The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-02-07
MAGNITUDE OF BILLIONS
b. COWARD C.ECWRY

anybody else las 5nn /; .nieSt cuHCep-
ton Of what one billion dollars really
is. We speak Familiarity Of billions as
commonplace. but most of us live
our lives III terms of hundreds.
| have shown YOU that every one
Of us, man. woman and child, in this
country, paid last year S53.T77 each
toward the support Of the government.
Of course, every person does not pay
more and some pay less; but those
who pay the most try to take il out
of those who pay the least by increaS-
ing the prices of what they have to
sell, or of services rendered or work
performed, so that it averages ont at
$33.11. Some pay more than t"cir
share. others pay los. This; is called
an incident OF taxation. Tha Whole
point is that we all pay; that we pay
now more than "" ever paid hcfure ;
and there is M present nrHsrecL Of our
paying less for some wears.
In this way we have all paid oar
share in the World war. The nct cost
of that enterprise to date has been
S24, 100.c0AWn. or. including our loans
to foreign governments. which have
not been repaid, $:j:i,i;,1 0N.Nin These
are official treasury figures. DO not
let Your eyes run over them lightly.
Thirty-three billion four hundred and
fifty-five million GOlurS is an almost
ncomprelenSib!e sum. Tie cost Of
running the national government is
now around S3,0O0,Q00,O00 Il year. The
experts say that for the next five nr
three years the cost of the COVER; riant
will not descend below about $4,000
00OGG0 Il year.
| want you clearly to understand the
immensely, the magnitude. the over
chatter about billions nowadays with
out in the least knowing what is
billion. Let me try to bring it home
to you. 1t is now, roughly speaking,
1920 years since the birth of Christ.
We do not know precisely and accu-
rately at Tfhat hour and on what day
Christ was born. But under the Gre
gorian calendar, according to which
we now reckon time, we have
record of the days since January first
of the year one, Ammo Domini. From
the beginning Of the year one to Jan
uary l. 1921, there elapsed about 701.-
POI days, or, to reduce it further,
1880, 40S hours, which being reduced
again. means 1,OO9,S24,4SO minutes.
l will ask you to remember that the
whole history of the modern world
from the first second of the year one
to the last second of the year 1920
has been compressed into zoos, S24 4SO
minutes.
Now let us suppose that with the
permission of the Roman authorities
the United Stetes~ isiss.i ii
disbursing officer at Jerusalem on the
first day Of the year one with instruc-
lions to pay out So a minute dav and
night, Sundays and holidays included,
right down through the centuries to
New Years day, 1921
Suppose he had been given $685.
COS, FOG to start him on his long spell
of spending. That Is one estimate Of
the sum that it cost to run this gov
eminent in 1920. On the morning Of
January l, 1921, this mythical disburs-
ing officer, giving money away at the
rate Of 81 a minute would have spent
only 5000, 122, 400, and would still
be one Of the richest men in the
world, for he would have left on
hand $685., 3O6 of the original sum.
Paying out at the rate of So minute
for more than 1900 years, he would
not have kept pace with the cost of
upkeep of this government for the one
single year 1920.
Suppose this imaginary government
spender had been authorized to pay
out at the rate of S23 a minute through
the centuries. He would not have
finished, on January 1, 1921, paying
for our share of the cost of the World
war by some $7S4,O36,96O. He would
out 500, 225, 963 ,O40. He would have been
paying out nearly 40 cents every sec
ond the clock licked for more than 10
centuries without being able to dis
charge our share of the World war
cost.
Do you ever bother your head about
these bushels and bushels of dollars
that you contribute to the support of
the government? You earned them.
You know whether they came easily or
JI-hn
after they leave you, how they are
spent, whether wisely or fooliShly?
It's all your money, contributed for the
proper and economic conduct of your
business. There is no such thing as
government money. The government
never earned cent
You own the government and you
support it, and it IS merely admins
tered by men OF year selection. !
have always been puzzl about why
you do not take an active and eager
Interest in what b acomes of your
uioney that YOU pua' in taxes
But let's go on and get down 20
cases.
GENERAL MARKETS
Observation-Disclosures Steady.
Winter straight, $6@6.1O. Spring pat
ent, $7.709Sl0.
WHEAT-Steady; No. red, $1.30
Obs.
CORN--Firm; No. 2 yellow, $50
G5Hc.
OATS-Steady; No. white, 400
1910.
POULTRY-Live, quiet; hens, $50
pc; old roosters, 1G01Sc. Dressed,
quiet; choice fowls, 32c; old ROSTERS,
24c.
BUTTER-Quiet; fancy creamery,
370 soc.
ECGS-Quiet; selected, 54Q55c;
nearby, 4212c; western, 42c.
Live Stock Quotations.
Observation-Disclosures beef
steers, weak to 25c lower bulk beef
steers, $6.65@7.65,; she-stock and bulls,
slow, weak; veal calves, 25c lower;
and feeders, about steady.