Mexico Missouri message., 1918-09-19

things and work for us Instead Of for
the government, and so that (2) the
things and the work that would be put
into products and efforts for our per
sonal use and enjoyment shall be COM
PEELED to turn to the kinds of prod.
ucts and work that the government
must have to win the war. Every dol.
lar, every cent, that we spend for
something that we could 60 without
competes I'm the market with the gov.
ernment and by just so much impedea
the big cause.
Even II we saved the money and
buried II In the back yard we should
be helping the government. But there
is better thing TO do with It. The
government must have money, in i'm
re9se amounts, In order to buy ma.
terihls and work. And we are asked
TO lend It to the government for that
purpose, In addition TO what we pay
as taxes.
Bonds Are More Than Receipts.
The Liberty bonds are the receipts
which the government gives us for this
loan. But they are more than re-
ceipts; we get receipts for the taxes.
A Liberty bond is not only the gov.
ernment's acknowledgment that you
have loaned the money; it is Its prom
Use to pay It back upon q certain day,
and to pay you in the meanwhile, at
certain intervals, for the use Of the
money. All of the resources Of the
country In materials and the labor
of the peOple-our own good faith to.
ward each other, our permanence as
civilized natiOn-are pledged to the
payment Of principal and interest In
strict ACCORDANCE with the terms of
the transaction as printed on each
bond. There is not a safer or more
valuable piece Of paper in the world |
When this war is oyer there will be |
only two kinds of folks in the United |
States-those who did all they could |
and gave all they could, and those who |
didn't. Among those who didn't will |
be the ones who tried to keep on using |
and enjoying things and the work of
other people, as they used to do; those
who failed to do their utmost In the
way Of really useful work, and those
who demanded for themselves unnec-
essary things and labor which might
have been used for the purposes Of
the government in winning the war.
All You Can, Is the Measure.
Every man knows in his heart what
he can do and whether he is doing 1t.
He may be able to deceive the govern.
ment; by loud-mouthed professions of
saluting the flag, cheering
ut meetings, and other noisy and con-
spicuous displays he may deceive his
but he cannot fool himself
He knows whether he has done all he
could And "all he could"-hOnestly,
On the level, every man the judge of
his own effort in the squarest kind of
dealing with his own soul in kind of
day-that is the measure.
He Is poor creature who thinks of
he Liberty bond solely as an invest
nent-a grudglng gift to his country,
with string on 1t. But no one need
be ashamed to lend to the govern
nent. Uncle Sam will take what he
needs without money return, in the
'Orm of taxes, and we shall pay In will
ngly, cheerfully. We are doing work
'or the future-the world will be
,leaner and better to live in for all
line by reason Of what we are doing
low; therefore 1t Is right that a part
If this burden should be met by those
Who will come after us and reap the
ong-time benefits.
In the finest spirit our young men
ire going to the battle front to offer
heir utmost, their very flesh and
blood, in unutterable toll and agony,
n doing what must be done there. They
nope to come back, but they are will.
ng to die there II that must be. And
thousands of our best are doing just
hat. In like answering spirit we who
Itay at home must do our part-golng
without things and making those we
nave serve to the utmost-and through
his self-denial furnishing to the gov
government-which is
taking care of our boys, the means to
get the enormous amounts Of materials
and labor needed to take care of them
and to equip them for what they have
10 do.
This is the meaning of the Liberty
bond.