The Aberdeen weekly., 1919-05-02
FLOATING LOAN On
BUSINESS BASIS
REACHES EVERYONE
UNLESS ENTIRE COUNTRY is
SOLVENT THERE CAN BE
NO BUSINESS.
BANKS CAN NOT CARRY IT
Consequence Is That Everybody Must
Purchase Victory Notes 70
the Limit.

Most Americans have heard side
walk and roadway discussions Of the
Victory Liberty Loan in which one
man Will say something like this:
We'll. of course, when the time
comes and the campaign starts 1t is a
government campaign and you are go
ing TO have my support just as YOU had
it in the other campaigns But in this
preliminary period | want 10 say that
| believe the loan should BE- put over
on a business basis"
The proper answer TO give this sug-
gestion should be in substance about
as follows:
"AlI right, sir, our answer 10 thai IS
that we agree with you. first because
we believe that it is good business for
the nation 10 be patriotic. Unless the
country is solvent there can be no
business. And the first business point
to be considered now is that we owe
the money. l think you have admitted
that the American people as a whole
owe the money and l think YOU viii
agree that unless a great nation pays
its bills it cannot continue to be
great nation.
The next point is that we should
pay our bills promptly. No merchant
hesitates 10 urge upon the Govern
ment the prompt payment of its bills
The public supports this appeal. Fur
thermore, ii is the tradition amongst
men that commercial bills should be
paid in thirty or ninety days. Since
the Government owes the money.
therefore, it should pay it promptly
Now how can it pay II.
There are only Two ways-by
taxes and by bonds Goodness knows
the taxes are high enough already.
The only alternative. therefos', is to
get money through bond issues.
Now when we come to the sa = Of
bonds there are only two ways TO dis
pose of them-first. by placing them
with the banks, and, second, by selling
them to the people as we have done in
the past four loans
LET US suppose we place them with
the banks. What happens? Well. a
bank is a storehouse and distributor
of credit. Credit is the lifeblood of
business and industry. Without credit
you cannot expand your business, and
if business does not expand in a whole
some, natural way labor cannot be
fully employed There is no panacea
or magic solution for the present ten
dency edwards labor unrest The
only sound way to cure it is through
the normal and healthy expansion of
industry, incident upon the return TO
normal conditions of American bust
ness prosperity. This cannot take
place without readily available credit.
and if the banks are chOked up with
Government bonds the rates of in
terest upon loans will be so high that
business men will hesitate to un ler-
take new ventures and TO make new
commitments.
The treasury is taking advice and
will put out the best bonds from al
points of view. that possibly can be
supported. Once It is offered. how
ever, the only intelligent way to meet
this situation, from a strictly cold.
practical business standpoint. is to get
under this job and see to it that the
bonds are placed with the people who
can hold them as a splendid invest
ment and who in the great majority of
cases will hold them until maturity
and not only receive dollar for dollar
for them but probably an increase