The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-01
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
Blu RE AU
FREDERIC ]. HASKIN, Director.
Washington, D. c.
AMERICA TIGHTENs IT'S BELT.
Washington, D. C.

washington, D. c., June 25.-There
are now more than 100000 war saw
ings societies in the United States,
comprising moro than five million
men women and children, according
to Mr. Maurice Werthein. who is the
national director of these societies
They are now being organized at the
rate of more thar thousand day;
a special magazine, The War saver
is published for their benefit; and they
also receive a special bulletin service
from Washington, designed to spread
the gospel of economy.
These societies are based upon va
riety of existing organizations, such as
schools, churches, lodges, clubs and
industrial concerns. Altho the only
qualification for membership is the
willingness to save and to buy war
saving stamps, the societies are FAR
more than purchasing organizations
They are primarily educational IN IN
tent; their purpose is to teach ana
practice the idea that the war can be
won only by the economical use of all
the materials of living.
Thu total Issue of war savings
stamps by CT ngress was but two billion
dollars. which is only small frac-
ton of the revenue needed to carry
on the war The value of the war saw
ings stamps campaign lies not pri
marily in the amount it will bring to
the treasury, but in the lesson of saw
ing which it teaches.
1t cannot be repeated too often that
the war cannot be won with money
alone. If the treasury were filled to
the roof with gold. the situation would
scarcely be improved. True, some of
this money could be used for the pur-
chase of goods from other nations, but
since nearly all other nations are
drawing upon is for goods, we cannot
rely upon imports
When you buy a SIS war savings
stamp. the fact that you place SIS in
gold in the treasury for war use is
the least important phase of the trans
action. For more important is the
fact that SIS worth of material has
been saved, assuming that if you had
not bought war S wings stamp, you
would have spent the SIS for something
else-perhSps for new pair of shoes
By having the old pair half soled. you
save just so much leather, which is
needed to make shoes for soldiers.
The annual value of manufa ctures
in this country has been about $34-
100000 600. Some of this was export
ed, but there are also imports, so that
the S34 ,00e, 900 may be taken as
fair measure of the amount we have
been accustomed to spend for manu-
featured goods. Now the government
is calling for about 100000, 100000 a
year of manufactul ed products to con-
duct the war. That means that the
government is going to need about
half of the material and labor which
has been going into our manufactured
goods-half of the supplies of shoes
and clothes, tools and goods in general
which the American people have here
tofore had for their own use.
Mediate that fact a while and you
will begin to get al idea of the ma gni-
tude of this business of financing a
fhot a n a
each of US must get along on just half
as much as he did before the war. OF
course, this is impossible for many
persons of small income. Those of
large income will have to retrench by
a great deal more than half. But the
war can be financed only if every cit
izen realizes his duty, not merely to
buy liberty BONDS and war savings
stamps with his surplus cash, which
he would otherwise have put in saw
ings account, but to do without goods
which he would have bought in peace
time, and to register that actual econ
omy of material in the purchase of
government obligations-war savings
stamps or liberty bonds.
Every momber of a war savings
society signs a pledge that he will
practice systematic saving, that he will
refrain from unnecessary expenditure
and that he will encourage others in
his community to practice these essen
tials IF thrift.
Americans must learn that war
means millions of men to feed and
clothe who are not producing any,
thing, millions of tons of steel and
food sent to the bottom of the sea by
submarines. millions of gallons of gas
oline burned i'll military autos and
planes-consumptio on an enormous
scale over and above peace time con-
sumption. And hey must also learn
that their country is no longer a
sparseiy populated one with resources
that cannot be measured; but a coun-
try, which. a1tho rich In both resources
and accumulated wealth, is neverthe-
less rapidly approaching the stage of
| 'saturation" in which consumption
and production almost balance. And
for all that we can produce above our
wants, our allies and the neutrals have
desperate need.
This lesson of economy is the one
that will be hard for America to learn.
The European belligerents could not
| have stood the strain of war this long
except for the fact that they have long
been crowded countries, and have had
to learn the lessons of economy. What
| an American would stigmatize as
stinginess has Ions been necessity in
Europe. Houses heated just enough
| " prevent lilIlcSSp lOOu cooked In
quantities Just sufficient for a meal,
! clothes made to serve as long as the
fabric would held together-such
economies have beer usual even
| among the well-to-do in Europe
Meanwhile America has been evolving
the opposite ideal of wasteful extrav-
! agance- You are no sport" unless
you are willing to spend more than
you can afford, unless you despise
patched clothes and half-soled shoes
and every young American aspires
to be a good sport One of the first
| things he learns is to lie about his in
come and live up to the lie.
But America can no longer afford
| to be a sport among nations; she has
| come into new and grave responsible
| ties, for one thing, and her days OF
/ prodigal wealth are over for another
There was a time in the early mining
days of the west when men would