The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1919-01-30
NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS
CURRENT COMMENT.

THE war called for enormous ex-
pcnditure Of money. beyond any.
thing ever imagined. The people Of this
and other countries have become ac-
euston,ed 10 talk Of billions Recently
the government expended 1875 million
dollars between daylight and dark
and il was short day at that. Moth
ing like this in the way Of national
expenditures ever has been known
in the history of the world. During
the Civil war when government ex-
penses reached million dollars day
The people Of the North gasped on
account Of the unprecedented cost, but
the government is spending five times
that much every hour. The total cont
Of the Civil war lasting more than
four years, was less than billion
dollars, but during the present war
our national war expenses will total
nearly that amount for two short
months II seems as II we have nearly
lost all sense of values. Extravaganza
Is rampant in public expenditures ev-
erywhere. Our own states expendi-
lures are climbing up every year. OF
course this is TO be expected to GER
tain extent, but the cost is too great.
Governor Davis has made recommen-
dAtions to the legislature, which II
acted upon will 90 far to cut down
unnecessary expense. We all under
stand that neither the nation. nor the
state can go back to conditions that
prevailed few years ago, but We
must not forget that economic laws
have not been repealed and that the
nation, state or individual whose ex-
penditurcs exceed the income, must
either change that or eventually go
into bankruptcy Many nation has
been wrecked by excessive taxation.
This nation has wealth, natural and
acquired, greater than the magma
ton OF man can conceive Of. but there
is limit 10 the ability of the people
to pay. Always when the burdens OF
taxation become excessive the owners
Of property try TO evade the payment
either by conccaling their taxable
property, or by shifting the burdens
to those who have not property, by
indirect taxation. The owner Of rent
al property, II possible, increases his
rents sufficient to cover his taxes. The
merchants adds extra rents and taxes
10 the prices Of his goods and the la
boring man who cannot shift his bur-
den on anybody else, pays the bill in
directly and of course tries To recoup
himself by asking higher wager, which
sometimes he gets and sometimes he
does not Uusually 1t may be said
the poorest paid lSborers are the least
likely to get raise. Az the cost Of
living plies up discomfort increases
and discomfort always turns against
the government. state and national,
There never was time when there
was more need for hard thinking II
is time to call a halt on public ex-
penditures and extravaganza. II is
time for honest enlightenment There
ought not TO be any effort TO cover up
The facts. The people usually believe
that there Is great and unjustfied
in public expenditures.
They Mlieve that these expenditures
miaAt be cut in two withou. detriment
10 the public service II the money /
we're wisely spent. Maybe this pop
iIsr impression is wrong II so the
sest way TO convince the public is to ,
give the facts the utmost publicity
We heard q man who has been doing
lome work for the government say
'ew days ago that the government Z
lid not spend money in the ordinary q
ense Of the term; II just shoveled il !
ut with a scoop" He cited an in
tanee that had come under his OBJ
eryation where supplies OF certain .
iad bad been purchased by govern
nent purchasing agent far in excess :
I sssy possit.s need. This may be
n exceptional instance, but this man :.
, filed with the opinion tina, our gov
rnment is the most extravagant and :
on the face Of the earth. That
! bad impression to get out among
he people, for il tends to undermine :,
,ith in government and weaken pa 4,
riotism. i
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