Evening star., 1947-02-21


tional defense" as any one and who
knows this subject OF governmental
expenditures better than any other
man in Congress, in strong Senate
speech on Wednesday not only sup
ported the six-billion cut but in
detail showed how it could be done
without crippling any essential
function.
Approaching the detailed knowl-
edge of Senator Byrd and discount
ing the vehemence OF the opposl-
tion as natural and inevitable, the
Republican leaders-in the House
at least-sre not weakening. They
earnestly want to reach their OBJ
tectives and they know the necessity
of making a record on which they
can successfully stand in 1948. The
big trouble is that in concentrating
on how to slice old expenditures
both House and Senate leaders
erestimate-among other things
the pressure for new expenditures
Can Cancel Out Gains.
This is q very serious business
For. if some way is not found to
resist the new proposals for vast eX-
penditures, now pending or about
to emerge, they easily can cancel
out the most drastic pruning OF the
Truman budget, thus sinking us
deeper in the debt-deficit mire than
before.
Literally, there is no limit to the
amounts which Congress will be
asked to appropriate. The projects
are as varied as they are numerous
and not one but has what appears to
be "meritorious case" and pop
ular appeal. Yet. If any consider
able portion of them get through,
we may as well throw up the sponge
so far as any hope of doing anything
save slide more swiftly down the to-
boggan to national bankruptcy.
OF course, most of them will not
get through; but some willard II
among these are the larger ones, all
efforts toward recovering our f1nan-
cial equilibrium might as we'll be
abandoned. The only thing then
that could save us would be the
presidential veto, and we do not yet
know how dependable that will be.
Rush to Grab.
The idea, nurtured by the New
Deal from its beginning in 1888,
that the Government owes every
body a living; that Government AID
is something to which the people
are entitled; that the Government
Treasury is ineXhaustible and the
rich can always pay the bill-these
and kindred ideas to a considerable
extent still permeate the country
and are not entirely absent from
Congress, Primarily, they are re-
sponsible for the rush from so many
quarters to grab large hunks OF Gov
ernment cash, regardless of the
Governments exigencles.
In half a dozen ways, the veterans
are asking for more money-and the
real bonus proposal has not yet
made it's appearance. The farmers
are insisting on the Government
fulfilling it's price guarantees and
lifting the guarantee level. There is
q real demand from builders for
more public works and larger subsi-
dies on materials. Hundreds of mil
lions for housing and health are be-
ing asked. The President has rec
commended an extension of social Sc
curity and old people, through po-
.itically minded representatives, are
seeking bigger pensions. More Fed
eral millions for public school
lunches are being urged.
Many cities want increased Fed
eral support for other projects than
schools, and a score of States seek
money for variety of expensive
Improvements"
World Cries for Food.
In addition, all over the world
near-starving people look to this
country for food supplies, which
means money. In other words, this
Congress, as has been every Con-
gress, Is filled with men who, while
preclaiming themselves in favor of
retrenchment, are supporting meas
ures which make retrenchment i'm
possible. The difference is that in
this Congress the measures call for
more money and the men behind
them appear more insistent.
The great danger, of course, lies in
the demands of the veterans. These
have not yet fully developed, but
everybody knows they will and how
difficult they are to oppose. They
may reach an unprecedented sum,
and it is still true, as the late Sena-
tor Reed Smoot said years ago. that
no general pension or soldiers bonus
bill has ever been permanently de-
feated in Congress. They may fail
at one session through presidential
veto or the refusal of one branch to
acquiesce, but eventually they 60
through.
1t will take a great deal of cour-
age and determination plus rigid
party discipline for the Republicans
to keep from being overwhelmed by