The Bismarck tribune., 1922-05-02
EDITORIAL REVIEW
Comment. reproduced il this column may may not
e.nress the opinion Of The Tribune They presented here
in order that may both s Of important issues
which are being discussed in the press of the day
! PLUTOCRATIC AMERICA

The Washington discovery that 100000
American families own homes follows - at some
distance - the discovery that between 100000
and 1O,OOOO0O automobiles are in use in the
United States.
AS everyone knows who has tried maintaining
a home and an automobile neither Of these lux
uries is an asset pure and simple. The up-keep
lin each case makes the property psrtake Of the
nature of mixture of asset and liability. Both
need occasional repairs and replacements, neces-
Isary accessories and extra equipment, occaSlonal
painting, roofing, interior decorating, rugs. The
use of fuel in both is necessary every day in the
year. The home does not require expensive anti
skid tires and doesn't skid and damage itself or
cause damage suits against the owner by reason
of it's having injured the property or person Of a
passerby. Therefore, the home requires one less
policy of insurance than the automobile, but both
must be insured against fire and burglars. Even
the most determined Of our latter-day burglars
are not inclined to steal residence, but the con-
tents at least must be protected, and house with
out goods and chattels inside of it hardly would
be called home 'l4".ta ! 4 ~ ~
The fact that 100000 families in population
of 10000 900 or sd own homes is, by itself, evi
that gasoline is burned daily, and nightly, by
100000 or 100000 machines, a large proper
ton of which are owned by: persons to whom mo-
toring is diversion IS, bys itself, evidence of
dazzling prosperity ii in {feqquptry in which gener-
alton ago a man who kepta carriage was mem
Der Of a small and envied class. But when we con-
slider that in great many instances-the statisti-
clans who are troubadours of American welfare
should discover just how many-American faml-
lies own, repaint fuel, keep in repair, light until
late hours, extend the hospitality of, and not
financially ruined by, the combination of home
and automobile, we begin to realize that life in
America as it is today would have been great
theme for Queen Shahrazad had she had pro-
phetic vision Of it when she was beguiling the
ood-thrsty Sultan Shahriyar with narratives Of
marvellous events and conditions.
When we think Of the number of automobiles
in America, or Of the number Of homes which are
not rented to tenants growing more belligerent
and more nearly bankrupt at the payment Of each
months rent or when we think of the whirring
wheels, the burning gasoline of 100000 automo-
biles, saying nothing of orders now in for ma
chines we realize that there never was anything
quite like America But when we ponder the
amazing fact that both homes and automobiles
are owned by hundreds Of thousands 6f men who
are or hope to be, benefciares of the forty four
hour week we begin to realize that the volume of
wealth in America is to the volume of wealth in
other countries what the volume of water pouring
over Niagara is to the stream trickling from a
spigot in which the plumbers washer is worm
Louisville Courier-J Journal.