Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-01-07
BORAH OUT
lContinued from Pana One

l OIL u6SIc IoE the preservation Oh
homes and farms such as no man can
| appreciate who has not witnessed it.
Men and women who have tanned the
| desert. suffered and sacrificed, denied
now with so years of struggle be-
| hind them. stand In mortal dread of
| the coming tax collector with his
ever increasing call. They have seen
their tax burden mount three hun
dred and five hundred percent in the
brief space of a few years, and while
rejecting over what has happened,
| they are even more anxious about
what may happen.
What do such tax burdens mean?
they mean imperillcd and forfeited
homes, they mean dissatisfied and
| discontcnted domestic life, they mean
less educational advantages for the
coming citizen, they mean separated
and demOraliZed families. they mean
energy thwarted and enterprise steri-
lized, and last OF all. they mean
thriftlessness and improvidence and
moral breakdown of a great and
proud citizenship"
Have we the courage to do our
plain duty? Senator Borah. asked.
Il beg the people to understand that
| II Is not alone II question of reducing
1
| throw off this national disease of ex-
! travagance and waste"
| Congress is the center OF fire in the
| tax cut controversy the speaker said,
| but not Congress alone is divided on
| the issue.
! 1T seems to me that the admins
| tration Is not presenting Il united
| front" the Senator continued. AT Il
| time when economy is the crying
need and when the morale of the
forces fighting for economic relief is
the crying need and when the morale
of the forces fighting for economic
| relief is of the utmost moment. the
| demands which are coming In for q
| greater army and for heavy addition
al expenditures for military purposes
should not be presented
"As l understand. there Is nearly
7 s100.000,000 additional for military
and armament purposes being asked
for. ! do not think the additional ex
pcnscs are necessary or iustiiiabic.
| Tho most commanding, the most
| powerful and the most inVincible ma
ton ut this time Is the nation which
Is economically sound and strong
and whose citizens are prosperous
hopeful and loyal.
'If we build up our economic po-
| wcr. give life and energy to our far
| mers and businessmen, make IL pos
| sible for the average citizen to get
ahead, to save something. to educate
his children, we will be far more in
! vincible than If we have great armies
and n nation crippled economically.
"The administration has done n
fine. inspiring thing in putting out q
| call for tax reduction. for the curtail
ment of expenditures. But nothing
| has discouraged the supporters more
than this grabbing for public funds
by the different departments of the
! government Who can deny n soldier
boy ahd ask him to ahare with his
| country the question of the matter OF
depression or prosperity II the pro
posed savings are to he eaten up By
, wasteful burdens?
"rhe great obstacle to tax reduc-
ton. IL appears, is the proposal for
! bonus for eX-scrVice men III We
consider the bonus purely in the ligh1
of material or financial aid and IL ON
real purpose is to assist the soldier
in that way. can think OF no great
or benefit for these men than tha
which would he derived from bet
torment of the economic conditions
throughout the country.
| ct is five years since tho war
These young men are back IN 'lNi
life They cannot succeed when bust
ness, industry and agriculture AN
embarrassed or discouraged. Tht
pittance granted them individually
would mean nothing in the sum tota
Of their WE'LL being. but anything an'
everyth,nc which contributes to tn
rehabilitation and revival of economic
and business conditions Throughout
tho country will be Il permanent
nrosperity 10 the soldier far beyond
ANYTHING which mere individual alt
would mean.
II do not believe II is possible T.
divorce the soldiers welfare at th'
time from tho welfare Of the co"n'
try: IN other words. from the vel
fare of the farmer and the business
man generally"
/ Rut said senator Borah. he hat
felt from the beginning that it was
| n mistake to regard the economic
arrument as the most serious objec
/ tion TO the bonus. For he believed
! that if n bonus could he sustained OF
| principle. If it would he sount
policy in government. the argumen
Tint IL would necessitate higheI
taxes would not be sufficient grounds
| Tor its rejection.
.Jf that kind of service can he pait
for" he declared. IF there Is an!
rule of compensation by when t'
fix the value of such segvice: "
is deemed wise and in the interes
OF institutions which rest at las
upon the unpurchased and un
p,lrchasahie devotion of the citizeh-
tben let us call these young men t'
| the pay window and at the SANE
time apologize for these five years
= of delay.
"Rut there is n feeling prevalen
in this country, feeling shared u,
| thousands of cX-service men, tha
this pittance. this belated dole. II
neither compensation nor gratitude
that the exchange the soldier is en-
titled to receive must and VIII come
moi nom the Golfers of the govern
mont but from the hearts and th'
minds of the people. and that th'
arouittance which the soldier Is u
, give in return is not a treasury
| receipt but q sense of duty well per
formed" .,s -
"The cry raised by thousands o
ex-seryice men: For the disabled
everything: for the able boaied
| nothing is about as fine a thins a.
men could do" said the speaker. ~
| noints in the right direction. foi