The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-08-08
STAGGERING COST OF WAR TO
BE BURDEN FOR MANY YEARS

The debts of war! They will hang
heavy over the people of this old
earth for many long day to come.
The treasure that has gone into the
fighting of the Great War is well night
incalculable. When it is even esti-
mated it makes the imagination reel
under the impact of it's figures.
That the money debt is the least Of
these debts is manifest. There are
greater debts than those that can be
counted in dollars and cents, in francs,
| lire and pounds sterling. Debts of
gratitude, debts of appreciation are
hard to pay. Some way the princi-
pal always seems to outrun even the
interest that can be paid.
The greatest debt of these is that
we owe the manned body" and the
"bcwildered brain" of the men who
were wounded, gassed, shell-shocked
and driven to the verge of insanity,
even over that verge, by the battles
that were fought for US. To the
marked and the nameless graves Of
the Flanders and the Argonnc, the
Champagne and the Picardy fields we
can only acknowledge the Indebtedness
that free men everywhere must for
ever feel
But there are things that we can do,
that we can do with our money and
with our services. We can help the
stricken lands of the world as we
would like to be helped should such a
catastrophe befall America. When We
have made it possible for the orchards
to bloom again in Picardy, for the
spindles to turn again in Lille, and
the miners to go back to their work in
Lens; when we have given that there
may be shelter again for the shelter
less in Northern France and Belgium
and have brought something like or
der out of Wars desolation, we will
have a right to feel that we have &C.
complishcd something. After we have
placed these men back at their desks
or back in their fields, or at Their
benches where they may take care If
themselves and feel that they are in
deed and in truth, men again, we will
have paid little Of tie much that we
owe.
After we have given into the hands
Of the government the funds that are
necessary to start public works, tc
send ships down to the sea that trade
may be stimulated, to bring back tht
men who have fought our overseas
battles, home again, why then we car
feel that we have made some little
start toward taking care of such debts
that can be paid in money and IN ser
vices.
For all of these vast requirements
the Government needs vast sums o.
money. During the war the Libert!
Loans were foated and billions Of dol
lars, needed to win the war, were sub
scribed. But more is needed Thu
Government anticipated this an(
evolved the War Savings plan. Thu
people who wanted to save, but wh'
possessed small means, were consid
cred. Then the So War Saving
Stamp was put on the market. Thi
was the original "baby bond l
cost the holder 81, and the interest
per cent, compounded quarterly
brought its value up during five
year period to IS. Hundreds of mil
lions were raised through these S
War Savings Stamps.
Now a new issue is available. Tn
new issue comprises Certificates TO
500 and $1,000. These possess all th'
advantages of the SIS Stamp, but d.
away with the necessity for stickinl
stamps to the certificates, and offe
an ideal investment for one who cai
buy the larger denominations.
All of the reconstruction plan
must be carried out to the end i;
America is to prosper and remain a
peace. To simply let things drift, t.
permit the country to bring about it,
own blind and undirected readjust
ments will end in confusion and trou
BILE, in unrest and lost efficiency. Thu
aim of every American should be K
see to it that all the nation gets bacl
on the basis of work and opportunit!
for everybody just as soon as posi-
BILE.