The Washington herald., 1915-12-02
No Wender the Poo. Csmphin.

The protest of the poor against q tax on saso-
line and the increased cost of living 10 beginning
to be heard throughout the land Gasoline is .
prime necessity in every poor home. The poor
may do without meat. without milk, without break
fast foods, and without beer, but they cannot
exist without gasoline, They may get along with
out solid substances to fill their stomaehs, 1t they
only have gasoline to make the motor. wheels 60
round and fill those yawning cavities with good
east wind President Wilson should carefully
study the Baltimore platform, which promised to
reduce the high cost of living, before he recon-
mends tax on gasoline. The Democratic party
has always professed to be the friend of the poor,
and the poor owner of autos will regard tax on
gasoline as more of an iniquity than the old Re-
publican war taxes on tea and coffee. The wall
against this proposed tax will not be confined to
any section of the country where the poor abound
1t will be general, from the poor farmer who sells
wheat to buy gasoline, to the city dweller who
mortgages his home to take the children joy-rid-
ing and make them forget that they had no sup
per- There are millions of poor homes IN TINS
broad land that will become novels filled with suf-
fering and sorrow without the light and the smell
of gasoline
For MANY years John D. Rockefeller has been
misunderstood. As the maker of kerosene tor the
family lamp he was only a wicked monopolist, con-
tributing to the luxury of the rich, but as the
maker of gasoline he is recognized as great
benefactor of the poor. At last we are beginning
to realize that the Standard Oil Company Is the
poor mans friend and the poor from Maine to
California from the Lakes to the Gulf, eagerly
looking to 26 Broadway the great center OF poor
relief rather than the Democratic Congress which
has always been regarded the poor mans friend.
Times change and conditions and public sentiment
fhe,, has OfOdnCed these
changes Time was when the railroads were abused
and 3cent fares held responsible for the high cost
of living but gasoline has in the last year taken
millions in passenger income from the railroads
Ii has sent trolley lines into bankruptcy because
gasoline enabled man to ride in an auto tor 10
cents a mile instead of being compelled to ride IN
a draughty trolley ten miles for nickel Gas
oline has reduced the high price OF real estate by
plastering mortgages all it, reduced the price
of beefsteak by making it drug on the market
and enabled us to export our wheat to feed the
hungry of Europe without any Inconvenience to
our own poor, who have discovered that they can
live longer and happier on diet Of wind and an
odor of gasoline.
President Wilson should consider not only what
gasoline has done for this country, but what 1t
promises to do for the peace of the world Without
gasoline Henry Ford would still be an unknown
inventor of horseless and powerless vehicle; but
with gasoline the poor Henry Ford has chartered
ships to carry armies of peace advocates across
the Atlantic and compel the men to quit the
trenches, go home and forget their quarrels. The
world has long looked for the agency of universal
peace, and here we have found it. 1t is gasoline
that makes men forget all wrong, all grievances
and all hatred 1t is the odor of love which caln,s
the storm at and puts peace in the hearts OF
men, humbles the pride of emperors and eompels
wicked kings to love their fellowman. Should
Henry Ford be able to produce peace strike in
the trenches of Europe on Christmas morning,
who will dare to propose tax on this great and
universal pankiller of the world? The President
might as we'll recommend tax on Billy Sunday
or the Chautauquas or Fords. All taxes are
niquities, but tax on gasoline would be a saeri-
lege.