The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-11-19

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tanning roads up now from $25 toi
| ,;25, 900. At the same rate of increase
YOU will get up to what it will actual
| ~ cost by election time.
! We have heard the talk about low
E1illage before but it didn't lower the
taxes. Have you got your statement
Of taxes this year? Better find out
what it is before voting bonds, then
wait until the country gets to more
| settled condition, until the war IS
ever, before adding to the county in
debtedness and the city of Ocala in
lGebtedness another million and half
dollars. George Stuart.
! Friend Stuart, having given US per-
mission to answer him, we will have
to tell him he made a big mistake in
his first line. He accused US of writ
ing three columns when we only wrote
two. Wipe off your specks, Brother
IStuart
No, Mr.. Stuart, we have not the
highest prices on record. A number
of tables have been published show
ing that the prices of many articles
than they are now. Owing to worse
transportation, food was low priced
where it was grown and high-priced
where it wasn't. All over the South,
the cost of sugar, coffee, flour and
everything not grown at home was
lprohibitive. Our own food-stuffs we
couldn't sell away from home, and as
our labor was shorter then than now,
we could barely raise enough to feed
{ Lrselves. AS for the rest of the
W orld, prices have been so high after
many wars that the only people who
could eat were those who grew or
raised bread and meat, and those who
> were strong enough to take part or
most of it away from them. Prices
, i'll America are not so dreadfully high
now as most people are receiving
t high prices for products and making
n high wages. Most of your argument
q is series of suppositions. You prac-
q tically assert, "If A has an apple
+ and B gives him another apple, A will
have two apples" All of which is
" correct. But you don't know that
q either A or B has an apple, or if they
: have that B will give A his apple. OF
3 if he does. when No, we are not go.
# ing to buy twenty years supply 81
! print paper, any more than merch.
4 ant will buy twenty years supply 81
s sugar, for one reason if no other that
II ordinary newspaper would deteriorats
;s in that time. But unless we find some
d other way Of making paper we viii
# pay more for it in 1889 than we d.
&c how.
Il History says, Mr.. Stuart, that thu
70 panic of 1873 was caused by "fluctu
a alton in the volume and value of tn
- national currency. Out of this hat
I, risen a wild spirit of speculation
q which Slapped the foundations of bus
mess, destroyed financial confidence
~ and ended in disaster" There was a
~ that time plenty of foodstuffs in tn
W United States, but transportation wa
only partly developed and speculation
10 particularly in wheat and cotton, wa
yo fierce.
Ia We might add to that, Mr.. Stuart
+ that there was a great panic in tn
~ country in 1898. when there had bee
re no war, when there was plenty t
~ eat and wear, and when our trans
NJ portation, system was good, an
n when prices were very reasonable. be
II ing not more than 80 or 40 per cen
,n Of what they are now.
;e And so silver is worth $1.30, is it
% Now, Mr.. Stuart, We'll make you
:. proposition. Obtain 500 in silver
n take it to one of our banks, and
= they give you $3.50 in silver for it W
- Will give you $135. That will be
big days work for you, Mr.. Stuart.
~ Your assertion about bonds being
=. disbursement is no more authorits
-, tive than ours to the contrary. Their
+ is one thing certain and that yo
~ can't truthfully deny, that no cit.
~ county or state in the United State
~. has made any advancement withoU
ro going into debt. No man has eve
w huilt up a big business without goin
90 into debt. The only way a man or
~. community can get along in this civ
nj ilized world is by borrowing none
~ and making it work for him. A ma
- who or city or a county which can
l. borrow money and use it sensibl
20 cant get anywhere.
Or course, you have to pay eigi
a
w why shouldn't you? Do you expect
~ bank to be an eleemosynary institl
~ ton At per cent. money is tn
h+ cheapest thing you can obtain. Me-
. chants have to make more than ths
If on drygoods and groceries in order
III live Nobody expects the interest @
~ the money for the bonds or the sinl
,-o rag fund to pay all the interest on til
ar bords-it would be impossible to sc
~ bonds on such terms, but the intere!
~ drawn by the county on its borrowe
ut money and sinking fund will reduc
i TIC total to be paid by considerab
~ amount. When you try to measul
80 financial affairs running into seve
r. figures by your own, you are tryin
Nv to water an elephant with teacup
= We don't know, Friend Stuar
: what the cost of maintaining ne
reads will be; neither do you. Wh'
. v.o do know is that Won have neyG