The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-01-05
MAGNITUDE OF BILLIONS

anybody else has the fainteSt concep-
ton Of what one billion dollars really
is. We speak Familiarity of billions as
a commonplace, but most Of US live
our lives in terms of hundreds.
l have shown you that every one
of US, man, woman and child, in this
country, paid last year S53.77 each
toward the support Of the government.
OF course, every person does not pay
exactly S53.77. A great many pay
more and some pay less; but those
who pay the most try 10 take IL out
Of those who pay the least by lncre0S-
ing the prices of what they have TO
sell, or of services rendered or work
performed, so that It averages out at
S53.T7. Some pay more than their
share, others pay less. This is called
an incident Of taxation The whole
point is that we all pay; that we pay
now more than We ever paid before /.
and there is no present prospect Of our
paying less for some years.
In this way we have ali paid our
share in the World war The net cost
Of that enterprise 10 date has been
S24lOoOo0OOo. or. Including our loans
20 foreign governments. which have
not been repaid, S53, 100000. These
are official treasury figures. DO not
let your eyes run over them lightly
ThIrythree billion four hundred and
EftyHye million dollars is an almost
D. ...r .. +. .
running the national government Is
now around S5ooooOU0OO a year. The
experts say that for the next two or
three years the cost OF the government
VIII nor descend below about SfUoO.-
OQo0uo year
want you clearly 10 understand the
immensely, the magnitude. the over
whe.M.uz size of such sums. We
chatter about billions nowadays with
out iu the least knowing what is a.
billion. Let ue Try 20 bring it home
20 you To is now. roughly speaking.
1920 years since the birth ~ Christ.
We Do NOT know precisely ana accu-
trat-.y at vhag haar and or what day
Christ vas born. Eat under the Gre
gorian calendar. according 10 which
''" @.- '.Ae. we nave
'e'.'1 '- |'" "'t SINCE January h5st
~ ','s eur orc. Ai'~' P'ul.il. Prom
va ''' ''ai one I'D jan
nary J. 1921, there elapsed about T0l.-
26T days. or, 10 reduce 70 further,
"'-' ""..H ''."s F'aa'rd
"~n-N' means 1'''''>-t,'9p minutes.
VIII ask You TO remember that the
Wl'ie history oi the modern world
from tAe EFSt second OF the year one
% lne '"st second ~ the year 1870
mas Dt'h compressed into l,pa's-i.i>o
minutes.
no" -rt us suppose ih-t With the
PERMISSION ol tAe Roman authorities
the United states had established "a
AFst Gay or l"e year one with instTIc-
IONS Z" pay our - minute day and
night, sundays and holidays included,
f.sht u'"h through the centuries TO
Ne" le"' Gay I'-I,
Suppose he had been given S5.GS8-
NffFt'F ~ Nt+i4 a itAiA Fl MS A'llE HDfii
Of spending That Is one estimate OF
the sum that II cost 10 run this gov
eminent in 1920 on the morning OF
January l. I"-l' 'hls mythical disburs-
Hs oiI'eF' giving money away Ut the
rate oi - a minute would nave spent
"hiy eo'Vf7' - ~ ana would stil
&c one OF the richest men In the
Noflu' TOT ne "ouIu nave ieft on
manu- S'''' oo''o''o u the Original sum
as'ns 'ul AT 'iIe I'le VI - minute
io' ,uo'e tHar i''o years, ne would
80. nave Aep' pace WIN the cost OF
upAeeP Vi 'i,ls gov ei'iiiiehI ior the one
s'ns'e year i'-''
suppose TINS imaginary government
spehuer hau Oeeh authorized 10 pay
Out ht tHe rate OF 80 minute through
tie centuries. ne would not nave
nhished' on January l. I5@l, paying
lof our snare OF me cost OF me World
war oy some S'o4'ooo'Soo' lie would
nave tnat ilu i.,l i le over alter paying
out S-d'---'''o''ofo' ne "ouid nave oeen