Evening star., 1946-09-02

and intends to have-the co-opera-
ton of every man in the admins
tration-or know the reason why.
Convinced that imitation is a very
real danger and just about the worst
thing that can happen to the coun-
try, the President is said to feel that
1t Is his first duty to avert this
disaster-if it can be averted Con-
Ceiving that the emasculation of the
OPA Act has enhanced the inf1a-
tionary trend, he is determined to
take every possible anti-inf1ationary
step. To this end the Truman pur-
pose is to compel every agency of
the Government to reduce to the
limit. He wants every cabinet officer
and bureau head to take his view
that the waste of 81 of Government
money at this time involves ma
tional danger and is in fact a crime.
Asks Heroic Measures.
An end, he contends, has got to
come to deficit spending the budget
must be put in balance; the time
has arrived for "heroic measures
With this it would seem all sane
men would agree. For a President to
say such things and then fail to take
the heroic measures" about which
he talks would be a wicked thing
indeed. Yet it is impossible not to
recall that all these words about
deficit spending, budget balancing
and the peril of living beyond the
national means were even more SOL
emnly said by the late Franklin
Roosevelt in 1882 and 1933-just be-
fore the grand New Deal spending
spree was inaugurated.
1t Is true that in his first year as
President Mr.. Roosevelt did apply
''heroic measures" and with the
help of the then Director Of the
Budget, Lewis w. Douglas, achieved
a tremendous cut in Government
costs. But very soon after that he
repudiated all his promises. wiped
out all the reductions, turned on
the Treasury spigots. However, what
he did in that first year shows what
can be accomplished by a Presi-
dent who really tries. Mr. Truman's
job is even tougher than was Mr.
Roosevelt's. Governmental extrava-
gance has become ingrained; the
forces of waste are intrenched; their
resistance is very great.
President Must Decide.
Yet it can be done. 1t is a question
of the courage, competency and sim
cerity of the President. If he has
the stuff he can do the job. If
he lacks those qualities-as Mr.. Taft
charges-then his efforts will come
to nothing. No one should mini
mize the difficulties in the way
nor the character of the opposition
Nevertheless, with President, sup
ported by Secretary of the Treas
ury, a Budget Director and the other
members of his cabinet, all in dead
ly earnest about reduction, tre-
mendous lot can be achieved with
out congressional help. The fixed
charges, such as the $4,000, 900 900 in
terest on the national debt, cannot
be reduced-but there are other wide
and inviting fields for retrench-
ment.
One year after the wars end, for
example, there are still three times
as many civilian employees on the
Federal pay roll as there were in
1889. For this there is just no ex-
cuse whatever. Before the war the
Government was spending an aver
age Of 81 900, 100000 a year for ma
tional defense. Now with the wal
over, the schedule for this coming
year is $4,000 00OO, 900. One can make
every allowance for occupation
forces abroad and expanded foreign
commitments and still this sum i.
unreasonably big. For another ex.
ample, the Government by no mean!
has to spend all the money Con.
gress has appropriated. Aware O.
this, Mr.. Truman, through his re.
conversion director, Mr.. Steelman
has announced that 100000 900 O
construction work" will be post
poned.
This is a commendable announce
ment but 1t has got to be followed
up-and good deal more tha,
that has to be done. From top t,
bottom, every expenditure has 60