Mexico weekly ledger., 1921-02-24
Col. Writes
On Shrinkage
OF Values
Sarasota, Florida.

WV hSoA SSOu OSaA VI OhlpAaliS
among the tourists as well as the
natives Of the South about the
"shrinkage Of values"
In his annual report the Comptrol-
Ter of the Currency estimates the
s~hrinkage in values during 1920 at
from twelve to eighteen billions of
dollars. There is something Of a
mathematical margin between $12,-
600, 900 and SIS, 900, OO0,O 900. In
deed the $4,000, 100000 or difference
is a billion mor than the total saw
ings banks deposits in the United
States. 1t is about half the war
debt of the nation, with the loans to
foreign powers not included. 1t Is
six times the national debt just be-
fore the wal.
But whether the shrinkage has
been twelve billions or eighteen bill
lions of dollars there is this satisfac-
ton in the situation from the point
Of view Of actual national wealth. A
billion bushel of wheat will feed as
many people at SLIGO a bushel as it
will at $3.50 a bushel. We have x
actly the same steel industry, the
same textile industry, the same rail-
roads and ships after the defation
markdown as we had before. The
country is all here, just as before,
and pretty much everything worth
while in the country is here just as be
fore, although a lot of the flashy and
false dollar marks are rubbed off.
We have, in a word, our natural
wealth intact and our productive
machinery for handling it intact.
What we need is to get our natural
wealth, our productive machinery and
our man power to working again.
The necessary wringing out of the
excess imitation moisture, whether to
the extent of twelve billions or of
eighteen billions, is what is going to
do the business.
We have got to do more work and
less spending and make u money go
farther. Those who have been reck-
less spendthrifts for the past few
years, are now paying the price. The
Ledger was right in 1919 when it pre-
dicted that a dollar saved then would
be worth at least two in a couple OF
years. Those who paid twenty OF
twenty-five dollars for silk shirts are
now complaining about hard times
and are unable to buy cotton cocks
They fused then because they coult
not secure high priced goods fast
enough to use up all of their money
Now they have no income to buy the
bare necessities of life, and so it will
be to the end of time or until W.
! divide up every Saturday night, ant
then most Of us will be broke" agaiI
: on the next Monday morning. Saw
= 'tft'c ard spend a little, is the SAT,
way. How few there are who want t.
be safe until it is too late!
Some of the Florida folks get b!
'hna" hard times" by skinning tourists
in the winter and aligators in thu
summer. You know Florida is "stil
I Observation-Disclosures. - but e
still, as it loudly p~roclaims itseli
ready for the promised Republican
prosperity"--and you know the gen
uine "crackie" of Florida is not going
to exert himself to go even half way
to any kind Of prosperity. If il
comes, all right; if not, someone il
to blame. There are plenty of folks o.
that kind in the North, East ant
West, as we'll as in the South.
This is a great country. Those o.
us, who get down to brass tacks'
once more and do a regular day.
work expecting fair returns for fail
service, will get along all right
There is no reason why we should no
have a wonderful era Of prosperity
in this country If we will all go Il
work and try once more to earn ar
honest living by the sweat Of oui
brow" That's the only way"
Conditions are sound, but the people
DON'T seem to want to- adjust them
selves to normal conditions. It's thu
old story,-"so few people can stanc
prosperity" With . good crop Mex
leo and Audrain County should have
3 most prosperous year. Those WIKI
plant no crop will have no prosperity
and those who save nothing, viii b
sbroke."