a billion here, a billion there

[Sam Clements]

According to www.dirksencenter.org/featuresBillionHere.htm, there is no
evidence they have the the Senator said it in that well-known form.  They do
give some evidence that he said something partly similar in March of 1962.
He said "a billion here, a billion there."  But he didn't add the tag line
about "real money."

The first cite I can find for a newspaper article that attributes that
entire phrase to Dirksen is from the 11 July, 1975 Washington Post article,
written by David Broder, in which he reported on William Simon's speech to
the US Conference of Mayors.

     >>But he noted repeatedly the danger of excess spending, quoting the
late Sen. Everett M. Dirksen's line, "Take these little $1 billion and $2
billion bills, and eventually they add up to real money."<<

The first time I can find the EXACT phrase as we know it today is in a NY
Times/William Safire column from 28 Aug, 1975.

    >>As Everett Dirksen used to say of Federal budgets, "A billion here, a
billion there, pretty soon it begins to add up to real money."<<

So, perhaps Mr. Safire could comment on whether he actually heard Dirksen
say it.  Of course, one's memory from 30 years ago is not always reliable.
Mine isn't.

SC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerald Cohen" <gcohen at UMR.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 3:36 PM
Subject: Re: a billion here, a billion there


> This isn't the sort of statement that would make its way into a
> political speech. It's much more likely to be said privately. And if
> Dirksen denied authorship of the saying, can the denial be taken at
> face value?
>
> Gerald Cohen
>
>
> >For decades, I've heard this statement - or variations
> >  of it - attributed to Sen. Dirksen, and I love to
> >  repeat it myself, giving credit to Sen. Dirksen.  But
> >  my understanding is that the statement has never been
> >  found in Sen. Dirksen's speeches or writings, and Sen.
> >  Dirksen himself didn't recall saying it.  Any
> >  enlightenment on this?
> >
> >  --- Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU> wrote:
> >
> >  >
> >  > Fred Shapiro
> >  > QUOTES DEEMED `UNFAMILIAR'
> >  >
> >  ...
> >  > "You spend a billion here and a billion there.
> >  > Sooner or later it adds up
> >  > to real money." - Everett Dirksen.
> >  ...
>