Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-03-08
The Liberty Bond and heFarmer.

In urging farmers to buy freely Of the next
issue OF Liberty bonds the Dalton Citizen says:
IF there is any one class of people that
has been benefited more than any other
. result OF the war. It is the farming class.
The people composing it have sold at big
prices everything they had to SELL The
high cost of living touches them more lightly
than it does any others"
There is no doubt Of the farmers ability to
take = large part of the new Liberty loan; in
tact, their accumulated profits of the last. two
years would absorb the entire issue authorities
believe There have been marked increases, it is
true in the cost of farm operation. and in
instances the surplus Of recent earnings has been
consumed in wfping out the debts of lean years
gone by But when all accounts have been cast
the fact remains that the rank and file of Ameri-
can farmers. notably those OF the South, are in
better financial circumstances than before
and that their outlook for continued prosperity
is uncommonIy bright. Whether the war is
greatly prolonged or ends earlier than we now
expect farmers assured Of good prices for
all their products. II will be years before the
worlds output of food crops and food animals
is normal again; mean while, the farmers of this
country can count upon such scale of prices
as always obtains when demand exceeds supply.
prompt them to turn a liberal part of the pro-
ceeds Of this broad-based prosperity into Govern
ment bonds the Liberty bonds with which war
sinews are provided By means or another
the war must be and will be financed. So far,
the greater part OF the cost has been met by
bond issues. that is, by the Governments borrow
ing the peoples savings and paying them good
interest That policy will continue, no doubt
Il the next Liberty loan is success. Otherwise
there win be prompt resort to heavy taxation
The farmers surest safeguard against that con-
tingeney is to buy Liberty bonds. His choice in
the matter. like that of every other citizen lies
between lending to the Government on abso-
IuteIy safe and highly profitable security, and
paying the Government taxes for which he will
receive no direct monetary return. OF course,
no loyal American would protest against paying,
to the extent of mis- ability, whatever tax might
be needful to the winning of the war. But able
students OF the problem agree that it is better
to divide the cost between the present and
the future. that is. between taxes and bonds
than to burden the present with taxation so
heavy to discourage enterprise and throttle
business. That is the Administrations view. and
that is the policy that will be pursued to the
end IL the sale Of the bonds is such as to war
rant it. The next Liberty loan will be test
thi= very point and the outcome will depend
largely on the farmers response The greater
portion OF the INST Two loans was subscribed 0y
the working people of towns and cities, by per-
sons of comparatively small incomes and by
porations. II the next loan is to be completely
successful. the farmers must do their full part
a much larger part than before.
While seIf-nterest bids them do this the
highest reason and sure. the keenest
incentive them is the simple fact that their
country needs their aid in this matter much
as it needs the service of the boys in the army
and the fleet. AS the Dalton Citizen cogently
puts II
THE way TO be part of the Govern
ment is to take an unselfsb interest in its
welfare. help it when il needs heIp-seldom
it asks the individual for help-and in
helping it you not only will be paid
for it. but you will have the satisfaction of
knowing that you participated personally in
helping to put the bloOd-thrsty Kaiser out
of business, and further that you personally
had a hand in releasing the murderous
clutch of his murderous legions from the
throat of civilized humanity
This is every Americans war every freemans
war. Not to have a part, however humble in
pressing it victory would be to shirk the high
est duty and to miss the highest honor that