The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1963-01-03


knew the gigantic sum spent for
welfare expenditures in this period
of prosperity. Moreover, the rapid
rate of increase-170 per cent in
the past IL years-is reason for
even greater concern.
The Department of Health, Edu-
cation and Welfare has given us the
figures for the fiscal years 1850
and 1861.
In the former year the social in
surance program, including old
age, survivors and disability pay
ments, railroads and government
retirement payments, unemploy-
mcnt payments and Workmen's
compensation and temporary dis
ability total $4.910,000,000 Eleven
years later such payments had
risen BAT percent to S2l ,945, 100000
During the same period public
assistance for old age, dependent
children, disabled and blind rose
from S2,490,0OOOOO to S4,355, OOO,O
or IS percent.
During the same period, health
and medical assistance rose from
S2,504, 100000 to salts, 100000 or 81
percent.
During these same years pay
ments to veterans rose from 49,
532,O00,OO0 to S4,830,000,000 or 81
percent.
Other welfare services rose from
$4O8,OOO,OOO to 81 ,44O,OOOOOO or 253
percent
In 1861 the grand total of ex-
penditures in the above categories
reached the gigantic sum of $751;
345,OO0,OOO.
Nor is this all the money being
expended for welfare purposes.
The enormous cost of the farm
program, urban renewal, aid to
depressed areas, running into adj
ditional billions, should be added.
If we go back to 1885, the total
was less than S. billion. At that
time we we're promised that Social
Security would greatly reduce, if
not wipe out, such expenditures.
On the contrary, relief spending
for all purposes has increased APP
proXimately 1000 percent during
the past q years. Moreover, the
end is not in sight as the rate of
acceleration is increasing, Only
recently the retirement age under
Social Security has been lowered
from 65 to 62.
AS the First National City Bank
of New York points out in its
Monthly Economic Letter for July,
1862, the cost to the nation of this
program cannot be measured in
money. Perhaps even greater than
the monetary cost is the cost of
lost incentive and disintegrating
morale. Relief payments are rapid
ly becoming a substitute for earn
ings and an escape from the diSci-
pline of self-support. Some even
get more dollars than they could
earn by working This soon makes
men and women unemployable.
AS far back as 1885 the late
President Roosevelt, who might be
described as the father of the
modern welfare state, realized the
difficulty when he spoke the fol-
lowing words:
The lessons of history, con-
firmed by the evidence immediate
8 ly before me, show exclusively that
continued dependence upon relief
induces spiritual and moral dis
indignation fundamentally destruc-
tive of the national fibre To dole
out relief in this way is to adj
minister a narcotic, a subtle de-
Stroyer of the human spirit. 1t is
in violation of the traditions of
America Work must be found for
able-bodied but destitute workers.
The federal government must and
shall quit this business of relief"
Since these fateful words we're
uttered, the federal government
has been getting into this
business of Relief deeper and
deeper at an alarming rate. AS