The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-02-26

st7uctive industry and commerce. It
imposes a great charge upon the in
dividual who loses such increased
employment or continues unemploy-
ed. TO the veteran this Is q double
loss.
Falls on People
When he has consumed the value Of
his certificate he has also lost the OPP
portunity for greater earnings. There
is a greater cost than all this: It Is
a step toward government aid to those
who can help themselves. These di-
rect or indirect burdens fall upon the
people as q whole.
The need of OUR people today Is q
decrease in the burden of taxes and
unemployment, yet they (who include
the veterans) are being steadily
forced toward higher tax levels and
lessened employment by such acts as
this. We must not forget the millions
Of Woodworking families in our coun-
try who are striving to pay the debts
which they have incurred in acquiring
homes and farms in endeavor to build
protection for their future. They, in
the last analysis, must bear the bur-
den of increasing government aid and
taxes. It Is not the rich who suffer.
When we take employment and taxes
from u people it IS the poor who
suffer.
There is a very serious phase Of this
matter for the wives and children of
veterans and to the future security
of veterans themselves. Each of these
certificates is an endowment insur-
ance policy. Any moneys advanced
against them, together with its inter-
est, will be automatically deducted
from the value of the certificates in
case of death or upon maturity.
No m will deny that under the
pressures or allurements Of the
moment, many will borrow against
these certificates for other than alb
solutely necessary purposes. The
losses to many families means the
destruction Of the one safeguard at
their most critical time. It cannot be
commended that the interests Of the
families of our country are conserved
by either cashing or borrowing upon
their life-insurance policies.
Discusses Human Aspect
/ have no desire to present mo-
notary aspects of the question ex-
cept SO far as they affect the human
aspects. Surely 1t Is a human aspect
to transfer to the backs of those who
toll. including veterans, a burden of
those who by position and property
can care for themselves. It is q
human aspect to incur the danger Of
continued or increased unemploy-
ment. It is q human aspect to de-
prive women and children Of protec-
ton by reckless use Of an endowment
policy. Our country Is rich enough
to do any justice. No country Is rich
enough to do an injustice.
The patriotism OF our people Is not
a material thing. It is q spiritual
thing. We a not pay for it with
government aid. We can honor those
in need by our aid, and it IS q fund
amental aspect Of freedom among us
that no step should be taken which
burdens the nation with a privileged
class who a care for themselves.
I regard the bill under c~onsidera-
ton as unwise from the standpoint Of
the veterans themselves, and unwise
from the standpoint Of the welfare
of all the people. The future OF our
world war veterans is inseparably
bound up with the future Of the whole
people. The greatest service that we
can render both veterans and the
public generally is to administer the
affairs OF our government with q view
to the well being and happiness Of all
Of the nation.
The matter under consideration Is
of grave Importance in itself: but Of
much graver Importance is the whole
tendency to open the federal treasury
to a thousand purposes, many admir-
able in their intentions but in which
proponents fail o. do not care to see
that such beginnings, many Of them.
insidiously consume more and more
Of the savings and the labor of the
people. In aggregate they threaten
burdens beyond the ability Of our
country normally to bear; and, OF far
higher Importance, each Of them
breaks the barriers of self-reliance
and self-support in Dur people.
HERBERT HOOVER