The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-08-20
STUDENT or ECONOMICS
DEFENDS AUTO INDUSTRY.

Col. George b. Harvey In Harper's.
Weekly: Bankers have declared war
on the Observation-Disclosures OF the east
as well as Of the west and south Ord
ers have been issued quite generally
to loan no more money TO be used Ia
purchase Of cars. The reason assigned
lie that motoring has become ian ex-
travagant wasteful craze" which must
be checked or the country wnI go 20
the bow vows. May be SO, but we
don't believe It. No doubt a good
cannot safely afford to do SO. A few
perhaps, as the horrifled bankers say,
have mortgaged their homes to pay
for them. Others have failed to take :
into account the cost Of upkeep. Grant 3
all that! They will learn, won't they2
And II their experience proves 10 be
dear, they are the ones who will have
to stand 1t, aren't they?
To argue that money tigftness Is
due to the great sums invested in cars
Is nonsense. The dollars paid go to
the manufacturers, and by them are
Alstributet among their workmen and
disbursed for materials. They neither
leave the country or go up in smoke.
They merely change hands and md
their way through, various channels
from one bank to another. Nor Is II
true that. as a rule, the motor Is a.
luxury. A vast majority OF the 100000
machines made this year go to the
farmers, small tradesmen, doctors and
lawyers throughout the country. They.
supplant horses, because they are mole
emo icnt. They earn and save money
quite as often as they induce tho
squandering of it. Probably three
ffths or more are cared for and oper-
ated by their owners. who buy cheap
gasoline instead of dear oats.
Quite likely they have not yet at
tanned their full value in economies,
That takes time. But they are getting
there and are bound to reach the goal
as certainly as the steam railway
coach supplanted the stage coach. Best
of all, better even than the commercial
advantages derived from their use,
they are fetching comparatively iso-
lated folks into contact with their fell
lows The curse of the country, every
body allows, ia the constant migra-
ton from farm to town.
Well, what causes It? Lonesome
ness. We are gregarious people and
don't like to live alone. 1t is clear
that whatever contributes to strike at
the root of this baneful tendency by,
making for contentment on the farm
is a good thing. The telephone has
done wonders along this line. The
automobile is doing more. 1t ought to
be encouraged, not cut off like sore
finger. But can the farmer afford TT
Probably not in all cases. Many may
buy little ahead of time to please
the children. But the American farm-T
err is not Ounce. He knows what he
can afford as well as the banker, who
is the real prohgate, with his runabout
and brougham and touring car and
two chauffeurs. No, sir! Reliance can
be placed upon the common sense Of
the farmer, the doctor, or the trades
man. He may get nipped once, but not
twice or thrice. Wholly aside, then,
from the gross injustice Of attacking
manufacturing industry which has
grown to enormous proportions, 1t is
unfair, short-sighted and mean to
make the automobile the goat for all
our pecuniary difficulties, general de- :
preston and other ills, SAB
Let the bankers go west on vacation
| instead Of to Europe, where they DO
| leave wads and wads Of good Ameriy.
can money, and 1t is dollars to dough-
nuts that they will change their dole
full note to a tune more patriotic,