Montana labor news., 1949-11-17

Here's a spectacle to make Thomas Jefferson and other
liberal fathers of the Democratic party turn over in their
graves-a Democratic senator from Jefferson's own Virginia
making speeches in Ohio to help elect a reactionay Republican.
OF course, Senator Byrd does not come out openly in Ohio
and saw Vote for Taft" The boss of Nirginias corrupt
Democratic machine is too cunning for that. he seeks to
scare Ohioans into voting for the Republican senator by telling
them the Democratic Administration in Washington is bank
rupting the country and racing down a super-highway to
the welfare state. s,
Ever since 1888. when Byrd first entered the Senate and
n. national debt was less than $40 billion, he has been
singing the same reckless tune: Our government is going
broke. The war bonds bought by our people will never be
paid. Banks and insurance companies are being wrecked.
Ruin faces everybody because OF wastetul spending.
It's high time someone called Byrd bluft. and Secretary OF
the Treasury Snyder did so this week in a most effective way
In a talk to bankers, Snyder who is a banker himself, cha'
lenged economy shouters like Byrd to put their notions IN
specific terms
Would they cut the interest on the national debt slash
".oci.l ,ecurity' or reduce laid to veterans? ?" Snyder asked.
The Byrd" talk a lot about cutting the governments "ad-
illustrative costs. Snyder said. But those costs take only
about 7 cents OF each tax dollar. Even if we fired govern
ment employees, the savings would be comparatively small
The only place where substantial reductions could be made
is in expenditures for national defense and Foreign aid. lhese
with other costs Of past, present and future wars take 10 cents
of each tax dollar.
Would Byrd weaken our defense, or end the program de-
signed to keep the world from going Communist? Or just
where would he make his "big savings?" It's time tor HIM,
and those who echo his statements to put up or shut up
While they talk, President Truman is making real economies
in the only possible large scale way, as Snyder pointed ou,
Last week, for example. Truman refused to spend Solo mi,
lion which Congress. against the military chiefs advice, had
appropriated for the Air Force. Truman $ Secretary OF De-
tense, Louis Johnson, is making other savngs-runnlng mo
hundreds OF milions-despite 'squawks from the anti lru-
NANTES in Congress
An important fact, too often forgotten by many people,
is that Congress controls the purse-strings, and Congress, even
now, is controlled by the Taft-Byrd combine. Its hackers, II
Senate and House committees and ION the floor could slash
appropriations in any way they saw fit. 4,
Instead, the committees and Congress as a whole-wif
hello from the Byrdites and Tafties-Noted expenditures to
falling 50 billion more than the budget the ruman Admins
traion proposed last January.
The voters Of Virginia, Ohio and other states are en-
titled to ask Byrd this question:
YOU really know how to cut government costs, Just where
would you do the cutting? Stop trying to make q cheap rePu
49, financial statesman ar wears YOU have beer
shouting generalties about reducing cos.s and taxes. Now, a
last. tell US exactly how and where!