Evening star., 1947-05-31
The Political Mill
Day Of Woiling Seen
Reached by Spenders
Senate Certain to Make Deep Cuts in
Federal Expenditures Stick
Rv Gould Lincoln

Senate Certain to Make Deep Cuts in
Federal. Expenditures Stick
By Gould Lincoln
This is the day of wailing Supporters Of
that old saw (it dates back almost a dozen
years., "tax and tax, spend and spend, elect
and elect" are almost in a frenzy as they
contemplate the work of the House Appropria-
tions Committee backed up by the House
itself, with every prospect that the Senate will
cooperate in making the deep cuts in Federal
expenditures stick
whether the late Harry Hopkins was re-
sponsible for putting into words the economic
political policy which was developed during
the Roosevelt administration or whether 1t
was pinned on him, the fact remains 1t bore
results. Also it was responsible for building
up governmental structure of Frankenstein
monster proportions during the days of peace
With the onrlsh of war, the taxing and spend-
ing necessarily increased tremendously. There
can be no complaint there-except where
money was spent wastefully. Even there it
must be recognized that war brings waste-due
often to haste. But even after the close of the
war, when war agencies employing thousands
of civilian employees folded up, the effort was
to transfer these employees in many cases to the
more permanent Government establishments
The Republican Congress not only is slicing
vigorously into the Truman budget for 1s4s
Ca total budget of $37,5oo,OOo 000) but it has
put through tax reduction bill, estimated to
save the hard-pressed American taxpaying
public between $3,000000000 and $4,000, 900 ,O00
1t has attacked the tax and tax, spend and
spend, elect and elect program fore and aft
What happens to the "elect and elect cynically
announced purpose of the old program will
be discovered when the next general election
rolls around.
Cart Catching Horse.
The Republicans have been accused of putting
the cart before the horse-of going ahead
with tax reduction before they had demon
strated their ability to cut deeply into Gov
ernment expenditures. 1t appears now. how
ever, that the horse is rapidly catching up
with the cart With the reporting out of
the appropriation bill for the military budget
of the War Department by the House Appro-
priations Committee, the savings made reach
a peak-to date-of $3317 100000 plus More
than so per cent of the Presidents budget has
been handled. The Republicans expect to cut
great deal more before they are finished
The House Republicans promised originally
to cut the Presidents budget by $4,000 900 900.
The Senate reduced this estimate of savings
through budget reduction to 81 4,500 900 900.
The Democrats before the cutting had really
gotten underway screamed that the budget
could not be reduced by more than $2,0 900 900 900
at the outside, if that, and they added the
Republicans were aware of the fact. The DEM
ocrats were wrong, which does not make them
any happier They have taken new tack
that the Republicans are running the Gov
ernment service. But that, too remains to
be proved.
Inexorably the Republican majority of the
House has pressed through these reductions.
Where the spenders have lost in the House,
they have rushed to the Senate to make up
their losses-but without material success.
There are number of economy minded Dem
ocrats in the upper house-a shining example
is Senator Harry Byrd of Virginia.
Most Recent Slash.
The most recent slash made by the House
Appropriations Committee was in the War
Departments military budget. This was cut
83 per cent-weu below cuts made for de-
partments of the Government, as for example
the 287 per cent slash in the estimates for
the Department of Agriculture and a still
greater one for the Interior Department. 1t
is lower than the II per cent cut voted for
the Navy Department.
There will be criticism of the reductions for
the War Department, although the bill as
lepoIIeu CdiIleS 90,1fUSoI,fI3. LIE LOIdI re-
duction was S475,809,O77. In support of the
committee action Representative Engel of
Michigan, chairman of the subcommittee which
drafted the bill, insisted that the money
allowed would provide for the Army of 100000
men and officers the Army proposed for 1s48,
without the loss of man. The deepest cuts
were for the elimination of 1881 civilian en-
ployes and the elimination Of 20,10O officers.
Mr.. Engel claims that the Army is overstaffed
with officers. The committee did not cut q
dollar from the funds estimated for research.
The appropriations also provide for the pur-
chase of 1888 new airplanes, compared with 681
this year.
The need for adequate national defense is
paramount-especiallyi in world SO disturbed.
One thing the Congress should do without
delay is to provide for universal military train
ing. If there is to be real economy such q
system must be adopted Economy minded
Republicans in Congress should bear this in
mind.