Evening star., 1948-05-22
The Political Min
Lawmakers Fail to Heed
Warnings on New Toxes
Pyramidins of Expenditures Seen q,
Threat to u. S. Solvency
Bv Gould LineoIn

0J UOM0 LINCOLN
Senator Harry r. Byrd Of Virginia spent
years preaching governmental economy during
the Roosevelt administration. The Democrats
were, In those days. in full command Of both
the legislative and executive branches Of the
Government. Today the control Of Congress
which holds the purse strings-is In the hands
Of the Republicans. And stin Mr.. Byrd finds
it necessary to preach economy.
The Virginia Senator is no calamity howler.
But unless the Congress and the American
people pay attention to the warnings which he
has given-warnings which John Taber Of
New York, chairman Of the House Appropria-
tions Committee, has paralleled time and again
this country will soon face an increase OF
$40 900 900 900 in taxes. Such q tax increase
would not only wipe out the recent reduction
in personal income taxes made by the present
Congress, but it would make the tax burden
heavier than it has ever been, even at the
height Of war.
Distressing Picture.
Almost there is no such thing as economy
in Government 1t appears. Take q look at the
distressing picture which Mr.. Byrd presents
= picture which Congressmen, hungry for ap-
preparations for districts and States in advance
of the coming general election are inclined to
shrug of. For the fiscal year beginning July
l, 1948 Senator Byrd estimates expenditures
will be $438o0 900, 600; governmental income,
$4,000, 900 O00-deficit s. 300, 900 000 The pros
poets for the fiscal years beginning July I.
lS49 and 1850, are even more distressing. Mr..
Byrd shows that the expenditures for the first
Of these years would be SAT 500 900 900, bringing
the deficit to $7,5oo, ,000 900. For the second
year, the expenditures would be so 600, ,0O0, 600
and the deficit, $500 100000.
What goes on? To the ordinary American
the manner in which the executive branch and
Congress continue to build up governmental ex-
penditures-with the backbreaking taxes We
must meet rs . seQue-is almost fantastic.
Just take this single example Of what goes on.
When the War Department civil appropri.
alton bill-which means the appropriations for
many civilian public works projects-was be-
fore the Senate recently, q proposal was made
to recommt the bill In order to strike $500 000..
600 of the total This bin is the largest ap
preparation for such purposes in the governs
ment's history 1t passed the House in the
amount of $6O6, ,558, ,766-and the Senate added
$l02,027,900. Remember, these expenditures
for public works are proposed for = period
when employment-private employment-is at
an all time high.
What did the Senate do about this proposal
1t voted IS to Is not to make the curtail.
worst. The bill has been passed with desirable
but non-essential projects.
Pyramiding Of Spending.
The time has come, as Mr.. Byrd told the
Senate. to recognize that unless something is
done to halt this pyramding Of government
expenditures, the solvency Of the United States
ony ~ teal vx,ilI
vanish into thin air. When it does, the eco
nomic crisis for which Stain and his Russians
have been hoping will invade the United States.
Mr.. Byrd, who never hesitated to use bitter
words denouncing the extravagances of the
Roosevelt administration has commented:
THE Republicans have done q lot of talking
about economy but have accomplished little.
The Democrats, In the high command Che was
referring to President Truman and his aides,
have not even done any talking" The House
has made better record for economy this year
than the Senate-and unless there Is . halt
called in the upper house there will be little
or no savings. The Senate has been regarded
as the spot in which to save" the governmental
agencies and pet projects which the House has
cut in appropriations. 1t Is still 80 regarded.
The special interests and the bureaucrats In
government have opened up with full force
on the Senators.
When the Republicans gained control Of
Congress one Of their early promises was to
cut down the huge number of Government en-
ployes. We still have two million civilian en-
ployes, and they are increasing at the rate of
500 day. BY no means Is this all the fault of
the Republican Congress. That body has had
no aid whatever from the Democratic admin
istration in its attempts to cut expenditures.
The fault lies with both.