The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-11-10
Bend To the Burden.
charleston / ost.)

( In October the United States eN-
pended something more than billion
dollars, or at the rate OF forty two
illion dollars per day. For one day,
last Friday, the expenditures ran up
TO nearly seventy millions, but that
was of course, exceptional. 1t is said
az Washington, though, that this huge
sum may become the average for No
Vember, and that the total for the
coming month may reach two billion
dollars. Nothing like this rate and
total of expenditure has ever been
Britain has been spending more than
any other nation engaged in the war
Dut its total for the entire period of
the war has just come to twenty
three billions. which, it is not unlike ely
our books for the past year of our
participation in the war will show to
be our portion. 1t is, of course, i'm
possible that even the richest nation
in the world, as this has become, can
continue to pour out treasure at this
lavish rate indefinitely, or even for
comparatively short period, save at
great. sacrifice by it's people, and, since
IL Is practically certain that we shall
have to bear the principal burden of
the war in financial way for the En-
tente nations, the absolute, immediate
and pressing necessity Tor rigid econ
omies ON the part of all the people Of
this country. in ways they have not
thought of and to which they have. as
yet, shown no tendency to adapt them
selves, is inevitable. we are in this
tremendous world conflict up to our
hecks and we must go through it. nj
all costs, TO complete satisfaction. That
is not to- be done without heavy sac
riiice. In the blood of cur young mon
we are already about to seal our de-
Votion to the cause we have made our
own and the trckle which has already
begun ON the soil of France will soon
swell to torrents, bringing anguish to
many hearts. Against that we shalf
have to steel ourselves, and the trag-
edy of it will, somehow, carry itself
through, but the daily round of de-
NAL, the constant pinching, the need
OF restriction in little things to which
we have been accustomed will require
more than mere passive acceptance
and will yield no sensations of hero
ism, yet they are of the very essence
of the achievement to which we have
set ourselves. What the British peo-
pie nave come to in three years in
the way of self denials we will reach
in year. The enormous sums the
government is eXpending must come
from the pockets of the people, an6
they can not be produced if we are to
live as we have lived. A good many
people seem to think they can 90 on
In the same old ways of extrava-
gance and still prevail. Some of them
are making money ont of the worlds
need and have felt no pressure of~the
great burden the war has laid upon
thenauon. But the mass of the peo-
pleNare already beginning to realize
that the deadly struggle into which
we have entered will relentlessly ex-
act of each Of them heavy tribute. To
distribute this exaction equally. must
be the care of the government, and
l. has yet been barely taken in hand
Withal the portion of everybody will
De as much as can well be borne, and
the time has come to bend to it.
How far it is going to be possible
TO reduce the expenditures of the ma
tlon' retaining still the maximum of
efficiency, is yet to be determined
Ihere Is some consideration being
given to that question at Washington
ana 1t is necessary that it should be
careiuliy weighed. But, for months
10 come the drain on the resources of
the nation will be enormous, and
evdry citizen should understand that
upon his energy, and, even more per-
maps upon his thrift, depends the
great issue of the war.
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