Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1921-01-06
WHO COST or WAR

War has cost Ine HdlloHS u Ihe
world more than half their produc-
tive energy. It has put an end to
dynasties and to nations. 1t has in
volved prosperous nations in the
common rain, and brought needless
misery to untold millions of people
iIt has bu ned this nation with O.
debt that generations unborn will
struggle to pay and pass along to
their children.
| Needless was has reversed prog
ress and set the nations of the world
back for ages. The great nations of
antiquity went down to decay be-
cause of the exhaustion of their hui
man energy in needless wars. Mod
ern history is but a repetition of the
past. Turkey, once a great empire,
has dwindled to a feeble remnant of
her former greatness. Russia, be-
cause of war, is today a land of pow
erty and misery, and all nations that
took part in the great world war are
grooming beneath burdens of debt
and misery that might have been
avoided by a reasonable adjustment
of their differences, and still war
and preparations for war are going
on all over the world.
The great struggle of the past five
years should have served as an OBJ
ject lesson of human folly; but the
predatory nature of human kind
serves to perpetuate system that
all recognize to be an evil; yet the
nations cannot arrive at a basis of
an agreement that will relieve the
world of its burden.
Today America is in trouble be-
cause of war. She is faced with a
debt that is staggering, and tax
that is hardship. She collected in
the fiscal year 1920 an income tax
of $5,4O9, O75, 06S, which is necessar-
lily passed along to the people, and
means a tax of $51.55 on every one
of the 105, 100000 men, women and
children in the United States. This
vast sum, according to computations
made by the Washington STAR,
would build more than 100000 cot !
tages that would house more than
100000 people. If cashed into sill
yer dollars and placed edge to edge
the row would extend 12S,032 miles
or around the earth more than three
times, and to haul the load would
require 33,S04 trucks making a line
90 miles in length, or 1894 flat
cars and 141 locomotives, and the
train would reach 43 miles. If the
vast sum was in dollar bills it would
weigh 15.244,225 pounds and would
load 1876 freight cars. Placed end to
end these bills would reach 62S,S37
miles, or q times around the globe.
If Father Adam had started working
upon the first day of his life, 1000
years ago, at $1.47 per minute or
$S816 per hour, without Sundays
Or holidays off or stopping to eat OF
sleep, he would still have 80 years
more to work before he would have
earned enough to pay our 1919 tax
bill, which if deposited in bank at
4 per cent. interest would amount to
80 times the principle before the
cashier could count it,"
. This is what comes to us as a re-
suit of war, and the end is not yet,
Tor we must go on paying and work
ng and sacrificing to pay an enor.
nous tax every year until the prin-
,iple has disappeared. War prepare.
ions are still going on and we, must
supply the money to build and equip {
hips of war, aram our soldiers and
ailors, build Qualifications and sup
,ort the whole military institution,
resides other necessary functions of
he government.
Let us have peace and total dis
at the very earliest posi-
lie moment, not only in America but
the world. One nation !
annot discard its military system ]
nd exist All nations must agree to {
simultaneous disarmament. With
uf guns they cannot fight; but with
nut military and naval system they ;
an prosper and develop along the
ines of the highest ideals.
REBUFFED HERO KILLS SELF
A L, L.. IL