Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1931-12-24

foreign enterprises in competition
with American labor. Statistics
show that including war debts
loans and foreign investments We
have credits in foreign countries
aggregating thirty billions of dol
lars. Also consider the billions o.
dollars spent each year by our mil
1ionaire and Millionaire families IL
Europe, and the millions paid bJ
the daughters and widows of oul
wealthy, who buy and marry titles
in foreign lands. All this wealth
goes out without tax or hindrance
A 25% tax on this outgoing wealth
will be sufficient to create a ma
tfonal reserve for old age pensions
and unemployment relief.
Yes my friends, billions of our
American dollars are now being
circulated in foreign lands, and yet
our statistics show we have in
America today between six and ten
millions of unemployed laborers--
millions of families facing starva-
tion. Why? Because you and |
have not done our duty. We, the
army representing 97% of our
population have allowed a little
army consisting of only $50 Of our
population to hog all the profits
from ten years of the most produc.
tive era of commerce and trade
tho world has ever known. We
have through science and invention
come in possession of many of
Gsd's greatest blessings. But ten
years of labor and mass production
leaves the farmer twenty billions
Of dollars poorer than before we
hso this prosperity. Ten years of
prsUNf9 gave us 10000 million
ahss sd bilponaires, and made
paupers a. our Laboring class. Why?
Because you and I have not done
our duty politically.
One mathematician proclaims
that one-half Of the nations wealth
is now in the hands of 133 of one
per cent of our population; another
that one-half of our national wealth
is in the hands of LAO of one per
cent of our population, and through
the statistics proven by tax records,
500 of our national wealth is now
in the hands of go (three per
cent? of our population. Do you
belong to the 97% army or the $50
army? II you have in excess OF
100000 you are welcome in the
ranks of autocracy, but unless you
have one million or more you can
only be private. If you have one or
more billion you will rank in the
official class.
Now that the wealth of the ma
ton is in the hands of the few, who
should pay the tax to protect that
wealth? Certainly not the pauper-
lied home owner, laborer or mort
gagged smeared farmer, but the fact
is, they do.
We learn from observation, sta
tistics and history, that self preser
vation is the first law of nature.
We learn that in both plant and an
fmal kingdoms, it is a constant
fight for existence, a battle between
plants will multiply and spread un-
til they have destroyed all other
in that particular To-
cality, and in the animal kingdom,
the strong prey upon the weak. On
your farm or garden lot, If certain
plants or weeds are allowed to
spread and multiply, they will even
tually take exclusive possession of
your farm or garden. 1t is there
fore necessary that each year the
farmer or gardener must prune.
trim, cut or destroy at least a por-
ton of such growth. In our eco
nomic life garden we are threaten
ed with a growth that has so null
tiplied in the past ten years that it
is now choking all other vegetation
la this economic garden. The
growth, will designate as Excess
and unless this growth is
checked. trimmed and thinned out
by a new system of taxation, it will
own the earth within the next quar-
ter century.
AS an illustration of what is hap
pening in our economic world: A
certain fisherman in Florida fished
in one of the many lakes near his
place of residence. This lake was
we'll stocked with fish of a small av-
srage size. His daily catch was in
excess Of his needs. This excess
was placed in a small lake or pond
near the house, where they could
be seined out when needed. One
lay he fished in more distant lake
where big mouth bass were said to
oe plentiful (the natives call them
'trout"). On this excursion he
caught two big mouth bass, II to
l5 pounds each. These he placed
n the little pond with his other
ish for future needs, and during
he following weeks he added to his
stock in the pond until he esti-
mated that he had at least 100 fish
n the pond. Then came a time
when he desired to use some Of the
ish from his private pond, and af-
er rigging a gunny-sack seine, he
proceeded to seine his pond, and to
lis surprise, it was found that the
wo big mouth bass were the only
ish in the pond. They had devour-
ID all the small fishes. And that,
ny friends, is just what is happen
ng in our economic fish pond. Big
business, excess wealth, and those
Enjoying special privileges, are fast
'ating up the little fellows.
Since the World war, we have
Produced in this country. APPROX