The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1909-12-25

so large as the increase in the cost of living how
have the masses adapted themselves to the new
situation? The answer is plain They have sim
ply, and necessarily lowered their standards of
living. The matter of income is, after ALL meas
ured by what the income will buy, not by it's
definition in dollars and cents. The incomes of the
masses will not begin to purchase now what they
did 10 years ago, but unless there is check in the
encoachments of organized greed, they still pur-
chase more than they will hereafter.
The greatest of all factors in the increase of the
cost of living is the protective tariff. The pro-
tective tariff, in its extreme abuses is also the
chief cause of the concentration of wealth. And
aside from the general suffering that arises from
nequitable distribution of wealth through the
tariff protected trusts and the conditions they
create this concentration of wealth is the greatest
of all menaces to the political security of the
nation. Kansas City Times (Rep.)
Attorneys for the Standard Oil Company which
was recently convicted of violating the anti trust
law, have filed an appeal showing 65 instances in
which the court is charged with error. The prin-
cipal error was undoubtedly the attempt of the
government to regulate the big trust.
AS revenue producer the Payne bill is hum
mer. 1t provides for the issue of $780, 000 600 Of
three per cent certificates and $400 600 of canal
bonds. Here is plain confession that it will be
necessary for the government to issue $780, 000 600
OF securities upon which the people may pay inter-
est, in order to exc out the revenue necessary to
run the government. These securities will be
turned over to the national banks, which will i'm
mediately receive their full value of national bank
notes. Thus this $290 O00 900 of bonds will not cost
the banks single dollar but the people for the
next 20 years will pay the holders the enormous
sum in interest of $8 900 per year, and in the
20 years STA 0OO O0O without the banks investing
single dollar. The billion dollars in bonds now
held by the national banks upon which the people
pay $50, OOO 900 interest per year never cost the
banks dollar, but was gracious gift from the
republican party to the biggest system the world
has ever seen.
Regarding the $2O 600 900 deficit in the postoffice
department last year, which was $4,000, 600 worse
than the one of two years ago, it should be re-
membered that, after all, it is the peoples own
department and it seems to be their delight to
abuse it's privileges They may persist in using
stationery of gray yellow green red blue and
every other color that makes addresses almost i'm
possible to read at night when most mail is handled
It is the peoples department, so they have right
to deposit every year II 000 600 pieces of mail to go
to the dead letter office after carriers, clerks and
experts have spent hours trying to decipher each
address or hunting an address that did not exist
Since the postoffice belongs to the people they
have right as business men to save up all their
hundreds of letters to mail at the close of the day.
that extra night force is needed in every big
postofce, and so that nine tenths of the mail may
be sorted and handled at the very time when it is
twice as hard to work. AS business men the peo-
pie have right to tie packages so that they will
come unwrapped, to send all sorts of mail with in
sufficient postage to send huge cards that will not
fit the carriers bag the pigeonholes in the mail
car or squeeze into the sacks.
The people have right to demand chat mail be
carried on fast trains from which the sacks must
be kicked at high speed but it is not incumbent
upon the people to use heavy covers for catalogues
or booklets so that they will stand the JAR But if
the people have all these rights and take advantage
of them the people must not kick if the department
is costly or if some who believe in indvidualism
think that the peoples government makes about
the poorest showing as the administrator of big
business that can be made.
Tuesday was the shortest day of the year. being
about nine hours long. The earth was then near
est the sun. From scientific standpoint Tuesday
was the middle of winter but the seasons lag
behind the movement of the sun, so the middle of
winter falls in January, month later than the
winter solstice. The reaches its farthest point
south and starts north again, the days lengthening
several minutes until the middle of June when the
longest day of the year arrives.
Great Britain, with wonderful magnanimity, is