Evening star., 1950-01-15
The Presidents Budget
Attacked as Political
Writer Believes Advisers Tell Him
Spending May Win Again
By Frank r. Kent

ny FraHR N. Il ent
The most disturbing thing about the
Presidents $42 500 0O0, 900 budget, with its
estimated deficit of S., 500 900 000 is the state
of mind it reveals. More than the stagger-
ing figures and the gigantic gap between
receipts and expenditures, that constitutes
the real national peril.
So far as can be recalled, never before has
the leader of great nation exhibited such
extraordinary complacency concerning his
country's debt, deficits and the recognized
dangers thereof. Never has any President so
blithely ignored the fiscal facts or so COM
pletely disregarded the actual condition of
the Federal financial structure. There are
two things to be said about this, not in ex-
PLANTATION, but in order better to understand
the significance of Mr.. Truman's position.
One OF these is that not in all our history has
our financial situation been as unfavorable as
it Is today. Never has the debt been so high,
the deficits so deep or the Government so
close to bankruptcy.
The other is that in tone as in content
this budget message is in sharp contrast to
any other which Mr.. Truman has submit
ted-partlcularly does it contrast with that
OF 1879 In that year, as in previous ones,
Mr.. Truman expressed deep concern over
the mounting debt and the recurring deficits,
He insisted upon the vital Importance of a.
balanced budget and strongly urged increased
revenue at least equal its expenditures. He
did not succeed in doing that last year. And
the nd-of-the-year deficit was shockinglv
large He grossly underestimated his ex-
penditures. Nevertheless, he went through
the motions and no one questioned-or could
questionable soundness of his budget
position
This time he completely reverses that no.
sltlon Instead of proposing to balance the
budget he proposes-at the minimum-to
spend $5,500000,000 more than he will have
TO spend. thus compelling huge borrowing
OF new money, the raising Of interest charges
and the further weakening of our financial
foundations. He does not even propose to
balance the budget in the near future. He
makes suggestion of moderate" increase
IN taxes, hguratively waves his hand at the
$4,000 900 deficit and cheerily talks about
reganing national solvency by expanding
our economy" OF cutting down the huge
costs OF the Government, reducing the swol-
len Federal payroll and eliminating the
almost unbelievable waste he has few per-
functory words, generally recognized as
phony.
When you consider the critical financial
condition of the Government, when you
consider the Presidents previous concern
over the unbalanced budget and when YOU
consider Mr.. Truman's own private busi-
ness record, this 1850 budget message is
well-nlgh incredible. It seems impossible he
can have forgotten that his own little busi-
ness IN Kansas City went bankrupt by fol-
lowing exactly the same course of debt and
oenclt financing he is, now proposing for the
Nation. It seems impossible he does not
know that If any considerable part of his
welfare program goes through Congress this
year, the deficit will be far larger than S.
OOO.0 900 for 1950-51 and even greater for
*
| reallze that If that happens Federal finances
will be wholly out of control and the crash,
OF which Senator Byrd has repeatedly
warned, be unavoidable
x X
1t isn't as If there were not a way out.
The admirable budget submitted by Senator
Byrd would restore Solvency and stability
Without GRIPPING any vital Government
junction. So would the budget proposed a
few days ago by the Committee for Economic
Development. None of Mr.. Trumans aides
or advisers have so much as noticed either
| OF these proposals, both of which were COM
pletely IN line with the way the President
felt last year. Instead. they have taken him
just as far in the other direction as they
| could. And, Notwithstanding his own per-
| sonal experience. he seems to like it..
| The only reasonable explanation offered
| Is that the presidential political strategistS
otio CSoAloA1IotS Uti1eVG IQeTe is one more
| election in the spend. spend, spend policy.
After that they just don't care That is a
harsh Interpretation, but none other seems
| adequate. Under the circumstances, 1t is not
surprising there should be mounting indig-
nation in Congress and growing determi-
nation to slice the Presidents S42 600, 600. 600
| budget close to the $50, 900 00O, 900 budget of
the Committee for Economic DEVELOPMENT.
| However, let us not kid ourselves. That
| determination will not get anywhere unless
supported by an aroused public sentiment.
And 1t is extremely difficult to arouse or
even interest the American people in any,
thing as dull and undramatic as the budget.
A considerable number of men have been
trying to do that for Is years but with no
great success. Now that we have been pushed
almost to the brink inertia still appears to
envelop us. 1t is pretty tragic performance.
teers and brigadier general United States
Army. (5e) was awarded a medal of