Evening star., 1948-02-18

American people to get behind a
spirit of economy in Congress, de-
claring; -F.
The people of our Nation, for
their own sakes, must unselfshly
wrench from before their eyes the
blindfolds of greenbacks with which
they have been deluded. They must
remember that the Federal Govern
ment never does anything for moth
ing, that some one, some day must
pay, and pay with interest. That
some one is the taxpayer-the wage
Garner. That some day is now and
from now on"
Senator Bridges said this Con-
greSS can meet its commitments
both at home and abroad, pay
something on the debt and reduce
taxes, but only If Government ex-
penses ARE pared to the bone" and
if special interests refrain from
pushing projects that are not vital
Since the Treasury expects to have
a surplus of at least $500, 200, 900
for 1948 and a surplus of only $4,-
300 100000 in 1949, the Republican
maneuVer on the foreign aid pro-
gram would reverse these figures. 1t
would cut down the surplus on
June 80 this year, and enable them
to point to a bigger surplus in 194s.
Opens Way for Other Bills.
This, in turn, will ease the path
of the foreign aid program, the ma
tional defense budget and the tax
reduction bill, already passed by the
House, in the opinion of Chairman
Millikin of the Senate Finance
Committee, father of the idea.
When any of these bills comes up
the leaders can point to the larger
surplus ahead.
1t would be a pure paper trans
action except for one argument
raised by sponsors of the plan.
They say that the Treasury, if it
saw fit, could apply all of the ST.
500, 100000 1948 surplus to payment
on the national debt on June 30
They do not claim the administra-
ton would pay it all on the debt,
but point out that If it were done,
part of the debt could not be car
ried forward to help meet the heavy
expenses of the 1949 fiscal year
What the amendment to the Eu-
ropean Recovery Program bill does
is to put $3,0O0,0O0,O0O of the S.
800, 100000 initial outlay into a trust
fund Immediately. This makes it
a 1948 expenditure on the Treasury
books and prevents the Treasury
from using that part of the cur
rent surplus for debt reduction.
Some Democrats on the Foreign
Relations Committee regarded the
Mi1hkin surplus switching" amend
ment as only paper transaction,
but went along in the belief that it
would put Congress in a better
mind to vote for the recovery pro-
gram.
Comments Vary.
Comments of members outside the
committee varied.
Senator Brewster, Republican, of
Maine, a member of the Finance
Committee, termed Senator Milli-
kin's proposal a "masterful plan"
which means that tax reduction
this year is "in the bag"
But Senator Byrd, Democrat, of
Virginia, another Finance Commit
tee member, disagreed with the Re
publicans. He said the Millikin plan
docs nothing but juggle the books"
The Virginian added it would
not increase the Governments rev.
enue one bit and 1t does not bright
en- the chances for a tax cut in the
slightest, so far as am concerned"
Gore Backs Byrd.
Representative Gore, Democrat,
of Tennessee, member of the
House Appropriations Committee,
put it similarly:
This is just some more budget
Juggling which doesn't save the
taxpayer one dollar. 1t is a patent
attempt to justify the Republican
tax-cutting bill
Senator George, Democrat, OF
Georgia, who headed the Senate
Finance Committee when the DEM
ocrats were in control of Congress,
commented:
Certainly it does nothing to harm
the chances of a tax cut Actually,
it is only taking money out of one
pocket and putting it in another"
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio