Evening Star Newspaper, November 29, 1931, Page 37

CANDIDACY OF ROOSEVELT) IS LIKE WILSON’S IN 1912 Prohibition Question and Growing Split With Al Smith Compli¢ate Situation. Muddled BY MARK SULLIVAN. HE Democratic presidential situa- tion, growing more complex and more interesting, is developing along lines somewhat similar to the contest in which Woodrow ‘Wilson won the presidential nomination in 1912—though it would be a mistake to suppose this analogy is perfect, or that Roosevelt now is as sure to win as Wilson turned out to be then. Whether Roosevelt has the quality to attract and stir the public that Wilson developed in 1912 will appear when the State pri- maries begin, which will not be until next April. So far Roosevelt's strength has taken chiefly the formv of indorse- | ment by local leaders here and there, together with the formation of some “Roosevelt-for-President” clubs. Clubs like that are more significant for what they may accomplish after they get under way than for the mere fact of their arising. What most often happens in the formation of such “—— for President” | clubs is that some local individual, | either a personal enthusiast for some | public man or eager to further his own | Jocal political fortunes, starts a club, | gives it the name of a nationally known | puclic character, perhaps prints some stationery and rents a room—and is thereafter known as the local “Jones | leader” or “Brown leader” or whatnot. | It is usually a one-man enterprise. | Rather rarely does it happen that a | great gathering of the public comes to- g;t:er spontaneously and composes a club. This does not alter the fact that these | ¥—— for President” clubs can and often are made important starting points and centers for propaganda and organiza- tion serviceoble to the candidates for whom they are named. If Roosevelt enters the various State primaries these Rocal “Roosevelt. for President” clubs will | be very useful to him and will give him further what he already has. a long | start ahead of all other aspirants. Will Decide Prohibition. The next immediate stage in_clarifi- ‘ation of Roosevelt's fortunes will occur when the Democratic National Commit- tee meets in Washington on January 8. ‘That meeting will have an extremely powerful bearing on Roosevelt’s for- tunes and on the fundamentally allied problem, which is: what the Democratic party is going to do about prohibition. To understand this coming meeting of the Democratic National Committee and its significance, it is necessary to yecall the last one, held in March. Early last Winter Chairman John J. Raskob of the Democratic National Committee alarmed his dry critics in the party and surprised everybody by calling a meeting of the committee. Mr. Raskob's action was unusual, for it is rare that a meeting of a national committee is held at such a time—na- tional committees in both parties meet as a rule only during presidential years. ‘The unusualness of Raskob's cali cer- tainly alarmed the Democratic drys. ‘They felt it boded some ill to their dry cause and they came to the meet- #ng in a mood for controversy. Chairman Raskob made a proposal, istartling to the drys, that the National Committee should “suggest and advise” that the Democratic National Conven- tion and the Democratic party take a position favoring return of the control of liquor to the States. As Mr. Raskob concluded his suggestion he asked, rather naively, whether any one de- sired to discuss it. Many did. The dis- cussion came, a flood of it. Suggestion Is Denounced. | Raskob’s suggestion was opposed along two lines. It was denounced, strongly—indeed, Mr. Raskob person- ally was almost denounced—by Senator Morrison of North Carolina, snd dry Senator Robinson of Arkansas, ‘who said, “The pirate flag of an out- lawed traffic shall not be raised over the Democratic party.” Along a different line Mr. Raskob's roposal was opposed by dry Senator rdell Hull of Tennessee on the ground, in effect, that prohibition should not be made a political issue; that the Democrats have a chance, and & duty, to win the coming presidential election on eccnomic issues, and that the prohibition issue should not be %thrust into the situation. The discussion of Mr. Raskob's wet proposal at the meeting of the Demo- cratic National Committee last March, on its rerits, was dramatic, rather un- comfortably so, from the point of view of Democratic harmony. But vastly more important was a quiet, though wholly public_development, having to do_ with Gov. Roosevelt of New York. Mr. Raskob’s wet proposal was dis- epproved by the representative of New York State in the National Com- mittee, who took the position that it ‘was not a proper matter for the Na- tional Committee to act upon. This disapproval by the New York State committeeman made a sensation. It was universally attributed to or asso- ciated with Gov. Roosevelt; it was taken for granted by every politician that the national committeeman from New York did not take so important a step without consultation with the Demo- cratic Governor of the State. It was assumed likewise that this attitude of New York State was taken with a view to the fortunes of Gov. Roosevelt as a presumed aspirant for the Democratic presidential nomination. New York Steps Aside. This was a real political development. New York, as probably the wettest State in the Union, and espectally the New York democracy, might be presumed to side with Mr. Raskob in the wet step he had taken. Indeed, it seemed safe to guess, and actually was guessed, that | Mr. Raskob counted on the support of | New York—without having taken the | precaution first to inquire of Gov. | Roosevelt. Mr. Raskob knew that ex- | Gov. Smith was for him and may have | presumed too daringly that all the | democracy of New York State would | follow ex-Gov. Smith's leadership on | this point, including Gov. Roosevelt. In any event, once New York State op- gosed Mr. Raskob's move, once this very eart of the wet territory stepped aside, Mr. Raskob’s proposal was doomed. | to that time in March every political assumption had been that the two men stood together. Now, on a step designed by Chairman Raskob to make the Dem- ocratic party officially wet, Gov. Roose- velt took one course disapproving the step, while ex-Gov. Smith took the | course of approving it and actually | spoke in favor of it at the meeting. In- | stantly every politician and_every 1 | formed observer presumed a cleavage tween Smith and Roosevelt. The cleave- | age—to whatever extent it goes—has | apparently grown deeper ever since. It | is now univarsally taken for granted that | there is fundamental lack of harmony | between Smith and_Roosevelt. In the end the National Committee | took a course practically identical with the view of the New York representative in the committee, and the presumed view {of Gov. Roosevelt. The committee, in effect, did nothing. If it was Mr. Ras- kob's 'intention to force a contest to a finish and a roll call he was obliged to abandon that intention by the defection of New York. The whole matter was deferred until such time as the next meeting of ths Democratic National Committee is to be held. This next meeting comes on January 8. What will happen then—or what prudent politics may prevent happening then— will be very important. Can Report Action. ‘There was plausible justification for what the Democratic ‘National Com- mittee at its March meeting did about Chairman Raskob's wet propocsal. They can do the same thing at the coming | meeting on January 8. They can say, in effect, that what they do about pro- hibition is a matter of party policy, that the National Committee has nothing to do with policy, that the only body having power to deal with policy is the great quadrennial national convention which meets in June next—and that, therefore, the meeting of the National Committee drops the matter. They can do that and seem justified But if they do it will amount to a pretty direct repudiation of Mr. Ras- kob. ° Already at the March meeting Mr. Raskob asked the National Commit- tee to “advise and suggest”—and the National Committee declined to “advise and suggest” or to do anything else, and its disinclination was made with no particular effort to be respectful to Chairman Raskob. Also, if the coming meeting of the Democratic National Committee again declines, and this time finally, to take any action on Mr. Raskob's wet propo- sal it will be charged with taking a “shush-shush” attitude on prohibition, The question is, what will the Na- tional Committee redlly do at the com- ing January meeting, and also what will ex-Gov. Smith do? Smith is not a member of the committee, but he will be there as a distinguished guest, as he was at the last meeting; or in tke al- ternative, his absence will be interpret- ed as having political meaning—de- cidedly so. One feels ex-Gov. Smith will not be absent. It is vain to attempt to write about the course of tiwe Democratic party or the fortunes of Gov. Roosevelt without considering what ex-Gov. Smith will do. ‘Writing about “Hamlet” the play and attempting to avoid mention of Hamlet the man would Le an easy literary ath- letic feat compa'ed to any attempt to write about the fortunes of the Demo- cratic party dwiing the coming year without taking in*o account the course of ex-Gov. Smith. What Smith intends to do is a thing wholly within the boundaries of his pretty ample skull and, therefore, impossible for any out- sider to state. One can, however, guess Wwhat a man in Smith’s position’ would be likely to do. One can guess also at what would pe & logical and consistent course for a man having Smith’s known convictions. The two guesses coincide. Smith May Be Delegate. If ex-Gov. Sriith holds strong views adverse to the prohibition amendment and if he hoids views still stronger against the Democratic party *pussy- footing” on the eighteenth amendment, the course available to him would be- gin with going {o the next Democratic national convention not as a candidate, but as a delegar>. That Smith will do Just this all impo:tant Democratic lead- ers believe. Conceivably by somc fan- tastic exercise of discrimination against Smith, either Tammany or the New York State democracy, or Gov. Roose- velt, or all three, could decline to ex- tend to Smith the opportunity to be a delegate. That, however, would be ex- traordinary and not very helpful to those who might do it. We can safely ns;me ex-Gov. Smith will be a dele- gate. Ex-Gov. Smith as a delegate can imself on the Resolutions cemmmgeeet. Wwhich committee writes the party plat- form, writes the eloquent “whereases” and “view-with-alarms” and the like. In the Committze on Resolutions, Smith can propose a thoroughgoing wet plank and demand its adoption. Within the committee Smith can be defeated on this point, for the Resolutions Commit- ee consists of une delegate from each State, and it may well be that a Reso- luundms Committee thus composed would be dry. If defeated in the Resolutions Com- mittee, Smith can carry his flghf ;'Kl)r a wet plank onto the floor of the con- vention, as Nichclas Murray Butler car- ried his fight for a wet plank on the floor of the Republican convention of 1928, and as has often been done be- fore in both paities by proponents of various causes. Smith npghnng for a Wwet plank on the floor of the conven- tion would have z better chance to win than in the Committee on Resolutions, for on the floor of the convention all of the some 1,160 delegates will vote as individuals—and if each individual votes his genuine personal convictions, divorced from any consideration of po- litical expediency, there is likely to be 2 wet majority in this coming Demo- cratic convention. All or practically all the personnel of the delegations from the big Northern States—New York, Illinols, New Jersey, Massachusetts Pennsylvania and othérs—will be wet. In the intricate and powerful Wheels of this process of the Democratic party being carried by ¢x-Gov. Smith into the This was the beginning of what is now described as a cleavag> between Gov. Roosevelt and ex-Gov. wet position, there is, without doubt, good deal of chance of Gov. Roosevelt Smith. Up | and his candidacy being ground up. “Buy British Produc Complications on ¢ LONDON.—The “Buy British Prod- ucts” campaign, which has received great impetus since the decline in the value of the pound sterling, is having some intriguing consequences. Dependent as this highly industrial- ized country is on its food imports, there is no early possibility of the na- tion at large boycotting the roast beef of “Old England” from the Argentine, or the bacon and dairy products of Denmark. Nor will the frugal house- wife hesitate to purchase cheaply priced toys made in Germany and Ja- pan when she comes to doing the | Christmas shopping in a few weeks' time. Now, however, some _patriotically disposed fishmongers or fish shops have hit upon the idea of selling English | fish, raising thereby a novel piscatorial | and international problem, or nothing less than the matter of finny na- nality. uo"we ,Bell English Fish” is the sign ‘which has recently been seen displayed on the front of numerous fish shops. fish are largely cgee the salt varlety there has n_ mucl ‘.:o‘fifnlturedyjokmx about this 100 per cent_exhibition of nationalism. A codfish which has never left and ts” Campaign Nets English” Fish Status | has been caught within the three-mile { limit might be eligible as an English | specimen, but if it is hooked or trawled | in the North Sea it has an int:rna- tional status. There are more complications when it comes to the eel, supj to have its breeding place in the Atlantic. The eel that has made the long pilgrimage to English waters and found its way eventually to the London Cockney's plate in stewed, jellled or ple form can have no national status, nor does the Cockney consumer of “stoodles” (as he describes stewed eels) care. | When certain fishmongers have been asked what they mean by English fish they say they are referring to Dover sole. Nevertheless, one leading news- paper suggested some time ago that English fish should bear the national mark t,|\.|5L as English meat and eggs | bear it, | (Copyright, 1931, Following a rush to increase prices after the suspension of gold payments, Bolivia 1ssued a decree establishing fines for price raises on articles of ne- cessity. Can Science Save World? Many Interesting Conjectures Awice as Result of Tremendous Advances in Recent Times “MODERN M!/ BY HAROLD DE WOLF FULLER. sureness of knowledge which has made science the marvel of the age could be brought to bear on all our activities. An | extraordinary supposition, perhaps, lt’ a time when leaders are freely admit- | ting that they do bring order out of the confusion that reigns in business and society; when the anchors of age are dragging and youth is wondering what this civiliza- the chorus of alarm, and when nnllonsi of the world are struggling to hold on— BY HENRY CABOT LODGE. OR many vears the officers and | rines have had an undeniable | glamour. Their fine appear-| ance, the wide scope of their mend themselves to a people which values competence and courage. But it is permissible to say that admiration by specific knowledge of what it is they do. Moreover, such knowledge is perti- nent at this time, when suggesticns are be reduced. And perhaps the best way of taking a bird's-eye view of this ubiquitous corps is first of all to see Perusal of a strength report issued for the month cf June indicates that the 18,000 men of the corps were spread separate places in the eastern part of the United States where Marines are stationed. In the West Coast area eight staff officers, the headquarters at Washington, five different recruiting services, nine aviation bases and 10 tended. The schools and_aviation bases speak for themselves. Small in num- ber as the Marines are when com- are called for duty in so many different parts of the world that they must be trained for every kind of warfare. The duties performed at most of the psts in the United States are those of training and guard. At Parris the art of soldiering, so that they may serve efficlently wherever they may be. At the New York Navy Yard Marines property all over the United States which is worth many millions. If pri- vate banks employ their own guards, it United States to do the same. The assignment of 60 Marines to the naval ammunition depot at Hawthorne, as those who favor reduction of the Marine Corps might wish dne to be- lieve. Hawthorne, Nev, happens to be s of the climate its remoteness from population centers. The maintenance of a 24-hour gerous explosives includes, not only fne actual number of men on sentry duty, | but als> embraces the necessary COOKS, drivers, etc. out, 60 men is not a lavish allowance. For it is true of the Marines, 8s it is | perform many non-combatant functions. Iln some foreign armies the cooks, sup- ply men, telephone and télegraph oper- ants—to mention only a few of the in- dispensable auxiliary troops—are civil- fans. Indeed, in some armies the coo men of the United States Ma- | activities and their hardihood com- for the Marines is not always equaled being made that the size of the corps just where its members are stationed. very thin. There are, for example, 30 there are seven. There are, besides, different schools which must be at- pared with the Regular Army, they Not a Lavish Allowance. Island, for example, recruits are taught perform guard duty. "The Navy has is certainly good business for the Nev., for example, is not as exorbitant a good place to store ammunition, guard over these valuable and dan- supply men, telephone operators, truck of the Army, that men in uniform must iamrs. truck drivers'and hospital attend- are women. When, therefore, one Tea that a certain foreign army has a| strength of 100,000 men, one may As- sume that this means 100,000 fighters-— infantry, cavalry, artiilery or aviation. When it appears that the American Army has a strength of 118,000, it 33 safe’to say that only. about 60 per cent of these represent men whose sole duty is firhting. 1,998 Trodps With Fleets. In addition to the 40-odd posts in the United States, which by themselves 8c- count for 8507 Marines, there were f you stop to figure it| excites general comment. Suppose that industry knew not only Fow to produce but how much to pro- duce and where to distribute. Suppose that the tragedy of misfits could be re- ~—Drawn for the The Sunday Star by Robert Lawson. |a gloomy picture which today colors |lived up to the blessings of this machine UPPOSE that something like the | the outlook of people of all classes and | age instead of living down to its me-| chanical perfection. t t e enntcin e atwmpmg I::il's:‘re :2‘;: [ made possible so much of our modern millennium or, worse, rule of thumb. It does attempt, not | without exaggeration (though what is | liberated LIKE THE ARABIAN FISHERMAN, HAS LIBERATED GENII THAT HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO CONTROL!” iNethm and Pasteur and Faraday and Hertz and all the rest, by their dis- coveries of fundamental principles, vention and mode of living, they have scientific knowledge faster duced to a small minimum; that un-|Suggested is not so very much farther |than the world could keep up with it. lem and social consciousness were the usual thing. Suppose that the passing of laws increased the respect for laws. Suppose that movements and reforms did s is all about; when Pope's|not go merrily on according to the |least, heads of universities. Erlx?yc?iltlolu:nd bishop’s mandate swell | clamor of the moment, and that power 1 versities must share the reproach for and leadership were the products of wisdom. Suppose that human nature THE “LEATHERNECKS” ARE AT HOME ON THE SEA LAND. IN CIRCLE—INSTRUCTIN stitution, Marines serve as indispen- sable parts of the salp’s organization. ‘There are also 11 foreign statd.ns where Llarines are on duty, axd in |many of these are widely - scattered posts. These include such strange- sounding places «s Cavite-Clongapo, in the Philippine Islands (whére there are two naval stations), and the Coco Solo | submarine base in the Canal Zone. Then there is a Marine deiachiment of about 700 men in Haiti. ‘The naval base of Peas] Harbor, cost- ing many millions and the very hub of American naval’strategy in the Pacific, has 452 Marines. Nicaragua, where a native police force must be created and where some Americans were recently beheaded; i1as about 650. Samoe, where a small naval station 4s maintained, has one Marine. 1.998 troops with the fleets. On 34 ves- <ls, including the famous frigate Con- Service in the ‘med States, in for- | practice is) to indicate a responsibility | of those in positions of authority. The | collective wisdom of leaders in several | | spheres is required, among them, not For uni- | having plunged us into all this uncer- | tainty. ~The home of science, S WELL BLUEJACKETS ON THE AS ON RIFLE eign countries and with the fleets thus Corps’ June total of 18,000 men—a total which has already been reduced to 16,- 500. There remain two more general categories in which a Marine may serve, one of which is with aviation units. This duty recently engaged the services one-eighteenth of the entire corps and |is not a large number when it is real- ized how vital aviation is in op-rations in undeveloped countries. Fought Malaria Menace, ‘The Marines in Nicaragua not only used airplanes for scouting and for ralds on specific points—they depended on them for supplying the garrisons in the hills with food, pay and mail, and in one particular instance airplanes | cvacuated wounded land troops from a where | account for 14,636 men of the Marine | of 1,051 men, which was then about | not know how_ to|employment were not & primary prob- | {rom what might be than our present | It has even been suggested that science, for some years to come, should take a holiday. The case against this massive force in the world was excellently stated by that thoroughgoing scientist, the late E. E. Slosson: . “The last few years have made it (Continued on Fourth Page.) What Marines Mean to U. S. Wherever Trouble May Brew Our Fighting ‘‘Jacks-of-All-Trades”” Render Yeoman Service native village street under constant enemy fire. Their performance. be- sides contributing effeciively to military science, was of great utility in other ways, for their experience in flying over unmapped tropical country was helpful to the commercial lines which now traverse Central America. There is also another aspect of the accomplishments of Marine aviators which should be mentioned. Nowhere is the menace of malaria greater than it is in Nicaragua. Indeed, some doc- tors have given Nicaragua the unen- viable distinction of being at the head of the list of malarial countries. Ma- laria, as is generally known, disappears when the mosquitoes which cause it have been eliminated. In the Panama Canal Zone, for example, the Army Medical Corps, with the United States Government behind it, has given an almost unique example of malarial con- trol through the construction of drain- age pipes and canals. ‘This system could not be adopted in Nicaragua. The area of the country (which is about the size of New York State) is too great to be completely covered with pipes and drains. More- over, there were no funds available for the purpose. Yet every day the Amer- ican garrison on the edge of Lake Mana- gua was being reduced by malaria. | Something had to be done. Marines are good improvisors, and so it was finally suggested that some fine road dust be mixed with Paris green, that this com- pound be scattered from an airplane flying up and down the swampy edges of the lake. The experiment was suc- cessful and the number of malarial | cases was speedily reduced. Pool and En Route, Marine aviation has caused this di: cussion to wander away from the ques- tion of where the Marines are located. We have already accounted for about 8,000 in the United States, 4,000 on for- eign station, 2,000 with the fleets and 1,000 with aviation units. There re- mains the last category, described offi- cially as “pool and en route,” which, according to the strength report, ac- counted for 2,313 men—more than those on ships or in aviation and consider- ably more than one-ninth of the entire corps. ‘Thus, a large proportion of the Ma- rines were either traveling to or from a post or were in a “pool” fitting out for another tour of duty. This is du: to the many places and many different du- ties which the corps must perform. In- deed, this number indicates that the effective strength of the Marines was then well below the 16,000 figure to which it is now rapidly being reduced by order of the President. If to the “pool and en route” total be added the number of Marines who are serving as cooks or telegraph operators or in other non-military capacities the number of Pgfictlve rifles would appear smaller still. We customarily regard the Marines as a small and highly trained expedi- tionary force ready to move at short notice. Although this is perfectly cor- rect, it is only an incomplete descrip- tion of what the corps does. Circum. stances have forced duties on the M rines which are not and never have been formally admitted, but which none the less are very real. Had to Preserve Order. Some of these duties, perhaps, can be best understood by recalling that 30- odd years ago the United States sur- prised itself and the rest of the world by becomine a colonial power. Soon thereafter it built the Panama Cjpal. And, needless to say. neither of these w&fiunvzd on Fourth Page.) HE text of the address of Sena- | tor Arthur Capper of Kansas in |taxes, Congress faces a deficit in the ¢ years, as proposed by Senator Borah, - 2 CAPPER DISCUSSES TAX PROBLEMS OF CONGRESS Kansas Senator Asks Co-operation of Both Parties in Radio Forum Address. the National Radio Forum ar- ranged by The Washington Star and broadcast over a coast-to- coast network of the Columbia Broad- casting System last night follows: A long, hard, stormy session is in! prospect, probably the most trying ses- sion in years. There are an unusual number of crucial and perpleixng ques- tions on which 500 men must make decisions. If political partisans, spar- ring for party advantage, place ob- cles in the way, the “going” as we is going to be very difficult. The coming Congress will hav opportunity to practice what it has been preaching in recent years. Re- publicans and Democrats “altke have been urging everybody to co-operate, especially the farmers. Partisans Can Do Harm. Now it is up to all of us in Con- gress to do & little co-operating among ourselves—Republicans and Democrats —in a working union for the common good; serving America unitedly and unselfishly. A partisan Congress can do the country great harm and little or noth- ing of good. A co-operating Congress that will suspend partisan activities and have in mind the general good of the coun- try in its time of need, will put patriot- ism above partisan advantage, that will put statesmanship above politics, is the best thing that could happen. And let me say right here that I propose to co-operate with any mem- ber, any group or any party that has anything to offer for the general good. ‘The fact that it may be offered by | a Democrat will not cause me to shy from it. Oftentimes something does come out of Israel. There are a lot of things that need fixing this Winter, and if the members of both branches of Congress will lay aside their partisanship and join hands in finding out what is the best thing to do, and then do it, the coun- try will be better off. Congress faces a big job—in fact, several big jobs—when it meets one | week from Monday. I propose to dis- | cuss briefly a few angles of one of those jobs this evening. Thinks Demand Justified. Al over the country the cry is going | - the up: “Taxes must be reduced.” And T think the demand is justified. In the face of the demand for lower Federal Treasury—a deficit of one bil- lion dollars for the past fiscal year, and . promised deficit for the current fiscal year. In round numbers one could safely say that Congress faces the job of taking up nearly two billion dollars slack in attempting to balance Uncle Sam’s budget. Public expenditures have increased four times; our total public debt seve; times in a trifie more than 10 years! Most of us are paying more than our share of taxes. For years we have disproportionately taxed. Espe- cially is this true of the farmer, whose taxes absorb 31 per cent of his in- come—much more when that income is scanty, as it is now. The tax burden | is one of the things seriously depressing | land values and weakening the basis of loans. All of us are paying for more gov- ernment than we need—local, State and national. The increase of de- linquent taxes is becoming a serious problem in all cities. We are making it a luxury to own a home. And the home-owning citizen is the Nation's best asset. In line with the cry, “Taxes must be reduced,” Congress will face the job of cutting down on expenditures by the Federal Government and its agencies. Already there is much talk, and there will be much more talk, of more economy in Government departments. I would like to feel more hopeful about this than I honestly can. Ecenomies Praised. ‘The Hoover administration undoubted- ly is effecting many economies, and those | are worth while. There will be an effort | to reduce salaries by the next Congress. | 10 That will have my hearty support, if its | applied only to the higher salaried officials. T am also glad to see that President | Hoover has recognized the one place where a substantial saving in Federal expenditures is possible. That is in the amount of money expended for war pur- poses. Now we must remember, in all dis- cussions of governmental expenditures, | that the problem is not peculiar to my | township, my school district, my county, my State of Kansas, or to the United States. This burden is borne by all the coun- tries in the world. European nations are struggling u?nd" an_even heavier load of debts and taxes than are we in the United States. And in all these countries it is the war burden that is the biggest single item and if common sense could be used by all peoples, the most unnecessary item, of public expenditures. My friends the nations of the world are spending more than four and one- half billion dollars a year for armaments -—these figures do not include payments for pensions, payments on debts con- tracted in past wars, nor care of the disabled veterans of past wars. ! ‘This four and one-half billion dollars a year is the cost of preparing for future wars. It is a staggering sum. Also it may surprise some folks in the United States to know that the United States, measured in terms of money, spent on armies and navies, leads all the nations in the world. TU. S. Biggest Spender. Of course, measured in the number of men under arms, and in terms of battleships and other war vessels, we do not_lead the world in preparing for war. But in downright cash expendi- tures for the next war that every one dreads, but nearly every one looks forward to, Uncle Sam is the biggest spender among all the nations. This is ! explained, in part, by the fact that Uncle Sam pays higher wages, higher wages in the Army and Navy, higher wages for all labor performed, higher prices for all materials, than any other government. Last fiscal year, according to the best figures I have been able to obtain, the United States spent more than $700.- 000,000 for arms, armament, and men. ‘This is in direct expenditures for Army and Navy purposes. Great Britain spent under $500,000,000; the Soviet Union of Russia under $600,000,000; France under $500,000,000. We still are learning the bitter les- sons of the war. Yet the nations that are borrowing money to balance their budgets, including our own, continue to spend not less than 4,500 million dollars a year in preparatie= for war, although it is extremely doubtful that any of these governments, except our own, could sustain or survive another real war if one came. Why should the nations struggling against bankruptey, their harassed peoples by such taxes as the world has never felt before continue piling up armament? Naval Holiday Blessing. Nothing can do more to speed the world’s economic recuperation than to reduce the gigantic waste of war. “I know of no economic proposal,” says President Hoover, “which in necessity or importance, can compare with such & result.” The greatest blessing that could come to the world at this time would be a naval holiday, if only for a year. Five would be better. That would save the world almost 21 biilion dolars. It would usher in a new era of progress. Many Senators will not vote to ratify & debt reduction pact while European nations continue to spend for armament many times the amount of their debt or reparation payments. Little relie” woul® come from limiting Europe’s obligations if the money merely went into cruisers, guns and bombing planes. Before Amer- ica can know whether improvement would result from reduced debts it must know whether Europe is in a mood to educe armaments. We must be reason- ably sure that the effect of any move to lighten or adjust intergovernmental debt burdens will not be to clutter the road with bayonets. Our own pre-war and navy appro- priations that amounted to 266 millions combined in 1913, soon jumped to 618 millions a year, and now are 750 mil- lions annually. They are going higher unless the nations agree on a naval holiday or a radical disarmament. ‘Therefore, I am heartily with Pres- ident Hoover in his resolve to cut the naval budget and his purpose to elimi- nate the building program authorized by Congress for the fiscal year. Against Naval Program. This will mean a great saving. It will .indicate to the other powers that the United States is preparing to take a real “naval holiday.” If the world could be reasonably insured against war by the forthcoming disarmament con- ference, a large part of the 4'; billions the great nations now spend annually for military purposes could at once be diverted to wiping out their deficits and to balancing their budgets. And that would remove a danger to Europe now more imminent than war. Our pending naval program, a treaty program, calls for the expenditure of nearly 1,000 million dollars. It has been proposed to have this Congress appropriate 750 million dollars for naval purposes. I am opposed to this at a time when women and children may be starving and freezing in our industrial cities. Also because the world is unable to carry the load of armament it now has, and our own national treasury is facing a shortage of more than 1,000 million dollars. The President would trim this huge appropriation for new warships down to 500 million dollars, which is a modest cut under the circumstances. Now there is one thing we must bear in mind always when appropriations of money for any purpose by the Govern- megt are suggested. y money appropriated by any gov- ernment for any purposes requires the expenditure of that much money from the government treasury. ‘Will Be Transfers. That means the government will have to raise that much money before it can be paid out. Along the same line, and just in pas- sing, if our Government of the United States cancels the debts of foreign gov- ernments to the United States Government, those debts are not really canceled. Those debts will just be transferred from the taxpayers of those foreign governments to the taxpayers of the United States. - For that reason I myself am not in sympathy with the demands of inter- national bankers—that the United States cancel the war debts of European nations owing to the United States. shall work for & reduction in our own expenditures for the Army and Navy by the next Congress. President Hoover I am glad to say already has returned the budget of the Navy De- partment, with instructions that its asking must be reduced by some 66 million dollars. And that reduction 1s being made. But while it might be possible, on gnper. to reduce Federal expenditures y 900 million dollars a year to meet the deficit in operating costs of the Government, in fact it is not going to happen. - The members of Congress know it will not be done; so does the average citizen. So, my friends next Cfll?rm is gois to have to meet the situation from tfi outside. In spite of the cry for re- duced taxes, the next Congress is going have to provide more revenue for the Pederal Government. Estimates as to the additional amount that will be raised by taxation next year vary—the average of fairly well informed esti- mates that have come to my attention is about 500 million dollars above the amount raised during the past fiscal year. Against Dole System. Before getting down to the different means proposed for raising more Fed- eral Government revenue, we also should take into account the demand there will be for increased Federal ap- propriations for public work and for taking care of the unemployed, either directly or indirectly. I am opposed to anything in the nature of a dole, but we must see that no one goes hungry. In its consequences the unequal dis- tribution of wealth is perhaps the most far-reaching in its effects. Of 45 mil- lion Americans gainfully employed only four million make income tax returns. Fewer than 10 per cent of the people receive more than 25 per cent of the national income Adding to this unhealthy condition, tax exempt property is increasing r: idly. In Massachusetts alone, an aver- age of 60 millions of property is trans- ferred to the non-taxable class every year. This promotes both unequal dis- tribution_of wealth and of the burdens of the Government. The tax-exemp- tion privilege is enormously abused. Most tax-exemption laws should be re- pealed. Much good and relatively little harm will be done if exemption from taxation were completely abolished. ¥ Men of large wealth who have large ;com!s are crying for a general sales X. Now I am fundamentally and for- ever opposed to a general sales tax. It places the tax burden still more heavily on the persons least able to afford it. The man whose-income s barely sufficient to meet his living ex- penses, the man whose income does not meet Lis living expenses, will have to Pay a tax on everything he buys, under the general sales tax. And he is in no Pposition to do it. On the other hand, the general sales tax falls lightest on those with the larger incomes, on those whose prop- erty the Government protects at the largest expense. on those who profit most from Government protection and are best able to pay for Government protection. Tax Higher Incomes. It may be that the Federal Govesm- ment will have to levy some lumwes sales or excise taxes: there is justinea~ tion for such taxes when the necessity is great. For myself, I am in favor of a higu- er income tax rates on incomes in te= higher brackets. The higher bracke: incomes can and should pay a higher rate of income tax than they now do. Also. I am in favor of higher inherfk- ance taxes, to assist in breaking up the centralization i~ walth and power is countrv in the hands of the few people. Along with the increase in inherit- ance, or estate, taxes, gift taxes should be levied by the Federal Ciovernment to prevent evasion of the Inheritance tax by gifts made before death for the &\lrpose of escaping the inheritance X, We are going to I - better times. They may come slov an we would like. But they are 2. And the reason is that Ame.. will exercise its_ingenuity, as it has in other times. My fondest hope is that agriculture will back on its feet: that sfair (Gontinued on Folirth Page.)