The diamond drill., 1922-02-10

NE@MEbI iIN AOoN hhFINbS
have been asked many times. and
particularly since this series began:
"What Is the remedy for the condition
and situation of government business
that you have described? What can
we, the average man or woman with
cut influence, and with no knowledge
OF politics. what can we do about III"
Well. the answer is that you can do
everything about Il. The remedy lies
wholly within your own hands, as
have tried to point out In each one
OF the articles that have preceded
this one. II is remedy easy to pre-
scribe but. confess, difficult to put
into effect.
Difficult. / mean, I'm the sense that
you will have 10 give up time from
your own engrossing private affairs TO
pay some attention 10 what you prob
ably think Of as public affairs and, as
such, not concerning you. The whole
point i have to make is that public
affairs are your affairs
do not suggest that you go into
politics / do not suggest that you
attend political meetings. | do sug
gest that you take an interest, a direct
personal interest. In the business Of
government as distinguished from the
politics OF government.
A part of the remedy you ask for
tile conduct OF the business OF govern.
ment has been applied when the facts
and the conditions are spread broad
cast and made known 90 every tax
Iayer Bad conditions are In way
10 be remedied when they become
known.
But some hundreds OF you have
written me and asked: "How can We
help? What can we do?' Let's take a
concrete case.
Congress has committed Itself to the
policy of building twenty nrst-ciass
battleshlps In the next few years,
Armed and equipped, those battleships
Will cost In tle neighborhood OF $45-
100000 each That will make total
cost of S0O0OOO.0O0; that is, just short
OF billion dollars.
DO you approve that expenditures
~ y
DO you think we ought 10 spend our
money that way7 Do you think we
ought 10 spend so or 90 per cent
OF our total national income for wars
past present and prospective? That
is what we are doing If you approve
Of II you have only 20 sit still and
say nothing. II you disapprove OF IT,
-
You live In congressional district
and every two years you send man
here 10 Washington 20 attend 10 your
public business. DO you know him7
DO You know what he Is doing here1
Your state has two senators. who also
represent you here II they do not
represent you fairly. you can keep
them at home. Whatever a majority
OF you want you can have
To this moment a majority have
approved, at least by silence. the great
military expenditures that have been
made from the money you have paid
In taxes. IL now you have come TO
the conclusion that II is too much. you
have only 20 say SO.
DO you realize that this conference
on the limitation OF armament which
President Harding called arose fun
damentally out Of the circumstance
that all OF the so-called big nations
are paying more than they can afford
TO pay by way Of preparation for war;
The endeavor 10 End formula TO
limit nrmaments Is another way OF
saying that the nations are trying 20
find n way 20 save money. Since the
war the great powers are all living
beyond their means All OF them are
In debt. All Of them, except ourselves,
owe more than they, can pay. In all
OF them. including the United States,
government expenses are running be-
yond government income. nation
can no more stand that sort OF thing
than private person or a private
business.
II you will devote a half hour or
an hour every evening 10 thinking
about and talking about public bust.
ness you will be amazed nj the
prompt response you will get II there
Is any question you want 10 ask. write
20 your congressman or 10 either one
of your senator's. That will cost you
two cents for n postage stamp. and II
won't cost him anything 10 reply. for
his letters 60 through the mails free
That Is one way ~ helping 10 remedy
the present condition.