Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-14
With Other Editors
Make Thrift Permanent.

The impulse to save and lay up money, so power
fully stimulated and so productive during the war
must be made permanent force in the national
life We saw must be- because the need itself is I'M
perative is VITAL and of the vital thing that should
be done we are warranted in saying that it must be
done. The thrift habit can be made universal and
permanent in this country it will be made so If men
who understand the need and know the way to meet
it will put their hands to the work.
What was the condition during the war? The
wage-earners of the country earning and re-
ceivng high pay, higher than before. That was
the foundation. The government had need of bill
lions to carry the The money could be raised
only in part by taxation, for the rest recourse was
had to the resources of the people. The appeal was
made not alone by general exhortation, but by per
sonal solicitation. Every man and woman, every boy
and girl in the country asked to subscribe for
Liberty bonds, to buy war savings stamps. The ap-
peal made first, of course, upon the ground Of
patriotism. of the duty to support the government;
but stress was everywhere laid upon the virtue and
the value of the saving habit. Wage-earners were
urged to subscribe for bonds on the basis of bank
loans; it was pointed to them that they could
pay the loans installments of their savings
and when paid for the bond would not only yield an
income, but it would be insurance against need, a
provision be drawn upon in time of illness dis
ability. The response was wonderful. More than
10000 900 of Americans subscribed for Liberty bonds
and if war savings stamps be reckoned into the
the total subscribers would be much greater
That is the habit that must be made permanent.
the habit of putting aside small weekly or monthly
sums out of earnings in short the habit OF thrift
The sure way to make the thrift habit permanent
and universal is to continue to make the personal
appeal actual solicitation just it practiced
in the war by thousands of volunteer workers
in behalf of the Liberty loans and war savings
stamps sales. Depend upon it, somebody is going to
continue that solicitation. If it is not done for saving
it will be done for squanderng. Hordes of agents
hawking all sorts of gewgaws, cheap mining shares,
low-priced speculative securities nnunerable arti
ces that wage-earners do not need cannot profit by
but may be tempted to purchase will get the
and the money, of the millions who subscribed for
Liberty bonds bought savings stamps it, in
their interest, wage-earners are not influenced
by personal appeals continue the habit of saving
Why should they be given to the tempters, why
and improvdent spending?
1t not only leads to independence but it produces
those accumulations of capital upon which, hus-
banded and invested by savings institutions the in
dustries of the country must depend. 1t will keep
the wheels turning, insure permanence of employ
ment promote activity in business and national pros
perity add to the counrys wealth. and provide good
wages Money circulating from hand to hand is
convenience, a necessity it sustains trade, but
cumulated wealth reproduces itself, and in that pro-
cess of reproduction labor must always be employed
The little streams that down the sides of the val
to the sea, turn wheel; it is when they are i'm
pounded that they constitute power giving employ
ment to labor and producing goods That is the les
that must be taught to every and woman
who out of current wages, is able put aside
thing against rainy day against the disabilities OF
old age 1t must be organized effort, undertaken
by men all over the country who are able to see
ent, who apply themselves the task The point
is illustrated by the difference in the practice of
ngs banks and insurance companies The savings
bank deposition is moved by individual impulse; the
insurance companies, through their agents person
ally solicit men to take out policies The problem
is this How is the volume of savings be kept up
to its present rate? It is question of vital import
ance to the nation to its people 1t should have the
answer through organized effort to continue and
profitabiy stimulated under the stress of war-New
York Tunes