The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-03-09

prosperity No foreign enemy constitutes the
menace to a nation that is inherent in the popular
conviction that the government is levying upon
the people unjustly and unduly and squandering
their hard-earned money. government that is
deemed burden rather than a blessing enjoys
precarious security.
The people of this nation know that their heri-
tage is a country rich in resources and form of,
government that is superior to all others.
Thoughtful and thoughtless alike realizing to-
day that something is wrong, that the nations
affairs not progressing as they should The
thoughtful see that the trouble is mismanagement.
Looking about a turbulent world they also know
that unless this condition is changed that the
thoughtless and ignorant will sooner or later be-
come suspicious and dstrustful of the fundamen-
tails of the government.
Therefore there is dual reason for loyal in
telligent Americans to protest, for they see not
only the prosperity of the nation but the nation
itself endangered by crushing taxation and reck-
less waste of the peoples money.
We can no longer blame troubles on the
war. We must set our house in order We have
wealth, and we are poor. We have resources and
energy and the will to work and produce, but
when the tax collector penalties in proportion
to our endeavors and our production, and we see
the drone, the parasite encouraged while the fruit
of our labors is frittered away in a thousand use
less directions by those under oath to guard our
interests, we neither nor will produce.
But we can if we will control our public serv-
ants. We can say to them: Serve us as we re-
quire, or out you go and we will put someone else
into office who can and will"
We can insist that the government exists for
the people and not the people for the government.
We can call halt on the drift from'a free repub'
tic designed to safeguard opportunity for all and
to stimulate epdeavor to bureaucracy, extrava'
CANT arrogant paternalistic, honeycombed with
horde of petty "heads" and irresponsible agents;
living off the people to whom they are nothing
but costly nuisance.
We can insist that no administration continue
to pile more and more expense us in an at
tempt to pacate special groups and classes here
and there under the pretense that in doing it is
the many evil results of its own handiwork
This nation is a unit The welfare of all CT it's
citizens is inextricably bound together. There is
no room for class special interest. In the name
of politics we are being told that we have only
to extend . gratuity in first one direction and
then another to be made whole In the name OF
politics we are ted that every tax is de-
signed to take the burden off the poor and put
it on the rich. Every worker when he examines
his own condition, when he surveys the result of
the philanthropes for which, he pays, knows that
he is not being told the truth. He knows that
through either the ignorance and stupidity of the
administration or through venal misuse of polit-
cal power that he is being misgoverned. He
knows this whether he owns factory or handles
Ia spindle He sees the hand of government
turned against the producer everywhere, and he
sees that the of the situation is taxation.
We have resources, capital and labor With
these we can create wealth and prosperity. To
develop the resources and create prosperity, Ia
Dor and capital are necessary. Capital can not
afford to go to work. The risk is too great, and
the premium on success taken by the government
too high. And so labor can not have work. This
need not be.
This rich country can provide funds to'suppcrt
a we'll managed national household, and it can do
it without making tax slaves OF any group. There
is intelligence enough in the nation to devise a
system of taxation that shall stimulate production
and enterprise, and to administer our public af-
fairs sanely and economically. We shall have in
telgent levying of taxes and wise administration
of our government in conformity with its prin-
ciples when we demand it. A petition is proper
instrument for laying our grievances and our re-
quests before the officials, and if enough of the
people speak through it, it will not be ignored.