Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-04-05
American People Must Lend Part,
or Pay All to Finance
Great Conflict.
BUYING OF LIBERTY BONDS
Liberal Loans to Government is AID
vancing Financial Ass stance to
Our Children, Obviatine Total
Cost by Taxation.
(6y EUGENE P. LYLE, JR., of The
Vigiantes.)


Freedom comes high, being a pre-
cious thing. Being the most precious
thing, it comes highest. No people is
worthy of freedom that is not willing
and eager to pay dearly for it. In
fact, you will find no people possess
Ing freedom that has not paid dearly
for 1t, and you will find no people con-
tinuing to possess freedom that does
not stand every ready to pay dearly,
over and over. to retain 1t.
If this were not true, Belgium,
France, Italy and England with her
oversee dominions, would now be as
Russia is today. If this were not
true, America would still be neutral,
contemptibly awaiting her turn to pass
under the yoke.
Blood and treasure, anguish and sac
rifice-theSe are the coin we bring
to 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 more
CHASTITY measure than need be. if the
cold, calm, practical business of dol
lar-and-cents financing were not at the
heart of the heroic transaction.
Vainly would the soldier shed his
blood If 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 num-
Der of dollars added to an exact num-
Der of cents. His country must spend
precisely this amount to enable him to
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, yesl OF that we are
proudly conscious that there is no
question. The one and only question
is the practical question of finance.
How shall the money be found? We
ourselves must supply it, since 1t can
not be borrowed elsewhere. But howf
The bill Is too big to pay cash on
the nail as we go. And, furthermore,
to pay all as we go would be just
neither to ourselves nor to our pos
terity.
1t would not be just to ourselves
because we alone will not be the bene-
fciaries. The generations to come will
benefit-incalculably benefit in the lib
critics preserved to them-and 1t Is
proper that they should be left to as
sumo a fair proportion of the debt
They are buying freedom today as
much as we. But we shall have to
lend them the money now to pay their
share. In lending to our government
in buying Liberty bonds we lend to our
children and gratefully our children
will pay it off.
Any other arrangement would not |
be Just to them for the reason that, |
should we strip ourselves bare to pay |
all now, we would be crippled in pre- |
pairing our children for the ordinary |
duties of citizenship. Better far that |
we retain enough to so equip them for |
success in life that they may without |
undue hardship take over their quota |
Of this wars BURDEN Better fer US,
and better for them
Sound common sense, then. as well |
rs equity. points the way. The wars
burden should be divided. Let us pay |
N cash as heavily as we wisely may
hat is taxation. But the rest let us |
cave to the future beneficiaries, lend
ny them the money now-that is buy |
ng Liberty bonds.
Freedoms Great Price.
The present moment is a good time |
o contemplate what will happen-in-
,vitably happen-if we do not lend to |
,osterity to help pay freedoms huge
rice. Nothing is clearer than the al
ernative.
If we do not lend our government
What it asks of us In loans, then we
must consent that the total cost be
AIKEN from us outright by taxation
ven by prorated cOnnscauon-
Before such an alternative even the
ierman. or pro-German. having prop
rr interests in this country. should
hose to subscribe for Liberty bonds.
n our own self-interest. apart from
he issues vital to the integrity of our
manhood, we can do no less--no less
nan lend to the last cent we may pos
bly save; and this not once merely.
ut each and every time that Uncle
am steps from his counting house TO
I'll us that he nIsl have more money.
Uncle Sam is telling US this now.
Ie awaits our response. But he is
OF the only one who waits. Wherever
zen are free or suffer TO be free there
ley await our response as the answer
thar hoDes And there Is vet nm