The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-08-04
Mothers Pensions.

paign it is making for mothers pen
sions.
l do know this: That with new
blood and new votes, and this means
the votes resulting from equal suf
frage, all such questions as these
have to be gone over again as if thu
statesmen and the legislators Of thu
past were not competent to solve
these problems.
The novice in politics (new BLOOD
in the main) has a sort of idea tina
when Congress or the Legislature
puts a dependent on the pay roll
the money comes easy and the cost
is neglible. Some of them seem tC
think there is no charge to be made
for these things.
No man or woman ever received
anything, gift or otherwise, from
either public or private sources, that
did not cost something Even the
thief does not get something for
nothing. He pays for what he gets,
and the price is more and much hard
er perhaps to Pay than is the price
for anything else in the world.
If people would take a little more
time to study the history of nations
they would find that all these great
philanthropic and benefcent plans
are a part of the general public pro-
motion. All these things and many
more of more or less worthy char
acter are carried to the general gov
eminent while the government is in
its prime. They come with the rise
of the nation. Those who bring them
are unheedful and in many cases in
different to the cost or the conse-
quences. They do not know perhaps
that such thing as mothers pen
sion law, either by the State or the
Federal government, must have it's
bureau, and in the case of the general
government these bureaus grow to
enormous proportions and they be-
come, as they must inevitably in our
political system, source of political
influence. Immediately the bureaus
are established the political parties
or their chiefs capitalize the voting
strength for campaign purposes This
is all in addition to the actual cost
of the pensions.
am opposed to civil pensions of
any kind, either by the State or Fed
eral Government. Every nation must |
have military pensions for disabled |
soldiers. 1t would be national dis
honor to neglect them. But when it |
comes to civil pensions it is the
formation of an endless and ever
increasing system of national expense
and political plumber
Mind you, the dependent mothers
should have our aid and support. But
that should be a duty of every local
community, and the last Legislature
very wisely took this view of the case
when the county courts were author
lied to provide for same. This is
the right way to take care of the
work. If it isn't done this way, then
it is that community's fault and not
the fault of the taxpayers of the
State. Every community should bear
its own responsibilities, and if these {
things and all other local matters of
legislation were left to the local COM
munities our politics would be in a
much better condition. AS it is, peo- [
pie are continually going to the State {
and Federal Governments for bureaus I
and appropriations.
This is very strong point that {
should have been brought in this |
Instead of the plea that f
this or that county or district is get T
ting nothing from the State or gener- c
FL government, it should be a credit to I
that Congressman or Representative i
who is saving the people The extra 7
taxation that is saved from needless g
public promotion and from all sorts 7
Of private aid, 8
Every dependent mother should
have our support, and it would be a
discredit to the community which
ioes not aid its needy and dependent g
people. We often discuss the glories q
II the South, we who live here. We t
nave a right to. So do the people t
vhoreside in the North have a pride a
n their affairs. But there is one city p
nat leads the North and the South b
n its philanthropies-the aid Of it's a
helpless and dependent people-the c
rphans, the aged, the crippled O
With more homes for these unfortu- /
rates than any other city in the II
World, perhaps, and we understand t
hat the work is done exclusively by 2
he municipal government or by pri- i
ate organizations. This is the +
quaker City, and in that respect the
Iame is an honor.
But our government grows by leaps
nd bounds. The latest for the Fed