The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1935-01-03
WHOSE MONEY?


Ter:
Respectfully The News and Cour-
Ter suggest that when they, or the
Roosevelt administration, talk of gov
eminent bearing the risk of loss in
industry, Of government spending bill
lions on housing, Of government feed
ing the hungry, they substitute for the
word government the word people,
'Let the New Dealers say the peo-
ple' are distributing $1,OOO,O0O a
month for relief in South Carolina.
when they say government they
leave the unthinking to assume that
some faraway, some foreign, some
magical agency, some angelic benefac-
tor drawing his money from the moon
or Saturn, is doing all these good
works.
"The New Dealers distribute only
the peoples money. Government is the
people. :.
"Why not discard the word govern
ment' and proclaim what the people
are doing, spending day by day for the
other people? '">@It'
"They are using the word govern
ment to hide from the taxpayers, the
people, what they are themselves Civ
ing to the unemployed, to- bring back
recovery Ma"5'e
For the taxpayers are the people.
Who does not pay federal taxes?"
There is more to this than meets
the eye and it deserves a great deal
of studying. When we read of college
professors with mortar board hats
joyously distributing a golden stream
of federal wealth we have a right to
ask ourselves "whose money!" When
Mr.. Roosevelt's administration spends
several billion dollars to feed the
hungry, clothe the naked, rebuild the
structures of the nation, and put the
power in federal power houses, let it
be known that this is not Mr.. Roose-
velt's money. 1t does not belong to the
gentlemen with various educational de-
grees, who say they are making over
the nation. Nor is this the govern
ment's money. The national admins
tration can only get its money from
the government. The government has
no money of its own and. can only
spend the money it gets from the peo-
pie. Therefore it is the peoples mon
ey which is spent. This is a proposition
so plain that even the college gradu-
ates ought to understand it, even after
a season of shell shock due to too much
football.
If Mr.. Smith through the govern
ment is feeding Mr.. Jones, clothing
him, giving him new house, a new
electric washer and radio, let it be
known that this is being done with Mr..
Jones money. Mr.. Smith is not paying
for it and is in good deal of the po-
sition of the fellow who says to Mr..
Jones, "I'm so sorry you're hungry.
Here is one of your own hams. Go and
eat it.
Of course Mr.. Smith will have to
pay just as all American consumers
will have to pay, no more or no less.
The Jones will have to do most of the
paying as there are more of them.
No matter how lavish the govern
ment may be, the taxpayers will have
to foot the bill. If they have no
houses they pay taxes as renters; if
they have no farms they pay tax when
they eat pork and flour; if they have
no oil wells they pay tax when they
buy gasoline. 1t is great game and
the only way you can beat it is to
stay at home, live in a tent, quit eat
ing and go nudist In the meantime
remember that the fellow who talks so
loudly about helping you so much is
doing it at your own expense. Taxation
may be for moment a redistribution
of wealth, but it always ends up the
same way. Either the same fellow gets
it again or nobody gets any.