Evening Star Newspaper, July 11, 1929, Page 31

Spending a Billion Dollars HERBERT M. LORD’S OWN STORY Of His Work as Director of United States Budget. This is one of a series of personal reminiscences, after seven years’ service, during which Gen. Lord supervised the expenditure of more than $25,000,000,000 in Government funds. In one notable instance, and this was prior to the budget period, we had to jeut through law as well as red tape in spending more than a billion dollars without authority of law—probably the This happened in March, 1919, when I was chief of finance of the Army. The Nation was readjusting its affairs to peace. The armistice had been signed only a few months before. Finan- clally and industrially readjustment was painful. Factories had been running day and night to produce countless things needed to carry on the war. Hundreds of thousands of men had been carried monthly to France. Every available dol- lar had been com- mandeered by the [Government. Every individual in the Nation had been directing his energy in some manner toward the success of the Nation's arms. Suddenly the gigantic American 'war machine stop- ped dead. War was over. Factories 'were notified over- night there was no longer need for their outrut. The Government, their only customer, abruptly went out of the market, lea: ing them to turn to the producuor}r;;!’ e James W. other supplies for other buyer: effect was devastating, paralyzing. The Quartermaster Corps of the Army owed American factories. railroads and others more than $800,000,000. That was a considerable sum, even for those days. And the Quartermaster Corps was broke, flat as a flounder. As long as the war lasted Congress had been appropriating regularly for Quarter- master Corps needs. But the money | had all been spent. And now the war bad ended and Congress was not in any especial hurry to appropriate more, | although, of course, it intended to in | Teasonable time. | Plenty of Money Elsewhere. Other branches of the military serv- ice were more fortunate. The Ordnance | Department had_hundreds of millions to its credit in the Treasury, appropri- ated but not spent. The Engineers had a lot of money. So did other divisions of the War Department. These funds, er, had been appropriated spe- lly ‘for the various branches of the epartment to which they were credited, and for no other purpose. There was nothing alarming about the fact that the Quartermaster Corps owed o many bills. True, creditors were pressing a bit, but Congress was in session and an appropriation to meet requirements could be made with little | delay. Accordingly a bill was intro- .| The filibuster | approached. duced in the House—a deficiency ap- propriation bill, it is termed—providing | funds for the payment of the $800. Ieing brings out the delicate fla- vor of fragrant {)oloNG Here’s a new quick way to make tile sparkling bright, without ! ES it's true! A new type of cleansing fluid has been discov- ered that works miracles on bath- room tile. Alittle “Old Witch” in water. And off comes the dirt in jiffy-quick time. No rubbing. You simply wash the grime away. New-type cleanser does it How wonderful it is to see those bathtub rings disappear. To see the wash basin spick and span. To have the whole bathroom gleaming clean . . . without that tedious, ‘back-breaking work. i ‘The next time you have a little ) @leaning to do, promise [y 000,000, and also providing money for other purposes. ‘The bill proceeded somewhat leisurely through Congress. Suddenly a filibuster developed. All legislation was blocked. continued as March 4 Under the Constitution Congress would expire by limitation that day. The deficiency bill was caught inthe jam. Congress passed into history in arms of the filibuster. ‘The deficiency bill had not been passed. I went home that night in utter de- spair. PFrantic men, many of them big business men, were literally beating at the War Department’s doors for their money. I did not sleep that night. ‘When I went next day to my desk the strained, blanched faces of the Nation's creditors told their own story. ‘They had given themselves, their en- ergies, their all, without thought to the Nation. And now the nation had failed them. Money they had to have at once—for their pay rolls, their bills, their commitments at their banks. Credit was not to be thought of: the the Government had commandecred it to| the last ounce. Bankruptcy, panic, | *uin stared into their bloodshot eyes. A Desperate Situation. Big business men, did I say? Yes: so big that had their vast enterprises | gone toppling down the entire struc- ture of American industry would have gone down with them. They were desperate. So was I. The day passed, a nightmare. Again at night I did not sieep. Nor the next night. I couldn't. I was thinking. Thinking, thinking, thinking over and over again of the crash so close at hand. Thinking of the empty coffers of thi Quartermaster Corps. Thinking of i The Ging in the World Cantrell & Cobhraness DUBLIN - NEW YORK * - BELFAST The deep, rich Boscul flavor . . . the same even in hot weather How fortunate that the dampness and heat of summer cannot affect the delicious flavor . . . the delightful aroma . . . of Boscul Coffee. This famous blend of five of the world’s best coffees is sealed in vacuum . . . kept oven- fresh for yonr table. It oes farther because ot weather doesn’t rob its goodness. Get Boscul for real economy! rubbing and scrubbing trial of this unique preparation. Pour a little “Old Witch” in a basin . . . add water and soap . . . and then watch how it works. It's goodbye dirt when “Old ‘Witch” is on the job. For cleaning stoves, bathtubs, mirrors, windows and woodwork there's nothing else quite like it. Why it cleans so much better You see, “Old Witch” is a super * cleanser. An ammoniated cleanser « . . in fluid form. Three times as efficient as ordinary ammonia. March 4 came; | THE EVENING" obligations of more than $800,000,000. Thinking, too, of the unneeded, un=- touched, tantalizing millions that lay of the War Department’s more fortu- nante branches, while not available to the Quartermaster Corps under the law, every dollar of it having been appro- priated for war purposes. Twc days and nights of this, and then came time to act. I had a check made out. A Government check. It was payable to the Pennsylvania Railroad | Co. and called for $100,000,000. Judge Warwick Visited. I took a photostatic copy and called on Judge W. W. Warwick, controller of the Treasury. It was Judge War- wick's duty to pass upon the legality of the Government's expenditures, to see that all payments were from the proper appropriations and otherwise in accord with strict law on the subject. “Good morning, judge,” I said. have something to discuss with you. ‘We went into his private office and I explained the situation. Then I took the photostatic copy from my pocket and showed it to him. He looked at me rather quizzically and searchingly. “Well,” he said pleasantly, “surely you don’'t expect me to approve any- thing like this.” " I said, “but what do you think don't think you: could have done anything else,” he replied. Backed Up by Congress. T went to Capitol HilL. The new Con- gress, soon to be called in special ses- sion, had not organized. The old Con- gress had been Democratic; the mew was Republican. That meant that there would be new chairmen of the ap- propriations committee: s well as the other committees, of H James W. Good of Illinois | retary of War, was the ranking Re- | publican’ member of the old appropria- tions committee. I told Mr. Good my troubles and what I proposed. He was sympathetic. | "X then went to Senator Warren, who | was to be chairman of the new appro- priations committtee of the Senate. done the right thing,” he tand back of o So we sent the Pennsylvania Rail- road Co. that check for $100,000,000 |taken from the wrong appropriation. Then we proceeded to make out other | said. Finies? erAle stacked in golden heights to the credit | Corps big checks and sent them to the vari- ous creditors, In all we paid the Quartermaster bills out of money appropriated Army. It was a flagrant diversion of funds, but as I saw it it was the Government of the United States that owed those millions rather than the Quartermaster Corps, and in the face of the grave emer{lenzy it didn’t seem to matter es- pecially which pocket the Government went into to get the money. Paying those bills saved many a firm from bankruptey. ‘When Congress met the situation was explained, and Congress, without a frown, legalized that unauthorized di- version of $1,270,000,000 of public money. ‘That, of course, was an extreme case. No such emergency arises in the ordi- nary, every-day conduct of Government affairs. They are humdrum and com- monplace enough as a rule. (Next—“How the Budget Bureau Helps Your Pocketbook.” (Copyright, 1929, by North American News- per Alliance.) —_— e Held for Grand Jury. Irvin Rosenburg, 21, 400 block of Third street southwest, arrested July 1 by Policeman Willlam Johnson of the eighth precinct and Prohibition Officer Eugene Jackson on charges of trans- porting 1,200 quarts of alleged corn whisky, was held under a $2,500 bond to await action of the grand jury by Judge Hitt in Police Court yesterday. STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1929. ALABAMANS REFUTE DE PRIEST CHARGES Pioneer Residents Declare Repre- sentative Incorrect About Lynchings. By the Associated Press. FLORENCE, Ala,, July 11.—The Flor- ence Times-News yesterday published a series of interviews with pioneer resi- dents of Lauderdale County which it contends refuted charges recently made in Cleveland, Ohio, by Oscar De Priest, colored Representative from Chicago, that he witnessed the lynching of three colored persons in Florence shortly be- fore oppression by white persons forced the removal of his parents to Kansas. J. J. Mitchell, former probate judge of Lauderdale County, said three white robbers were lynched near Florence in 1872, six years before the date De Priest said his family removed to Kansas. C. H. Price, superintendent of the Munici- pal Sanitary Department, said only one colored man been lynched in Lauderdale County. _ Price identified the victim as George Ware, who killeda white youth for mxrpou of robbery. The date of the lynching was fixed by Price as the year after the De Priest family left Alabama. Mrs. T. B. Ingram, daughter of a former owner of Representative De Priest’s mother while she was a slave, 81 declared the De Priest family was well liked and denied they ever had been uted. She did not recall the ching of any colored while e Congressman’s family d here. ANNULMENT IS SOUGHT. Annulment of marriage is sought in & suit filed by Mrs. Beatrice A. See, 1315 Gallatin street, against Jacob A. See. She says she went through a marriage ceremony with See at Alexandria, Va., December 8 last, following representa- tions by him that he was free to marry. She bas discovered, she states, that he had been previously married in West Virginia, and has not been divorced. Attorney Raymond Neudecker appears for the wife. . ILL a tall thin glass with cracked ice, add a dash of lemon and then fill with freshly made tea and you will have a drink that spells disaster to Summertime fatigue. Serve Iced Tea tonight— you'll like its delicious frosty coolness. Made in a jiffy and economical, too. Nectar Brand Carefully selected for cup quality, strength and ma, from the early pickings, and then thoroughly nsed of all dirt and dust by a vacuum process. Nectar Teas are blended in tific manner to produ ous drink possess- nce of strength and flavor. Offered in 3 flavors, Orange Pekoe, India Ceylon and Mixed. For Iced Tea we recommend Orange Pekoe. L | 5¢ v Q@ pkg. pkg. House of Lords Tea 1,-Ib. pkg. zsc‘/g-lb pkg. 45c Banquet and Liptons V,-1b. pke. G @b rks. 49C 0-0 Biend Tea 8-0z. bag 23c India Ceylon Java DETHOL Insecticide Combination Gun and Liquid ,9¢ Clicquot Club The writer of this ad- vertisement has kept house for years, and you’ll never find her without “Old Witch” in the water, when there’s a cleaning job todo. I urge you par- ticularly to note the way “Old Witch” saves your hands . . . how it keeps them smooth and soft-looking. It comes in two sizes, 15¢ and 35¢c, so you see it’s not at all ex- pensive. Remember “Old Witch” is what you ask for...your grocer has it now. Be sure to get the genuine “Old Witch.” O1d Witch AMMONIATED CLEANING FLUID Pint Refill 49c Black Flag Combination Refill 49¢c 35¢ Wildmere Fresh Eggs Sunnyfield Sliced Bacon Best Foods Salad Dressing ...............jar 18c Cantrell & Cochrane’s C & C Ginger Ale, 2bottles 25¢ New Pack Stringless Beans ...........3 cans 32¢ New Pack Peas.........cc000 Quaker Maid Beans........ccco0eees 8 O°'Clock Coffee White House Evap. Milk %' 3 Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Medium Size—Ripe CANTALOUPES 2 for 25c» Fancy RipeBananas.................doz. Juicy Lemons ...........c.ccvn.....doz. New Crop Sweet Potatoes..........3 Ibs. 25¢ New Potatoes ....................10 Ibs. 29¢ Ripe Watermelons...................each 59¢ 25¢ 45¢ EFFECTIVE FRIDAY MORNING Iceberg Lettuce .</10¢ e Every Egg Everr 252 Doz. 42¢€ Y3-1b. 2oc 1. 39c Phkg. OLD Ammoniated Cleanser Ginger Ale.... ...2 bottles 29¢ Especially treated extra ;vfrunllh gi-lotf; Ammonia that l se ...can 10c 3 cans 25¢ Lb. 37e¢ Tall zse Cans will not irritate or roughen the hands In Our Meat Markets Smoked Hams........1b.32¢ Sunnyf’d Sliced Bacon.lb.39c Lean Strip Bacon.....1b.27¢ Shoulder Lamb Roast.1b.38c Breast of Lamb.......1b.20c Shoulder Lamb Chops.1b.42¢ Leg of Lamb. ...1b.45¢ Veal Patties. ...1b.35¢ Veal Cutlets..........1b.65¢ Breast of Veal........1b.35¢c Fresh Trout L. 15¢ Special Lump Meat Rege’. Lump Meat DUCKLINGS For a tasty meat course try one of thcse tender Fresh Killed Young Ducklings—direct from Riverton, Va. Baked Fresh Ham. . . }-1b.25¢ Tongue Loaf........1-1b.15¢ Rath’s Spiced Ham. .}-1b.18¢ Ham Bologna.......1-1b.10¢c Potato Salad.........1b.20¢c Vitalac Cottage Cheese, 1b.20¢ Sirloin Steak.........1b.60c Chuck Roast.........1b.35¢ Plate Stewing Beef. .. .1b.20¢ Choice Pork Chops. .. .1b.42¢ Fresh Killed . 1@ CRAB MEAT Claw Meat Fresh Butterfish L5.15¢ Fresh Croakers3Li.25¢| L. §9c Lb. 39c Lb. 29c|Fillet of Haddock Li.19¢