The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-12-22
WHY YOU'RE INTERESTED
Copyright, Western Newspaper Union

Copyright, Western Newspaper Union
WHY YOU'RE INTERESTED
wish you would take what Is
written here as a personal report ao-
dressed directly to you from me about
your business. Don't think OF 1t or
read It as an article about "pol'tics,
or remote public affairs at Washing
ton, II IS NOT that at all. 1t is what
I ask YOU to think it, personal
business report to you relating TO your
individual concerns. your pocEetD0Ok
and yoar welfare. | have no DINER
interest than to tell you the exact
truth.
Assume that you have sent me TO
Washington 10 find out for You what
your agents are doing, how they are
managin. your affairs and spending
your money. call them your agents
for that ~ all they are--thc President,
the members of the cabinet, the
senators and all the members of the
house of representatives. You hire
them, You pay them, and you can fire
them.
You may think of them in Difference
and ave as a group of eminent states
men, or you may call them in tlippancy
and too hasty contempt "a lot of
poli,lcians.' But whatever you call
them, they are your hired men. They
attend to your collective business,
which Is called the public business.
Query: Are they doing It efficiently
and with a single-minded devotion to
your interests?
Perhaps the largest item In the nigh
cost Of living Is the high cost of
government. And far and away the
largest item in the high cost of govern
ment ia the high cost of armament;
preparation for war. About 90 per
cent Of all government revenues, and
that means the money taken from you
as taxes, goes to pay for wars. past,
present and future.
Before I have concluded this series
OF articles | expect to show you con.
clusively that the inpellng motive
that induced President Harding to call
the present conference In Washington
to consider limitation Of ornaments
was financial. The pressing need Of
considering a proposal for a rcduc-
. ton or limitation by agreement of war
expenditure was not made entirely on
the ground of morality or righteous
ness. but as a plan fer cutting down
the operating expenses Of the govern
nent.
If the United States government
were an individual we would say that
1t was broke, for Its expenses exceed
Its income.
Your interest is simply this: that
whatever decision IS made you will
have to pay the bill. If today we
didn't have these army and navy ex-
penses you would have to nay in taxes
less than S10OO,00O.00O a YEAR instead
Of S5,O00,00O,O0O. That Moons we
would have about $4,OOO00O,G0O more
year to spend on our private needs
and pleasures. l frankly confess that
! would enjoy having four-ffths of my
taxes Knocked off. Wouldn't you?
Secretary Weeks of the War de-
partment gave public warning little
while ago that the government would
require of us about sl70N0CO in
the next thirty months to meet cur
gent expenses and other Obligations.
Parsonswho have given close study to
chat possibility say that the need will
be nearer %o0,oOO,00O, than $1,000
coo. The great bulk Of that is for
past and prospective war expenditures.
For this, you and congress and the
Executive departments at Washington
are responsible. Yon more than any
body else, tor 1t is your money that Is
being spent and you can stop 1t. In its
simplest terms the procedure Is this:
You earl the money. congress takes It
away from YOU In the form Of taxes,
and then congress and the Executive
departments spend It.
A great part Of II Is wasted. This Is
established. conceded, confessed, and
acknowledged by congress, which
authorizes the expenditures, and by
the executive officers OF the govern
men,! who TO the actual spending. 1t
is your money that you have earned
In your business. on your farm, or by
the labor 0: your hands, that is being
expended ord wasted at Washington.
Every cert that Is extravagantly or
needlessly expended by the govern,
ment you could have in your pocket to
meet the increased cost of food, lodg-
Ing and clothing, doctors bills and
amusements. or to put away and save
against rainy day, II you only de-
manded is:erminedly and unitedly
that governmental extravaganza should
cease.
can tell you some of the conditions
of governmental spending and how
your money Is chucked about, and |
can tell you how you can stop it. The
power is yours, and until you exer-
else II westc and extravaganza will
not stop.
UNCLE SAM AS EMPLOYER
The United States government Is the
- ,v>1 ~ nd