The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-07-25
PLAN TO KEEP PROS
PERITY HERE FOR MANY
YEARS TO COME
(By c. NJ. Morrison)


Some of the wisest of, American
| business men are congratulating
themselves because of their belief
that we would enter upon a period of
amazing prosperity soon after the
war. They figured that the labor that
had been tied up in war plants for
years, that had heen in the army and
navy, would send the country Tor
ward by leaps and bounds toward that
prosperity which this country is now
enjoying.
The REIMBURSEMENT process is now at
its height and the hangers that some
of the financiers and Statesmen saw
have not been permanently provided
against.
1t is not proving harder for our civ
ilian population of about l0o,000,000
to assimilate 100000 soldiers than it
was for smaller population to take
care of 100000 soldiers who fought
in the Civil War. At that time this
country launched out on a new era of
expansion. The men who had fought
began working at the building of
trans-continental railways and open
ing new countries. There was no talk
of unemployment then. Today our
population is three times rs great as
it was in 1865. We had TWO million
soldiers then and four million now
but we ought to be able 20 take care
Of them and stay prosperous. We
ought to become even more prosper
Gus if the problem is handled rightly.
Representative Osborne, Congress-
man from California, offered the sug-
gestion that the Government should
undertake some gigantic public i'm
provement to take up the slack in the
labor supply during the period while
industry is putting itself on a peace
basis.
He believes the expenditure of big
sums on good roads, on the improve
ment of all interior facilities of trans
portation, on canals and rivers and
their terminals would promote the
national welfare and efficiency and
help make the future secure.
1t is deemed necessary to keep down
a possible period of depression while
men are finding new places for them
selves in private industry. All this
will mean the expenditure of more
money by the country. 1t will be
spent for needed improvements, but
it must be raised before it can oe
spent. A part of it will doubtless
come through the regular schemes of
taxation but considerable part of it
may have to come through the sales
of War Savings Stamps and the new
500 or 1000 certificates.
There are some members of the
Government who have limited that the
next five years will be of uncertainty.
1t is this particular period that will
make the greatest demands on the
financial resources of the nation. That
is one of the reasons for the thrift
campaign launched by the Govern
ment to awaken the people to the need
of saving and at the same time pro-
vide the Government with needed
funds.
We have been thinking war for
long time and we have been thinking
of money to be used in the making of
war. We are called upon to "about
face" now and win back to the old
ways and days of peace. We are like
ly to forget that this process will take
money and a great deal of it. Not so
much will be required as would have
been called for to smash the Germans
in a spring and summer campaign of
1919, but the sum will, nevertheless,
be great.