The state herald., 1918-04-05
American People Must Lend Part
or Pay All to Finance
Great Conflict.
BUYING OF LIBERTY BONDS
Liberal Loans to Government 10 Ad
vanelng Financial Assistance to
Our Children, obvlatlng Total
Cost by Taxation.
(6y EUGENE p. LYLE, JR., Of Ths
vlullantes,)

AASSuom SoLles HusH, Deins pEo'
cious thing. Being the most precious
thing. 1t comes highest. No people is
worthy Of freedom that Is not willing
and eager to pay dearly for 1t. In
fact. you will find no people possess
Ing freedom that has not paid dearly
for 1t, and you will find no people con.
tinuing to possess freedom that does
not stand every ready to pay dearly.
over and over. to retain 1t.
II this were not true, Belgium,
France, Italy and England with her
oversea dominlons. would now be as
Russia is .tOday. If this were not
true. America would still be neutral.
contemptibly awaiting her turn to pass
under the yoke.
Blood and treasure. anguish and sac
rifice-these are the coin we bring
to market; the coin we must pay. Yet
the coin may be. and. is expressed In
dollars and cents. not alone as SYM
Dol Of the real price we pay. but be-
cause this real price would be wan
tonly sQuandered. or paid In more
CHASTITY measure than need be. II the
cold. calm. practical business Of dol
lar-and-cents financing were not at the
heart Of the heroic transaction.
Vainly would the soldier shed his
blood If he were not trained and
equipped to make his blows count to
the utmost. and the cost Of this train
ing and equipment is an item that may
be, and is, expressed In an exact mum.
ber Of dollars added to nm exnct num-
ber Of cents. His country must spend
precisely this amount to enable him to
defend her.
Consequently we OF America are
now confronted with the biggest war
bill In history. One year Of this war
is costing us us much as all the wars
we have had before added to all the
other expenses of our federal govern
ment since we first won our freedom.
Lending to Our Children.
Ungrudgingly, yes! OF that we are
proudly conscious that there is no
question. The one and only question
is the practical question of finance.
How shall the money be found? We
ourselves must supply II. since II can.
not he borrowed elsewhere. But howf
The bill Is too big TO pay cash on
the null as we go. And, furthermore.
to pay NIL us we go would be just
neither to ourselves nor to our pos
terlty.
II would not be Just to ourselves
because we nlonc will not be the bene-
fciaries. The generations to come will
benefit-incnlculably benefit In the lib.
critics preserved to them-nnd II is
proper that they should be left to as
sumo fair proportion of the debt
They nre buying freedom today us
much ms we. But we shall have to
lend them the money now TO pay their
share. In lending to our government
In buying Liberty bonds we lend to our
children: and gratefully our children
will pny It on.
Any other arrangement would not
be Just to them for the reason that
should we strip ourselves bare to pny
all now. we would be crippled In pre-.
pairing our children for the ordinary
duties OF citizenship. Better fur that
we retain enough TO 80 equip them fof
success In life that they may without
undue hardship take over their quots
Of this wnr's burdcnl Better for us
md better for them
Sound common sense. then. Rs well
ns equity. points the way. The war's
burden should be divided. Let us pay
In cash ms heavily ms we wisely may
that is taxation. But the rest let "
leave to the future bcncncinrics. lend.
Ing them the money now-thnt II buy.
Ing Liberty bonds.
Freedoms Great Price.
The present moment IL n good time
to contemplate whnt will hnppcn--in.
evitnbly hnppcn-if we do not lend to
postcrity to help pay freedoms huge
price. Nothing IN clearer than the al.
tentative.
II we do not lend our government
what II asks OF us In loans, then we
must consent thnt the total cost be
tnkcn from us outright by taxation
even by n prornted coniiscniion.
Before such nn informative even the
German. or pro-Germnn. hnving prop
crty interests In this country. should
choose to subscribe for Liberty bonds.
In our own sclflntercst apart from
the issues vital TO the integrity OF our
manhood, we cnn do no less-no less
thnn lend to the Inst cent we mny pos.
sibly save; md this not once merely.
but cnch and every time TINT Uncle
sam steps from his counting house to
tell US ihnt he must hnyc more money. |
Uncle Sam IL telling us this now. |
He nwnits our response. But he IN
not the only one who waits. Wherever
men nrc free or suffer TO be free. there |
they nwnlt our response M the answer
10 their hopes. And there IN yet nm.
other who wnits-thc enemy. In
whatever degree our answer fails Of n
rcvcrbcrniing affirmative, In exncti,