The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-09-11

states since the discovery that the
Railroad Brotherhood bill would elimi.
nate all payment of state and local
taxes. Governor Davis of Virginia. has
communicated to the state the COM
missions report showing that eventu-
ally the state would lose 50, 500, 90 in
taxes each year-about one-fourth the
total receipts of the state treasury,
from which como the funds for schools,
highways, pensions, payment of the
public debt and other expenses.
Many states now receive large por-
taxes on railroads, New York with
81, 000, 900, being the highest; Mime
sofa, $4,000, 900; Texas, 81 5000, 900;
North Dakota, 80. 200, 900; Colorado.
s $500. 900; Louisiana, $4,000, 900; Flor.
ida. $500, 900; and others in proper.
ton.
Governor Cornwell of West Virginia,
warns his state that government own
ership would prevent five counties
from paying for their public road
building, and protests against the ut
tempt to take the taxes from the rail.
roads and place them On the backs of
the farmers and home owners. In a
letter to the railway employees of his
state. he says: 81 was and am in favor
Of your securing not only a fair but
a liberal wage, but when you ask the
farmers and the laborers in other lines
of work to go in debt twenty billions
Of dollars through the medium of the
Federal Government 10 buy the rail-
roads and give them to you to oper-
ate for your benefit and to use as you
please, you are making a proposition
that is neither san nor fair. / have
been a laboring man myself-carried
a dinner bucket-for a dollar a day.
My labor now is not regulated by
eight, ten or twelve hours, but often
sixteen and sometimes eighteen.
am not now and eve expect to be
a capitalist, but | am an American,
not a Bolshevik. / stand for law and
order, and | am not asking somebody
else to buy property and give to to
me, but want to work and give honest
service for every dollar l receive"
A "big business man was philo-
sophing on the high cost of living
Take silk shirts" he observed, "and
let us see where we come out. In my
own case l am the proud possessor
OF one OF them, and 1t is all / can
afford. When l want to splurge a little
/ put 1t on and sail forth to t~antalize
the sight of those who are not fortu,
nate enough to own so luxurious an
article of apparel" Now undoubtedly
that man could have afforded many
silk shirts. II he decided to buy them
but that is not his idea of thrift.
The incident stuck in my mind, and
a few days later when I was taking
in a bargain where two-fifty shirts
were sold for one-sixty-ive, I asked
the merchant whether he sold many
silk shirts. He said that the line was
booming" and in reply to my ques
tioning the facts were brought out tina,
|, whereas those shirts sold for IS to 81
apiece before the war, with not many
purchasers. that they seldom sell fol
less than $40 nowadays; and every
Tom. Dick and Harry buys them
why. people who hardly had a whole
shirt to their backs two or three years
ago. come In here and buy several sill
shirts at q time" volunteered the mer
chant. He added. "A lot Of them CAM
afford to splurge 90, but they have
more money than they are accustomed
to handle. and they keep 1t rolling