The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-04-25
by THOMAS A. LATTA.

= HARTMAN GOOD, of the house
Appropriation committee, IN
- couragcously opposing the sol
der bonus bill the other day, drove
TO the very heart OF the whole eco
uomic situation with brevity rarely
equalcd.
This proposed cash bonus. ne
said. must be taken out OF an empty
treasury. II will increase the cost
OF living of every man, woman a1d
child In the country. Then you are
going to face the wrath OF 1000
600 people. The present unrest over
tho country is due TO the nigh cost
OF living. The open road TO content
ment IL to reduce the cost
The whole thing is In that SEN
tence NO matter whore you psi
the tax added the chairman, II Is
going to finally be placed on the
man who eats food and who buys
clothing"
Which is as true as any word in
holy writ. Gentlemen seeking spe-
cial favors from government and at
tempting to wheedle the taxpayers
into voting unnecessary funds on the
spacious argument that 1t will not
cost the people anything, are either
ignorant or kuaves, For whenever
a dollar is spent in any manner other
than as an Investment In produc-
tive enterprise the laws OF economies
will sooner or later chalk The tlnal
entry against something the con-
sumner is compelled to purchase.
You can fool the people, some
times, but you can't fool economies
at all. The immutab.e laws OF that
science move deliberately and un-
mercifully, and they resent defiance
and exact therefore an awful toll
The proposed soldier bonus Is
gratuity. II is easy enough 70 estah-
lishr the merit Of such a gratulty
II only that is the object soug".
But gratuitics OF this nature
are expensive at any time, and
in the present posture Of affairs are
positively perilous For II is true
that the present highly inflated eco
nomic and Industrial fabric cannot
endure for any extended period
without an explos on that VIII De
heard around the world. For the
national Legislature to further aggra-
yate the condition would border
close on treason.
sentiment vs.. sanity.
Sentiment IL fine thing. II would
be lamentable should people
reach that point whore a pure
ly sentimental appeal failed TO
arouse them. But the time ~
here when sentiment must sYe
way to sane, sound, practical thlnk-
ing and acting, 1t must be ground
under foot with a r!gor as deter
mined as that with which the war
time problems were faced, other
wise our real troubles are yet TO be
experienced A contented, solvent
nation, governed by practical consld-
cratlons ~ preferable 10 bankrupt
nation OF sentimentalists.
II il not only the excessive and
Outrageous expenditures OF govern
ment long after the war has ended
that are finding their way into the
price asked for every article OF COM
merCo. but the same thing rs true or
every grautuity OF every Kind. II Is
erroneous thinking that spreads
abroad the notion that only puo.ic
expenditures by the government add
70 the cost Of LIVING that only those
cNcesscs which flrd their direct way
10 the tax receipts are To be blamed
for tho existing economic distemper.
Every dollar raised by every drive,
whether for relief In the near east
or relief in the far east; whether for
the Red cross or the purple cross or
the doublc-cross. whether for tn"
I Catholic church or the Protestant
/ church. whether tor the relief OF the
orphans of the Cumberland or Tor the
maintenance OF some privately or,
dcrod or owned elimosynary mstitu-
| tion here In Oklahoma, whether for
| church extension in Timhucto or a
new church edifice In Tulsa, y. $, \,
| finds its way directly into the price
| tag ~ that dress or suit or Shirt
| that pair OF jumpers for Jimmie or
| socks for dad And there II hesi-
tates until you or some other Of your
kind driven by sheer necessity come
| along and make final liquidation OF
! the debt
You can kiss the book on that,
I am not asserting that some OF
/ these gratuities are not necessary.
/ Nor am | assuming 10 say which are
| and which are not necessary. The
| point | seek TO make is simply this.