Evening star., 1947-04-20
That Man With the Ak Is Loose on Capitol Hill
Long Experience With
Appropriations
Guides Him

from the big business center of his
home State-New York. He is ma
tive of Auburn. There he went to
school, and from school to Yale
College, from which he graduated
in the class of 1902. He studied law
at the New York Law School and
went back home to hang out his
shingle.
He describes himself as "a coun-
try lawyer" when he first set sail
for Congress. This is, however, not
complete description. He had, as
matter of fact, made very mate
rial success at the law. He had also
held important posts in manufac-
turing and banking institutions in
Auburn. In local Republican poll
tics he early became interested, serv-
ing on the Cayuga County Repub-
lican Committee, as delegate to
numerous Republican State conven-
tions, and then as chairman of the
County Committee. He was dele
gate to the Republican National
Conventions of 1920 and 1924. When
Norman Gould, his predecessor as
Representative of the Auburn dis
trict in the House, decided to quit
in 1922, Mr.. Taber was prevailed
upon to run for the nomination
and election. 1t was walkaway
race for him, and he has been re-
elected every two years since then
by majorities ranging from $4,000 to
10000. Last year he was reelected
with lead of $4,000.
Hard Man With Public Money.
Before his election 10 the House
Mr.. Taber knew little of the Ma
Itiorlal Capital. He had visited Wash
ington only twice, for brief periods
He has learned plenty about the
Capital in the last quarter of a
century, however. One of the things
which has been impressed upon
him is the terrible urge that bureau
heads, cabinet officers and others
in the executive departments have
for more and bigger funds to spend.
They all want more money-so much
so that Chairman Taber has come
to regard every official who appears
before his committee with suspicion
especially if he requests additional
appropriations.
For IA years-from the time the
late President Roosevelt entered the
office, Mr.. Taber was the ranking
Republican member of the House
Appropriations Committee. Literal
ly thousands of men came before
the committee during that period
on the appropriation bills. Too
many of them, Mr.. Taber insists,
have not been frank enough, and
he has had to fight three -fourths
of them over estimates of expend-
itures. He gives pretty good bill
of health, however, to the officials
of the Post Office Department and
the Internal Revenue Bureau. Some
of the others he describes as
awful"
Decidedly Mr.. Taber is not against
the Army and Navy. He wants
strong national defense at all times.
He insists, however. that money can
be wasted by the War and Navy
Departments just as it can by other
Government agencies-and that he
is against. He looks with suspicion
on huge foreign loans by this Gov
ernment always-and wants to be
convinced that they are good and
that they are necessary.
His Philosophy.
In his opinion, the real co-ordina-
ton of the Army and Navy will be
accomplished through the appro-
priations made for both, and his
committee will play major part in
bringing about this coordination.
BY nature John Taber is conserva-
tive, but he is also constructive. His
own philosophy he puts something
like this: GAS a general rule fellow
makes his contribution who looks
ahead and tries to have things a
little better every day; who tries
to keep the Government from
spending too much money; who
tries to see that the proper obliga-
tions of the Government are met,
and who puts as much business into
running the Government as possible.
He promotes the progress of and
better things for the people. On
the other hand, the so-called liberal,
with a paucity of ideas, always run
ming around making demagogic
speeches, and trying to play to the
gallery, is the real reactionary the
Government has to fear"
This is in line with what he wrote
in an autobiography" for his class
book Cat Yale) 20 years ago, when
he said:
II have lived in small city always
and have been SO busy that I have
kept pretty close to my home. Il
have prospered sufficiently to en-
able me to satisfy any reasonable
want-be it said, my wants are few
and to enable me to devote a very
considerable portion of my time to
the public service and to quasi
public efforts.
Facing responsibilities.
MY ambition Is to be Of some
service in developing and sustain
ing public sentiment along construc-
tive lines, in trying to make Ameri-
can citizenship honestly realize its
responsibilities and meet them face
to face"
Co,.{ 4, i,,f1, NR~ roL.. =