The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-02-21
Town Clerk Replies
to Sheffield Man
(Cotniued from Page II

tAUllllucu lIOlIl dSG i
" poor IL mos have to sell is
away Of" will agree with you
On this ie.,t statement, the farm
C"s have tcor hard hit to- tie
last year ~. more, yet Mr. Me
Powell vas getting 50 Gems 70"
re corning Il :0oItGage or dc 4 III
y.IIs ago. he same rate tint rad
been ia for over 50 vea"s,
| va tAen paying 80 cents Il I.u-
q. or potatoes, six CEN;
quart for milk. % to % cents a
pound for butter and Is and 20
cents dozen for eggs, and 81
cord for wood. Now as be-
tween ourselves we should not
quarrel. Bring me down a bu-
shell of potatoes, eight quarts of
milk, two dozen and half eggs,
OF little over two pounds of
butter and | will record your
mortgage or deed as | did ten
years ago. The product of your
labor purchases from me, as much
as it ever did, And if we clerks
could make ONE such working
arrangement with our merchants.
that is, trading our services for
their goods on the basis of ten
years ago, we could then absolve
ourselves from having had any
thing to do with forming a seq
ment of the vicious circle, and
be content.
Surely you would not expect to
sell your pro luce at modern top
notch prices, ana then be able to
purchase your necessities at
pre-war or low point prices,
would you? We are prosperous
or poor together, and only he
who produces more. or labors
longer can outstrip the field and
become rich.
| have never been the proud
parent of a virile thought, mine
have all been still-born, but |
have adopted a few little homely
naked ideas of others, and have
clothed them as lest | could, and
will at this time take them
out for an airing. Today that
man wins most favor who prom
iscs most out of the public treas
ury or proposes to make the
largest addition to the cost of
living. Until the public realizes
the direct relation between this
burden and public extravaganza,
We shall make small progress to-
ward sane and orderly conditions
We need a public perception that
waste and extravaganza directly
translate themselves into indivi-
dual and family expenditures.
We are without that perception
today. He who is swept off his
feet by public fervor, and suffers
his vote to be counted for appro-
priations for questionable benefit,
on his return home at eventidc,
will find the butcher or baker,
prudent men, with the morrow'S
supply of merchandise, to the
cost of which has been added
their percentage of increase in
overhead. occasloned by the voted
appropriation of the morning.
Make not the error in thinking
that the only cost of draft on
the public treasury is the small
increase in your tax bill. You
must also bear your portion of
the added overhead cost of living
and of carrying on of trade, of
every one of the craft and trades
men with whom you do business.
Most of u now know how the
country became over inflated, but
appear at a loss to know how to
debate.
The desire 20 be relieved of
burdensome taxes and high costs,
is not yet as strong as the desire
for luxury and case.
Simple living appears to be
dead, without issue. unless the
family of Jazz can trace its lin
cage back to that good old party.
Individual labor, hard and
constant, with some dcnials, and
much individual economy, a dras-
tic pruning out of unnecessary
expenses, will, and nothing else
an, h.ing Us back to sane 3',1
orderly existence again.
Each of Us have been an &C
ccSSory in bringing about present
conditions, each one of us must
play our individual part in the
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