Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-05
The Country Home
Eas the world Bsnkrupted Itself in
TH WASTING Money?
BY MRS. w. Ell. FELTON,

Senator VIM. Borah, made a very
Illuminating speech-during the
month of May-showing the &C
knowledged indebtedness of the civil
lied world and the debts of the Unit
ed States of America specifically. he
said it was nanifestly Impossible 10
estimate the worlds debt Some
placed it as high as three hundred
and forty-eight billions.
The public debt of the United
States is $4,000, 100000. Hear him
brother. "The fever of spending
which we contracted during the war
is still raging. The joy-ridlng In
the public treasury is still our chleI
delight. War has its menace and It's
threatening problems, but none more
menacing than the shameless waste
of public funds, and the laying on OF
unnecessary burdens upon a people
already bending under a fearful load.
DO we fully appreciate the Sltuatlq On
or do we confess our inaol1ty 10
deal with it?
. 1t is when you undertake to meas
ure this debt in foot pounds OF hu-
man toll that it's magnitude becomes
bewildering. The priVatlonmtnie
",
flee, the men and the women bend
ing in hopeless drudgery-the chill
dren starved in body and stunted in
mind. The families discouraged ana
broken up, the pauperism, the crime,
the suicide, which its ever pressing
place it's size and effect beyond our
power to portray" With our huge
debt already upon us without cur
rent expenses greater than we care
to lay taxes to cover we surge
ahead-plunge ahead toward univers-
al bankruptcy. When are we going to
tighten these burdens? And how
are we going to do it: Have we lost
our cunning in everything IN COO
tortured world, save that of appro-
priating public money? There must
be a change of program some time
and in my judgment, at no distant
time? ..
In our own country business is
worried and discouraged by crush
ing taxes, while three million work.
men are seeking employment: LAKES lakes
and appropriations - appropriations
and taxes will not cure such condl-
lions. Unjust and oppressive taxa
ton will destroy the morals of the
most self-poised and patient people
in the world, and shake the founda-
ton of the most noble and finest in
situations ever devised by sage or
patriot" j
If Mr.. Borah was not immune
from arrest for words spoken in the
United States senate chamber. he
might not speak out so propf eucal-
Jailed since 1917 for saying fewer
words and less accusing language
His character for truthful speaking
forbids that we shall doubt the
truth of what is here copied; TINS
Idaho senator fully understands, that
he may he charged with disloyalty
to party in this plain talk on what
is going on in Washington ana IN
every state in the federal union,
This fever of spending is Wrecklng
of this American nation--namely-
to deal justly, live honestly and pay,
all debts that are legally presented
for prompt payment when due
This Joy riding in the. treasury
has almost reached mob dimensions
by war hysteria smacks OF INSANITY
fed by extravaganza, to the SUP
ject. Old Rome was one a so-calied
republic. 1t went to the discard, pc
cause of joy-riGng in lust and lux
ury. France in the late days of the
18Th century, called itself a repub-
lie and rushed madly into blood.
shed and tyranny of the blacklist
type 1t lapsed into surfdom to au-
tocrats.
Snail our own EAIlSl I'd pOi'0At
cause we are wild spenders and in
sane joy riders in the treasury?
I am reminded of a story Of the
dreadful French revolution when the
the excuses Of the Jacobin hosts
had made Paris a place where fenos
wreaked revenge, and glutted them
hate by the constant play of the
Somebody remarked on the stop stop.
page Of traffic by the starving poor
in what was called the bread line"
One Of the joy riders insolently ask X,
ed why do they not cut cake"
There will come a reckoning day
when this spending fever has left en-
feebled sick nation, and history Will
write down the profiteers who
danced in the treasury vault-when
the peoples tax money passed into
their swollen wallets-but a!as!-
that will not cure the ills of this ma
tion-or restore its apparent waste
fulneSs.