Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-12-16
WHY YOU'RE INTERESTED

MLlLNCh INV ~ ttBbfl Hls
dressed directly to you from me about
your business. Don't think of it or
read it as an article about politics
or remote public affairs at Washing.
ton. 1t is not that at all. 1t is what
I ask you to think it, a personal
business report to you relating to your
individual concerns, your pOcketboOk
and your welfare. l have no other
interest than to tell you the exact
truth.
Assume that you have sent me to
Washington to find out for you what
your agents are doing, how they are
managing your affairs and spending
your money. / call them your agents
for that is all they are-the 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 awe as a group of eminent states
men, or you may call them in fippancy
and 90 hasty contempt "a lot Of
politicians" 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 high
cost of living is the high cost Of
government. And far and away the
largest item in the high cost of govern.
ment is the high cost of armament
preparation for war. About 80 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 1 have concluded this series
of articles 1 expect to show you con-
clusively that the impelling motive
that induced President Harding to call
the present conference in Washington
to consider limitation of armamentS
was financial. The pressing need Of
considering a proposal for a reduc
ton or limitation by agreement ct war
expenditure was not made entirer on
the ground of morality OIL righteMr
ness, but as a plan for cutting down
the operating expenses of the govern.
ment.
If the United States government
were an individual we would say that
it 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 er
penses you would have to pay in taxes
less than 81, 0OO, 200, 1000 a year instead
of $4,000, 100000. That means we
would have about $4,000, 900 mofs
a year to spend on our private NEEDS
and pleasures. I frankly confess that
1 would enjoy having four-1fths Of my
taxes knocked off. Wouldn't you?
Secretary Weeks of the Wa De
partment gave public warning a little
while ago that the government would
require Of us about 100000 ID
the next thirty months to meet cur
rent expenses and other obligations
Persons who have given close study v
that possibility say that the need VII
be nearer $20,OO0O0O, than $17IW'
900. The great bulk of that is m
past and prospective war expenditure
For this, you and congress and l'
Executive departments at Washing@
are responsible. You more than any
body else, for it is your money thals
being spent and you can stop 1t. INV
simplest terms the procedure is us,
You ear the money, congress taxes
away from you in the form OF TAXA
and then congress and the ExecuuN
departments spend it.
A great part of it is wasted.
established, conceded. confessed aS
acknowledged by congress, VIM
authorizes the expenditures, anu !"
the executive officers Of the goVsr
ment, who do the actual spending
is your money that you nave
in your business, on your farm wv
the labor of your hands, that is ps-'
expended and wasted at Washlns%
Every cent that is extravaganza
needlessly expended by the Cow
ment you could have in your pocAes
meet the increased cost of food W. "a
ing and clothing, doctors Dlns
amusements, or to put away anu
against a rainy day, If you GUY
manded determinedly and unl
that governmental extravaganza SD'
cease. ,,u,,
1 can tell you some of the conoi."s
OF governmental spending anu
your money is chucked about aI y,
can tell you how you a stop 1t ~
power is yours, and until you "a
else it waste and extravaganza
not stop.