Evening star., 1947-02-12
BY the As.oeioted Press

national policy"
BY the Assoeioted Press
Republicans driving for a
$1,000 ,000, 900 slash in President
Truman's $37, SOC, ,0O0, 900 budget
were accused by two Of their
own leaders today of imperiling
the Nations security and world
peace. :
Proponents OF the economy move
insisted, however, that this is not
the case.
Chairman Gurney of the Senate
Armed Services Committee declared
the cut voted, 8-to-2, by the Senate
House Budget Subcommittee, would
lop $1,750, 900 900 of the $11 zoo, ,000,-
600 Mr.. Truman asked for the Army
and Navy.
1t was also learned that the budget
slash contemplates firing at least
100000 of the Governments 2,300,-
900 civilian employees. i
Gurney Emphasizes Security.
Il cannot vote for anything that
hamstrings national security" Sen
ator Gurney told reporters in an
nouncing that he had abstained from
the ballot. The vote followed hur-
ried trip to Capitol Hill late yester-
day by Gen. Eisenhower, Army Chief
Of Staff, to plead against any i'm
pairment of funds for the Nations
fighting forces.
Saying the committee action ap-
peared to him to be one of "the
same mistakes we made after the
First World War;" Senator Gurney
added:
I'VE Just got through spending
$500, ,000, ,000, 900 to win the war, and
it looks like we could spend few
dimes now to win the peace
Senator Gurney's counterpart on
the other side of the Capitol, Chair
man Andrews of the House Armed
Services Committee, also denounced
the budget slash, asserting to news
men:
Some Republicans prior to the
election made commitments having
to do with budgets and taxes. These
commitments were made without
knowledge of what is necessary for
the time being to give us reason
able chance to inforce the peace, in
the Pacific, in Europe and through
the United Nations.
Peace Chief Objective.
IT am sure the majority of Amer
leans, realizing the thing we want
most is peace, are willing to forego
a great decrease in taxation at this
time to assure that peace"
The issue goes to a vote before the
full 102-member Budget Committee
Friday in what may be one of the
hottest fiscal battles in history.
Senator O'Mahoney, Democrat, of
Wyoming, member of the Senate
House group, suggested that plans
for the closed door session be re-
vised to throw the meeting open 80
that the people can know what is
going on
Representative Mahon, Democrat,
Of Texas, a member of the subcom-
mittee, contended that "some Re
pubhcans are playing fast and loose
with national security in order to
deliver on their promises to cut
taxes"
Representative Taber, Republican,
of New York, chairman of the
budgetary group as well as the House
Appropriations Committee, said I'VE
have no desire to hamstring the
Army and Navy"
Bridges Offered Motion.
Chairman Bridges of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, who Of
fered the motion to cut $4,000, 900 900
off the Presidents budget, comment
ed. that there was a feeling of a
majority in the subcommittee that
we are in no way affecting national
defense"
Both Mr.. Taber and Senator
Bridges disputed Senator Gurney's
estimate that the overall budget
reduction would take $1,750, ,000, 900
from the Army and Navy. They re-
fused, however, to announce any
breakdown on how the various de-
partments would be cut.
Senators Barkley, Democrat, OF
Kentucky, and George, Democrat, of
Georgia, joined Senator Gurney in
refusing to vote on the budget cut.
1t was favored by Senators Bridges
and Millikin, Republican, Of Colo
RADIO, and by Representatives Taber,
Wigglesworth, Republican. Of Massa-
chusetts; Knutsor, Republican, OF
Minnesota; Dirksen, Republican, OF
Illinois; Reed, Republican, OF New
York, and Doughton, Democrat, OF
North Carolina. Representatives
Mahon and Cannon, Democrat, OF
Missouri, voted no.
The other members of the sub
committee-Senators Brooks, Re-
publican, of Illinois: Mcclellan, DEM
ocrat, of Tennessee; Hayden, Demo-
crat, of Arizona; Taft, Republican,
of Ohio, and Butler, Republican
of Nebraska, and Representatives
woodruff, Republican, Of Michigan
and Dingell, Democrat, of Michigan
were absent at the time OF the vote
The subcommittee did not stipu-
late how much of the proposed
$4,000, ,000, 600 saving would be used
for debt reduction and how much
for tax cutting.
There appeared to be an under
standing among some Republican
leaders, however, that this figure
plus the $1,100, ,000, 900 in extra rev.
enues contemplated by keeping the
wartime excise rates In effect, would
be split $3.50 between debt retire.
ment and tax reduction-approxi-
mately $500, ,00o, 900 for each.
The 20 per cent across-the-boero
income tax bill introduced by Chair
man Knutson Of the House Ways
and Means Committee would trim
revenues by $500, 900 900.
Mr.. Mahon said he understood the
Republicans plan 42 per cent cut
in the 81 ,4o0, 100000 Mr.. Truman
proposed for the various agricultural
functions of the Government. In