Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-09
Prosperity Dependent
On Service of Dollar


Many appear to think that wars
mean prosperous times. How absurd.
It Is not war that does this, but rather
the free and lavish expenditure of pub
lie funds incidental Herewith. It is
surely not necessary to wage war in
order to spend money. There are many
ways to make money circulate rapidly
and thoroughly without wholesale mas
sacre and material destruction OF hui
man efforts represented by civilization
to date.
Money Is not made to hoard. 1t is
meant to circulate freely among the peo-
Pile. Mere boarding and permanent segre-
CATION in big hanks and trust COM
panies do not add to prosperity, but
are q direct cause of depression We
have already gone too far in the de-
velopment of penuriousness, due to post
war propaganda, injudiciously applied
We can have what we will. Shall
we continue to increase the depression
by encouraging wealth to tie itself up
in knot and 60 to sleep in bank
vaults or shall We as people order
wealth to come out and work for us?
We are now working and shaving for
wealth, and the harder We work the
poorer We will get. Wealth is made b.
labor, it is true, but it must be by
ton more OF curse than of blessing
European nations are penny-pinching
and the more they economic" the
poorer they get. Economy does not
bring prosperity, 1t rather drives it
away. If We had no spendthrifts We
would be in much worse condition than
we are. During the war We spent
money like water. That meant pros
perity. That is what money is meant
for, to spend The wealth increases
when people spend freely, but it must
be the people at large and not just
few at the top among whom money
must circulate 70 insure permanent
prosperity.
When economy" results in throwing
millions out of work 1t is economically
unsound. and events are proving il
every day. Discharge people from Fed
eral State and private employment tas
we have been doing the past year. and
We automatically and effectively reduce
the purchasing power of the people Just
that much. If the people have not the
money to spend because they are out of
work. how can they spend money. re-
gsrdless OF reduced prices? The pur-
chasing power of the Nation is being
ruined through the ever ove!ly-cautious
big bankers who are always afraid of
their own financial shadows. They may
think they know about international
finance, but plainly they know nothing
OF practical common-SenSe economics.
They are forcing generous minded buSl-
ness men to restrict employment. Just
as they tried 10 do in the 1920 defiation
period. Only they are succeeding better
than they did then. hence 1881 is worse
Tor the Nation than was the 1920 de-
fation.
Our Government. If 1t expects to func-
ton properly must be fearless Il should
not hesitate to confiscate the incomes
Of all the taxdodgers. no matter how
rich they may be. II the local and Fed
eral taxgatherers properly collect the
taxes from the rich 1t will not be neces-
sary To increase taxation in this Ma
ton. The trouble is that the wealthy
nave too many. avenues of escape. while
the poor man always gets pinched
Chlcago alone now finds that the
traitorous. selfish scOundrels on the Gold
Coast and elsewhere have been lodging
taxable personal wealth on over s., 600
100000. Think of 1t! What does that
mean the Nation over? How many bill
lions i'll New York and philadelphia
and Pittsburgh and Washington are also
aIudlng taxation? Confscate such wealth
Tor the Federal Government by levying
lOu per cent penalty tax for each and
every wear the tax has been evaded and
the effect will be to draw billions OF
dollars from their hiding places and
putting them 70 work. An idle dollar is
OF no use ia the Nation. You cannot put
people TO WorR Nithout putting dollars
70 WORK. S. r. RANDELL.