Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-04-07

mostly carried on OH credit. On these
enormous sums of debts there shall be
paid on the principal and interest.
All this shall come out of the indus
tries, and mostly go to the rich money
lenders. Then the several govern
ments borrow it from them again, and
more interest is to be paid, but that
money doesn't get into circulation, so
there is too little money to pay out
for work and farm products. Then
the workers have to live on starvation
wages or be idle. That reduces the
sale of all products all over the world.
Factories have to shut down when
there is no sale for the products.
More idle workers and less sold all
the time. The purchasing power is
lost.
Then comes the labor-saving ma
chimes to put finish to it. Go to Il
factory that was first class one %
years ago, and see the difference in
machines, and the small number of
workers that are there now, only one
here and there to tend to the ma
chimes. At such work that has to be
done by hand labor you will see them
almost working the life out of them
selves. In many cases they have to
do double the work as they used to
do. They don't object to it because
there are great numbers of idle men
ready to take their place.
Cheap labor by men and machines
make it possible for big business to
exist to limited degree so far, but
small buiness is doomed. When there
is not paid enough for labor to pro-
duce, there is not enough to buy 1t
with. So business is killing itself.
That is the way it's been going down.
ward for years, and will keep on as
long as a remedy to help it is not
used. but that will have to come
through legislation, but not by COM
passion and donations as Hoover and
Others stick to. That scheme has
failed SO far. and it is sure that the
advocates of it don't believe in it
themselves. They are not fools, they
know better. Such ones that are rich
enough to donate so much so it would
change the conditions are after get
ting more money all the time. They
will not change their attitude.
1t is claimed that there is an over
production, but what would happen if
everybody at once got hold of so much
money so they could buy all they
needed? | think the surplus would
disappear at once. But even that, if
there was too much of everything, that
would be no reason to let millions be
in need. If there was tCo little and
no way to produce enough, that would
be a good reason, but claiming the
opposite thing, that sounds crazy.
The blood is the circulating medium
in body, and if that gathers around
the heart, it doesn't give life and
vigor to the body, and it must die.
And so is the money the circulating
medium of society, and if it gathers
around the heart of the body of So
ciety the big capitalistS) it will
cause the same result for that body
(the people at large). The money has
gathered around a few, and like a
magnet it draws more money and
credits. so it draws the life out of
business and society. That is the
cause of depression. So there must be
formed a new channel for it to flow
through so it can go to all members
of society to keep it alive. That
channel must be an income tax to
lead it out from that heart, and it
must 90 to the limbs or members suf-
fering on account of the absence of it.
First to the idle workers by idle sup
port. who have nothing to live on
when they can not get work, and
enough of it so they can live as If
they were working.
Such income tax must be paid on
net income only. Net income is what
there is left after all other taxes and
expenses are paid, such as upkeep
and repair, rent, interest, insurance
on property, and pay for hired help.
For one with not more than $4,000 net
income there should also be subtract
ed all pay for doctor, hospitals, and
other unavoidable expenses. This in
come tax should be paid at rising
scale. One per cent for the first
ST 900: two per cent for the second
$1,000; three per cent for the third
and so on More or less as would be
needed, but at that rate for any
amount of such income for that pur-
pose.
That would not be a class law when
everybody should pay according to
ability and would not be a burden
such as tax on property is, when it
gives little or no income. If there is
no net income, there is no tax to be
paid.
On $1,000 net income it would only
reduce the dollar to 80 cents and the
higher the tax would go, the easier
il would be to pay it, as there would
be so much more left after it is paid,
so no other objection to it can be
made than that the greediness could
not be satisfied. But business would
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