the same time with the end OF
the war we are not only confronted
with the necessity of maintaining
a great peacetime Army and Navy
but are committed to enormous ex-
penditures abroad for relief and
rehabilitation. In addition, there
looms inevitably great outpourings
for veteran compensation of many
kinds.
Also there is tremendous pressure
for Government public works pro-
gram involving billions.
Another Loan Certain.
These things make certain an
other great loan, to be known this
time as the Victory Loan" the
drive for which will shortly be
launched by the Treasury and
which will push the debt to a still
dizzier peak.
In the face of all this, Congress,
with the Secretary of the Treasury
cooperating, plans to reduce the
Government revenues by immedi-
ately wiping out the excess-profitS
tax and all sales and excise taxes,
along with a lowering of income
rates Partly this is justified on
the ground that it will help busi-
ness" and partly because the people
are entitled to some relief''-both
very laudable ideas, indeed.
But what is not laudable at all
is the apparent ignoring of the
obvious fact that any such immedi-
ate reduction of taxes will cause a
very large shrinkage in revenue in
the. first year following the war,
when it is estimated some 20 bill
lions of War Bonds purchased by
small holders will be presented for
redemption-and when the Treas
ury ought to be in position to meet
this situation without strain.
1t is not a sound argument to say
that with the abolition of the excess
profits tax there will be such busi-
ness expansion as to make up the
loss in revenue. Perhaps business
expansion may be encouraged by
wiping out these taxes but not in
time to do the 1916 revenues any
good-quite the reverse.
Gradual Cut Favored.
A sounder view seems the one that
advocates very small excess profits
reduction the first year and a grad
ual reduction of all brackets over a
10-year period. This is the way
and the only way so far advanced
by, which it reasonably can be ex-
pected that for the next 10 years
we, can meet our minimum financial
requirements. Those who favor
other tax ideas do not appear to
recognize this necessity nor to be
In, the least appalled, at deepening
the deficits which we have been
running for Is consecutive years.
The extraordinary thing about all
this discussion of tax reduction,
revenues and expenditures is that
no one at any time or in any way
touches upon the subject of econ
ony or retrenchment. The govern
mental machine has become swol-
len out of all reason. 1t is so huge
as to be utterly unmanageable and
to make all pretense of efficiency
absurd.
:, One would think that with the
end of the European war some dis
mantling of these Government
agencies would automatically be-
gin. But in the 100 days since the
German surrender in May, the ci-
villain personnel has increased in
stead of decreased, until now there
are well over 100000 civilian en-
ployes on the Federal pay roll.
That is a fact which should mean
something to every citizen capable
Of adding 2 and 2 and getting 4.
President Truman has given evi-
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