Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1918-09-20
LIBERTY LOAN LETTER
TO RED CROSS JUNIORS


letters to be written by the director of
the Junior Red Cross. explaining to
the children the governments war
expenditures and future need for
money. 1t has been suggested that
these letters be read in every school
room In the county:
To All Red Cross Juniors:
America Is fighting for Democracy.
The people have dedicated their lives
and their fortunes In this undertake
ing. and every patriotic girl and boy
Is ready to help the government get
the things II needs to win the war
men, money and supplies.
The government must have great
deal of money to prosecute the war
For its expenses for the next year,
June 1917 to June 1918, 1t has al
ready appropriated over twenty-four
billion dollars. That Is such lot of
money, that no one can possibly inn
agine how much 1t is. 1t may help
you to understand 1t better IL you
know that from the time of the rev.
olution down to the present war, dur
ing nearly one hundred and thirty
years, the government has spent only
little over twenty-six billion dollars.
Yet we are now going to spend TWEEN
ty-four billion in one year to carry on
the war.
In peace times the government
spends about one billion dollars a
year. II gets the money by taxing
the people. That means that every
one in the country gives part OF his
income or wages to the government.
This year the government needs TWEEN
ty-four times as much money as it
usually gets from taxes.
There are two ways in which
1t can get this extra money: III by
extra taxes t2l by Liberty Loans. In
the first case the people who are Iiv-
ing now would give the government
tWenty-fouT times as much money az
they did year before last. You see
that many people would not have
enough money left to live upon, II
they did that. In thu second case
the people who are living now LEND
the government the extra money The
government pays them a certain sum
every year (interestl for the use oil
the money. After the war, when the
government does not have to spend sc
much for running expenses, Ii will
collect enough by taxes to pay back
the money loaned during the war. In
stead of having to pay for the war al
at once In lump sum, the people car
pay for 1t on the installment plan af
ter the strain of actual preparation
and fighting Ia past.
You will want to know what thu
government spends all this money for
II you stop for q moment you car
think of many things yourselves. Tht
money pays the salaries of men an(
officers in the army, navy and ma
rines; the salaries of government Off
cess and the wages of the people whit
are making the many supplies tn,
government needs. 1t buys food ant
clothing and medicine and ammuni
ton, II buys the materials to maxi
guns and airships; to build ships an'
equip hospitals.
Our allies need all these things a
much as we. Our government ha
loaned them during 1917 and 1911
over five billion dollars 30 that the,
can buy what they need. Thes
loans are an important part of Amer
teas expenditures.
Germany spent fifty years prepar
ing for this war She built up he
industries In such a way that she cai
now get all the raw material cotton
wheat, iron, etc., and all the manu-
featured articles (guns, powder
clothes, etc., she needs In her oWl
country or from her allies. On tn
other hand the allies have to bn
many OF these things from othe
countries, chiefly America. We sup
ply them with wheat, corn, cotton
wool, iron and many finished arti
Giles" from our factories and foun
dries. During three years of war tn
allies paid great deal of their none
to our merchants and manufactuI
ers. Their money supply was run
ming low but they had to go on buy
Ing these supplies or they could no
remain at war. We are now lendin
them the money they need and the
are spending it in our country. Afte
the war, the allies will pay back GU
loans, little at a time. It is jus
as though America were big de
partment store. The allies are huyin
what they need at the store an
charging it, until after the war.
These are some OF the things tn
allies have already bought from Il
and charged: 500 million dollar
worth Of cereal, 500 million dollar
worth OF meat and other food, so
million dollars worth of cotton. Thi
10 beside their biggest bill for mum
tiOna Of war" and $50 million dollar
spent In Belgium and Servia to hel
the people whose homes have bee
laid waste by the Germans.
This Is the first OF four letters tel