Evening star., 1921-07-24

Il n Otner days tneTe HNeu d Sei
tain Skilled laborer. much given
to the use of stimulants. He earn
ed, or at least was paid fair wage
as wages went in those days. and there
was scarcely n Saturday night that
his pay envelope contained less than
$40.
1t was the custom of this skilled Ia
boi.er to repair almost Immediately
to a neighboring gin mill. where he
would tarry far into the night. and
often enough the rising Sabbath sun.
peering through the dirty window
panes of the saloons back room,'
would find him asleep on the ram
shackle billiard table.
Even in those days of "ten-cent
hootch' such entertainment was ex-
penSiEe- and the man in question used
to deem himself fortunate if enough
of his $40 remained after the nights
joviality to pay his room and board.
On the average :he bartenders got
about S22 of the mans weekly stipends
and il they got less they were diS<-
appointed. The same worker is now
gettf1 $40 a. week. and practically
none of il is being spent for liquor
He wears better clothes, eats better
food, sees more moving picture shows
and has tidy little bank account.
While neither President Harding
nor Secretary of State Hughes ever
had even a speaking acquaintance
with the above mentioned worker. the
fact remains that they are endeavor-
ing to do for the world exactly what
prohibition did for the liquor-loving
mender of water pipes.
4 4 y
,ly Ica To-
is debauching itself OF the bill
lions of dollars raised each year by
every conceivable sort of taxation.
more than 30 per cent goes either to
prepare for future wafs or to pay the
expenses of wars that have been
fought. In other words. the world is
wasting 80 cents out of every dollar
of revenue raised, just as the plumber
wasted s22 out of every $50 he earned
In the year 1920 five great nations
Great Britain. the United States.
France, Japan and 1taly-spent for
military and naval purposes Sl6,442,-
251101. This sum is ilstie over
$4,000, 100000 more than all these ma
tions together expended for military
purposes in the fourteen years extend
ing from 1900 to 1914. 1t has been
estimated that in order to pay for the
tremendous ornaments now IN con.
temptation a tax of approximately $40
would have to be levied upon every
man. woman and child in the world.
President Harding and Secretary
Hughes believe the time has come TO
attempt to reduce this. enormous out
.ay. They believe the men and women
Jf every civilized nation In the world
are eager to see the tremendous
burden of taxation relieved. and with
this end in view they have called a
conference of the allied and associated
powers to be held in Washington this
fall. for the purpose of working out
some acceptable plan Ior the reooctioi'
of armamentS.
Few persons realize the cost OF the
world war both in lives apd in money.
If an earthquake should come upon US
today and swallow up the Onitea
States it could destroy no more weal!n
confiagration. Thirty millions o! peo-
ple perished by weapon. gas. olsease
or hunger, and the millions OF manned
men who walk the streets IN nearly
every capital of the world furnish an
eIouuent argument for disarmament.
italians look forward to the future
with little hope when they are told
that because of wars OF the past they
must pay a national deot equdi "
their national wealth; that If every
bit of property In the en.lre @ na',ol' r.n
were sold to foreigners the sum re-
ceived would no more than meet thei. .
national obligations. 1t does not add
IN their content that because OF wars
IN he expected in the future they must
continue to carry upon their shoulders
on even greater burden
The Germans are in tine same
ouandary Experts estimated tneir
national wealth and their capacity 10
nav and flxed indemnities accord
ingly. Austria confesses herself bank.
rupt. Hungary is on the threshold
of bankruptcy; France. Bel sium. Rus
sia. Greece in fact. every nation
which engaged in the world war save
the United States and Japan. is IN
the worst shape financially in all It's
history. That the finances of this
country are not in any too good con-
dirion was indicated by the statement
of the Secretary of the Treasury to
Congress recently. and that statement
was confirmed by President Harding
in person lon the floor OF the senate.
Statisticians have discovered that.
although: the United States entered
the war late. our expenses were
greater during the short period dur
in all the preceding 12S years OF our
history as nation. They inform
us that in December, 1918. the month
following the signing of the armls-
tice. our expenditures were greater
than for all that period of seventy
two years before the civil war. Dur
ing that single month we expended
each day more money than in. the
first eleven years of our nationhood.
The per capita expenditures of the
United States in 1850 were SLIT; in
1850. $201: in 1870. $7.61: In 1880.
s5.2S; in 1890. S4.75; in 1900. $6.3s: