The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1918-01-23

OF tue III eueCtb Oh lnulbCTitfli-
nate thrift talk are being felt,
aud business men have awak-
ened to the necessity of count
eracting the injury felt in va
rioue lines of trade:
There are two things all of
us want 10 do" said Foley 1--WE
want To get the Germans run
ming and we want to keep bus
mess running.
We want TO make the world
safe for democracy, but " q
want to keep democracy in bus
mess.
If we took all tho fool advice
printed by some amateur econ
onlists who suddenly have found
themselves in the linelight we
would in year or so have II
panic compared to which that
of 1907 would be az II slight
chill compared to an epilepic
lit.
We do not want financial cpl
lcpsy, aud il is up TO every bus
mess man and every wage
Garner in this country To do his
bit not only to win the war, but
to keep this country as nearly
normalized IA possible in busl-
ness so that when the war ends
we will be in position 10 do
the great work which America
will be called upon to do in re
building and philanthropy.
If any of the normal func-
tionines y { business in this
country are tied down, paraliz-
ed or otherwise vi,iated we
shall face greater problems in
the future than we do in the
present.
Now, we must al learn some
lesson II thrift, including our
government. but let us do il the
right way. There is some room
tor difference of opinion as TO
what constitutes wise ecouomy;
and there is danger that this
talk of economy may be misun
derstood and may result in a
danger quite as great as that
which would come from waste
full living.
Governments may couscript
IT and even then in democracies
only so far as the public per
mits, for government, after all,
is not master, but servant, elect.
ed by you and me and the
others of the hundred million.
The basis of all wealth in the
history of the world is human
cifort-human effort inspired
by an Almighty Father and
working with materials furn-
ished by him.
This is to be time of SUI
preme effort i'll America. The
government for itself and its
allies will call for from 50, OOO,-
100000 to Tl5, 900, 200, 900 worth
of extra human effort in Amer
ica-all of it here. In return
for this actual created wealth
of brain aud muscle there will
be paid the visible wealth-that
is, certificates which prove that
the service has been rendered.
This we call money. Money is
not rent wealth any more than
your bank book is. 1t is the
proof q wealth. But as the
effort has been rendered this
wealth cannot be destoy ed even
though "A large part of the pro.
iuc,s OF the effort is DESTROYED
!rr used up, such as boats, mu.
inltlons,i foodstuirs, steel, iron
ore, cotton.
Now, as all this extra effort
has gained SO much extra
wealth, what becomes of the
wealth.
Is it burned up-destoyedf
| The government takes SINE
of 1t back i'll the form OF taxes.
But not to dcstoy ito pass it
on again for more human effort
human service.
All the working people get
more work and higher pay for
that work Railroads transport
more goods and need more help.
Soldiers use up materials and
exercise their efforts in for.
eIgn field, end hence the civil
nan must do more work, must
do the normal work that sol
N NInrS 1nrmnrlN did mud In nili