Montana labor news., 1932-04-28
BEFORE WE EAT AND BUY.

The order of enforceable claims upon the national in
America.
1t is not within the realm of probability that the ma
TONS income will be reduced so low that it will not be
sufficient to maintain our entire population IN comfort, Ii
properly distributed
At present the entire power of government-Federal,
State and local, is directed to ensuring the maximum re-
turns to three classes of property owners, and b%eneficiar-
les of property ownership:
Land owners-including owners of natural resources.
Holders of bonds and other evidences of indebtedness
that is, interest collectors.
Owners of stocks and entrepeneus-that is receivers
of profits.
This power of government is exerted not only in help
ing these classes to increase their income from these three
classes of property profits, but in protecting them from
paying taxes on such property, and the income there
from.
Before the millions of people who work, or who want
to work and can't find employment-can eat, or buy
what they produce the claims of these property owners
have to be satisfied, and the proportion Of the cost of
government that property doesn't pay, has to be paid
by the propertyless, even if they are unemployed.
The National Bureau of Economic Research reported
that of the total national income in 1928, the share of ZEN
trepeneuTs and other property owners" was S38,296,0OO,
900 and the share paid as wages, salaries, pensions, COM
pensations, ETC., was S51 ,123, 000,0
That is of the total income of approximately $89,4l9,-
100000, property got nearly four-ninths and labor a lit
tie over five-ninths. The reports of the commissioner
of Internal Revenue indicate that about three and one
half per cent of the families received nearly two-fifths
of the property income.
In 1880 the national income is estimated to have been
about SILL 900, 000, 900, and last year under $70,000,
00O, 900.
No data is available as to the distribution of income
between property and labor last year, but wages and
salaries were at least $I1 100000, 900 less last year than
in 1928, and the division of the national income was
probably approximately the same.
In 1928 labor paid at least half of the total costs of
government-Federal, State and local, amounting to $12,-
500, 900, 1000.
Last years cost of government was about $13, 300, 000,-
600, of which labor again was saddled with half, or
more.
No argument is needed to convince that labor cannot
pay $500, 600, 900 in land rent, 1880, 900, 900 in inter
est ard 81, O00,000,O0O in taxes-$21, 000, 000, 900 in all
Or any considerable part of that sum, and eat and buy
any sufficient proportion of what it produces.
Only government can transfer enough of the national
income from property to labor by shifting taxes from
labor to property income, in time to prevent a smash
compared with which the stock market crash of 1929
would be negligible.
No court injunction can stop nor avert a tax-strike Of
millions of voorhees,, incomeless people.
The common people can't pay rent, interest and taxes
only one, or at most two of the three, because they
must eat to live, and must buy to end unemployment
A government which attempts to make the people
jump through these three rings at once-will find itself
unable to wiring taxes out Of Debated pocketbooks.