Crittenden record-press., 1918-04-04
American People Must Lend Part,
or Pay All to Finance
Great Conflict.
BUYING OF LIBERTY BONDS
Liberal Loans to Government 10 Ad.
vanclno Financial Assistance to
Our Children, obviatlno Total
Cost by Taxation.
(By EUGENE p. LYLE. JR, Of The
vlpilantes.)

uhhk' IL COiles nlgntst. NO peupit -
worthy Of freedom that is not willing
and eager 10 pay dearly for II. In
fact. you will find no people possess
Ing freedom that hns not paid dearly
for II, and you will find no people con-
tinuing 10 possess freedom that does
not stand every ready TO pay dearly,
over and over. 10 retain II.
II this were not true. Belgium,
France, Italy and England with her
oversea dominlons, would now be as
Russia is today. II this were not
true, America would still be neutral,
contemptibly awaiting her turn TO pass
under the yoke.
Blood and treasure, anguish and sac
rince-these are the coin We bring
10 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 moro
CHASTITY measure than need be. II the
cold, calm. practical business OF dol.
lar.and-ccDts financing were not at the
heart OF the heroic transaction.
Vainly would the soldier shed his
blood II 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 nun.
Der of dollars added 10 nm exact nun.
ber OF cents. His country must spend
precisely this amount to enable him 10
defend her.
Consequently we OF America are
now confronted with the biggest war
bill In history. One year OF this war
Is costing US as 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 or that we are
proudly conscious that there IL no
question. The one and only question
Is the practical question OF finance
How shnll the money be foundi We
ourselves must supply II, since II can
not be borrowed elsewhere. But howl
The bill is too big TO pay cash on
the nail as we so. And. furthermore,
to pay all as We so would be Just
neither TO ourselves nor 10 our pos
terity.
II would not be Just 10 ourselves
because we alone will not be- the bene-
fciaries. The generations 20 come will
beneiit-incalcuiably benefit In the lib
critics preserved TO thcm--and II is
proper that they should be left 20 as.
sumo fair proportion Of the debt
They are buying freedom today ns
much MS We. But we shall have 10
lend them the money now 10 pay their
share. In lending To our government
In buying Liberty bonds We lend to our
children; and gratefully our children
will pay II OF.
Any other arrangement would not
be Just 10 them for the reason thnt
should we strip ourselves bhrc = pav
all now, we would be crippled IN PIE.
pairing our children for the ordinary
duties of citizenship. Better far that
we retain enough 10 SO equip them for
success In life thnt they may without
undue hardship take over their quota
Of this wars BURDEN Better fer us,
and better for them
Sound common sense, then. MS well
rs equity. points the way. The wars
burden should be divided. Let us pny
In cash ns heavily ms We wisely may
that Is taxation. But the rest let us
leave to the future bcneilclaries, lend.
ing them the money now--thnt Is buy.
Ing Liberty bonds.
Freedoms Great Price.
The present moment Is n good time
to contemplate what will hnppen-ln.
evitnbly happen--lf we do not lend 10
posterity TO help pny freedoms huge
price. Nothing Is clearer than the al.
tentative.
II we do not lend our government
what It asks OF us In lonns. then we
must consent that the total cost be
taken from us outright by taxation
even by n prorated confscatlon.
Before such nm alternative even the
German. or pro.Gefmnn, having prop.
erty interests In this country, should
choose to subscribe for Liberty bonds.
In our own self-lniercst, apart from
the issues vital to the integrity Of our
manhood, we can do no less--no less
than lend to the last cent we may pos.
sihly save; and this not once merely,
hut each and every time that Uncle
sam steps from his counting house TO
tell us that ne must have more money.
Uncle Sam Is telling us this now.
lie awaits our response, hut he IL
not the only one who waits. Wherever
men are free or suffer to he free, there
they nwnlt our response ny the answer
to their hopes. And there Is yet nm.
other who wnlts-thc enemy. In
whatever degree our answer falls Of
rcvcrbcrntlng affirmative, In exactly
that degree will he take hcnrt TO pro.
lcng tho hideous slaughter.