The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-28
The Billions for the Bonds.

lue DIhllOuS IOE the DOuuSs
No one Of us shall doubt that the
fburth Liberty loan can be subscribed
to the full six billions Of dollars. If
they should feel like 1t the producers
Of three great crops alone could
pretty nearly do the job.
The wheat growers of the United
States have just sold or are just now
selling some 9OO,OOO,OOO bushels of
wheat for mere matter 81 couple
Of billions Of dollars. The cotton
growers of the United States are just
now selling crop of some 100000
to 100000 bales for another two
billions Of dollars. The corn growers
OF the United States are just now
selling a crop something short of 81
O00,OO0,OO0 bushels for upward Of six
billions of dollars. Omit the oats,
the barley, the rye, the hay, the to-
bacco, the potatoes; and yet those
three staples-wheat. corn and cot
ton-foot up in round numbers ten
billions of dollars.
II they should feel like it those
producers could take care of the
major part Of this fourth Liberty
loan. because what they have pro-
duced must largely represent to them
surplus wealth. At 90 cents bushel
wheat only a short span back was
the horn of plenty; and now it is two
and a half times as much bushel.
At 80 cents and 60 cents corn was a
golden harvest; and now 1t Is three
and four times as much bushel.
At $50 bale cotton was king; and
now it is $3.50 to 5000 a bale.
So those farmers and planters as
q whole are up to their waists in
coin; they are up to their necks in
credit. 1t is surplus wealth-surplus
production-which must pay for Lib
erty bonds, and they are the ones
who have 1t. They have no noun
tains of Kitchin taxes through which
they must dig right on the heels of
this Liberty loan. From their bank
balances to the Liberty loan subscrip-
ton lists their path is free and clear.
They can buy bonds for cash or they
can buy them on the instalment plan
by the truckload.
And relatively 1t is a mere trif1e
that the Government asks of these
producers Of the most fabulous wealth
ever harvested out of the earth in a
season. While the New York district,
carrying the great burden of the pro-
posed eight billions Of war taxes, is
asked to provide 81, 800, 100000 Of this
loan, while the Chicago district. with
its tax load to pack. Is asked for
$3.50. 900, and the Cleveland dis
trict for $60o, 600 900, and the Boston
district for $500, 600 900. and the Phil
adelphia district for $5OO,0OO 900
more, the st. Louis community whence
has come such harvest wealth. to fill
its quota need supply only $500, 000,-
600, the Kansas City district, the
same, the Minneapolis district $780,
100000. In the Kitchin tax free land
where cottbn or tobacco, or both, is
garnered into warehouses of gold,
$500, 100000 Will do for the Richmond
district, $1S0,OO0,OOO for the Atlanta
district; and only $160,OOO,OO0 for
the Dallas district.
If they should feel like it, those
producers OF such marvellous wealth
with so prodigious part of 1t left to
them as net profit, could take hun
dreds and Hundreds Of millions more
OF the fourth Liberty loan. If they
shouldn't feel like ii, there Is another
vast army upon which fortune is rain
ing Its favors. They are the miners,
earning yesterday 500 to $125
month and receiving to-day $500 to
$500 a month. They are the ship
builders, office boys to-day at SO, SO
and $40 week, and artisans to-mor-
row at $40. $50 and 500 a week. They
are the munitiOn workers, the steel
workers, the bullders-the hundreds
and thousands Of men now engaged
directly or Indirectly In war work mt
wages the very thought of which
scarcely more than one year ago
would have made them dizzy.
There may be few million Of these
men. there may be many millions; in
The shipbuilding work alone it is estl-
mated there are more than 100000.
In any event, from first to last these
workers, although in the Kitchin
tax lands, have been liberal and per-
sistent buyers of our Liberty loan
bonds. There has been nothing bet
ter In our whole history OF war
financing than the way these workers
have enlisted in the Liberty bond
army. Between 100000 and 49,