The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-04-07
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
By FRANK P. LITSCHERT

1t goes without saying that the
past two and half years have been
anything but pleasant for at least
ninety-eight per cent of the American
people when we examine this thirty
month period from the financial stand
point. Practically everyone has taken
loss of some sort or other. AS one
man put it to the writer the other
day: eff you had anything in 1929
and still have it, then you have lost
Money" This is a broad statement
but one which is pretty generally
true. Real estate, securities, COM
modities, all have shrunk in value
during the past three years.
And so, if we fail to give the mat
ter sufficient amount of philosophi-
cal thought, we are apt to come to
the conclusion that our lot, in these
trying days of 1882, is about the hard
est of any in the history of the coun-
try. Of course this is pessimistic ex-
aggregation. The country has safely
gone through a number of depres-
sions, some of them as bad as the one
we are now going through. Moreover
our method of living, and our stand
ards of living are so high today, that
the comforts and conveniences of the
average man, on a small salary, would
have appealed to the rich as luxuries
few generations ago, even if they
had been obtainable at any price. The
lighting and heating of our homes,
our fine highways and hospitals, are a
few of the many examples.
***
Those of US who cannot be convinced
that times have ever been harder in
the United States than at present
should study the life and writing of
George Washington, whose bicenten-
NAL birth year is now being observed.
The terrible handicaps he had to over
come make our present day difficult
ties seem trifling. Some time ago
Alexander Brin, chairman of the Pro-
gram Committee of the Massachusetts
George Washington Bicentennial
Commission, in an address summed up
some of the hardships which the foun-
der of the nation had to undergo.
Some of the things worth repeating, in
Mr.. Brin's address, follow. Read them
and then thank fortune that your lot
is not as hard as was that of George
Washington himself:
"a knowledge of the trials and trib-
ulations of Washington will make
Americans realize the folly of under
valuing our own country, of growing
impatient with American progress and
of losing confidence in Americans
destiny. Washington's courageous
and steadfast devotion against unex-
ampled odds, his belief in the posi-
bilities of the American Republic, is a
challenge to US today.
"From Washington's own diary and
letters we learn that in the years
when he led his country in the battle
for independence, that even the troops
under his command were dispirited
and dissatisfied and in some cases
were in mutiny; that the currency is
sued by the Congress had lost all its !
value; that there were no funds with
which to pay the soldiers; that the
army was lacking in food supplies,
ammunition and transportation facili-
ties. In the early spring of 1881 the
Continental currency was worth only
a fraction of it's face value. For ex-
ample, a $500 bill was worth but one
cent. One had to pay $75 for simple .
breakfast. In May of the same year
this currency ceased to have any
value. No one would accept as pay