The Washington times., 1920-07-15

Ar-s.',-s s.'-'s.'~ -
Coal viii Vanish.
Our Insect Victory.
Two Revolutions.
Strange Things In Fri
By ARTHUR BRISBANI
(copyrisht. isie) }


lcopyrisht. isie.)
TAis may be a smoky world ono
hundred and fifty years hence, for
then, according to the Mine In
spector's Institute, the hard coal
will all be gone. There is enough
soft coal, however, to last six
thousand years more.
Heat and power will never fail
n long as the sun goes on as at
present. Ten thousand years from
now people will know how to. use
the suns heat direct, and will, per-
hsps, know enough not to let any
individual or group monopolize
and peddle it out.
Grasshoppers have invaded a
town in Michigan, swsrming
through city streets, doing q mil
lion dollars worth of damage to
nearby crops. You read and pass
on to the next column. The grass
hoppers now are not important,
but in old days they were.
lncI dIIlNol ulC1ut OCTIOIS JuCAI
departure famine. The Bible tells
much about them. and allows you
to eat them, as the North Amer
ican Indians used to do. Pounded
into a paste they are not disagree
able, il you don't know what they
are.
The world has escaped or out
lived many dangers, leprosy, the
black death, cannibalism. We
often forget that mans most i'm
portant victory is his conquest OF
the insect world.
With their vitality a thousand
times greater and their power OF
breeding . million times greater
than in man and the other verte-
brates, the insects might have
been world rulers had not eternal
wisdom planned it otherwise.
Michigan grasshoppers remind us
to be grateful. Pound for pound,
an ant is worth a hundred men in
strength, industry. vitality, devo-
ton to the public welfare. Be
grateful that the insects are small.
Yesterday the world, as much OF
It as is semi-civilized, celebrated
the capture of the Bastille by
France. 1t meant the burial OF
royalty, ownership of the soil of
France by six million peasants in
place of its ownership by a few
thousand mobiles. 1t meant many
unpleasant things, including heads
dropping into baskets half filled
with sawdust on the far side OF
the guillotine blade.
The French Revolution was a
hideous, necessary surgical opera
ton. For fifty years after it hap
pened no man could write about
1t fairly or see it as it really was.
One detail Of the French Revo-
luton was the killing Of the King
and his wife. He was q we'll
meaning weakiing; she, q schem-
ing. foolish butterfly.
What exact difference do you
see between that French Revolu-
ton acclaimed by the whole world
yesterday and the Russian Revo-
luton denounced today by 90 per
cent OF civilization, officially at
least? Time and success make
even revolutions respectable.
Little people wonder why they
pay so much Government expense,
even with q heavy tax on big in
comes.
How many know that there are
outstanding fifteen billions of dol
lars worth of securities, municipal
bonds, etc., upon which the Ma
tional Government collects no in
come tax at all? Men with a great
deal of money, of course, invest in
those tax-free securities and go
their way rejoicing.
A man with a million dollars in
come-we have plenty of such
men-would pay more than 10 per
cent of income in taxes if he in
vested in a 6 per cent mortgage.
He pays not one cent of income
tax when he invests in a municipal
or State bond netting him 6 per
cent.
That is why there is so little
building done.
In MS DOOk, OuT Economic anu
Other Problems" Otto H. Kahn,
one of those that have a million
dollars a year land more), pre-
sents facts on taxation interesting
to the public generally and to edi-
tors Of newspapers especially.
The Labor -Farmer-Uplift Third
party talk is not taken seriously by
those accustomed to control the
United States by controlling both
the big parties.
In England, it is otherwise.
Tories and Liberals see in the
Labor party the coming govern
ment of the British Empire, and
no man can see what changes that
may bring about in the world.
With British labor on strike
against sending soldiers to coerce
Ireland, what would a British
labor government do when it came
to coercing the various ends Of the
earth under British control-that
is, the Irown and yellow regions 7
IN The white REGIONS, outside Ire