The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-01-10
BRISBANE
THIS WEEK
A Long Swim
Money Flows W eat
. IS for $3.50
Not So Barren

money FLOWS West
l. IS for $3.50
Not So Barren
The new year. 1885. latest contribu-
tion of Father Time to the long chain
of beads called eternity" : Is here,
and we are In It.
We shall continue to read opinions
and rumors, plans and criticism OF
plans, In our slow progress to pros
perfty's shore. II Is long swim when
you are thrown overheard In the mid
die OF Lake Superior. This country
WAS thrown overheard In another lake
,, OF superior prosperity and unlimited
expectations back In 1929.
Farmers. newspapers devoted to the
farmers interest, big bankers of the
East, are interested In the fact that
the money tide that for so long flowed .
from producers In the West TO accum-
ulators In the East, Is now flowing In
the other direction.
The money tide goes out toward the
farms OF wheat ralsers and stock, In
the West and Middle West, and to the
cotton farmers In the South. 1t Is as
though the Great Lakes had been tilt
ed upward at the eastern end, and the
waters sent rushing toward the Rocky
mountains.
The tide will not flow long In that
western direction, probably Men that
have the mortgages and collecn the In
terest accumulate the money, In the
long run.
Long ago. man wagered that he
would stand on London bridge offer
Ing genuine gold sovereigns for shill-
Ing each and find few takers. The
gold soverelgns were genuine, but no.
body would buy. Mel Smith, circus
official called Lucky" Smith, bet that
Los Angeles citizens would refuse to
buy genuine S. bills for $3.50. Hun
dreds walked by. looked at the genu-
Inc bills. Some cried "Fake!" Only
two purchased. Lucky" Smith won
500 wager.
Many Americans wish they had been
as skeptical about certain stock back
In 1929.
The distinguished George w. Rus
sell OF Ireland who signs, his writings
"AE," says, Il am always struck by
the terrible barrenness OF rural life
In America" He thinks we must find
some way to enrich IT." and II we don't,
~then the disease which destroyed an
Client Italy will eat Into America. You
will no longer feed yourselves and
you will be struck with palsy Of bread
and circuses."
Mr.. Russell may find greater rich
ness In Irish farmhouses, but 1t Is q
richness OF the character and OF the
| mind, not OF surroundings. There is
little barrenness about, other than In
tellectual, In our rural life with Its
| automobile, radio. moving pictures
within easy reach, rural delivery, por-
| celain bath tubs mail order cata-
logues. prayer meetings, revlyals, an
nuai circus, the public library, soon
reached by automobile.
Next summer our ships OF war, "ven-
turing almost to Oriental waters" will
engage In far-hung war games cover
Ing more than 100000 square miles
of the Pacific ocean.
How interesting that will be, and
how rapidly those ships would come
running home to hide away In port Ii
a few large bombing planes should
sail out from Asia, from Tokyo or Rus
slafs vladivostok. over those 100000
square miles OF the Pacific. and drop
explosive bombs and poison gas bombs
on the battleshps
Geological explorers from the Byrd
expedition, near the South pole, report
important veins OF mineral quartz, dis
covered In mountains along the coast
OF Marie Byrd Land
II the biologists should bring back
actual samples rich In gold. how quick
/ ly men would find way to reach those
mountains, how Indifferent to death
they would be In the effort to get
| there!
We have piled up In Washington
already $S.OOO0OO,O0O worth OF gold.
What would happen II Byrd should
discover a mountain containing 81 .OOO,-
OO0.O00.0OO In gold? That would be-
overriding 1t, for instantly our $1,000
| 100000 In gold would shrink In value
to almost nothing. and the gold metal
would be only metal not precious.
| In Kansas terrific dust storm, hid~~
| Ing the sun, suggests that the Agri-
| cultural department help farmers by
| developing some temporary covercrop
| thDt1 could be sown on wheat and corn
| fields when the crops come of, nitro
| gen-fixing plant II possible. 1t would
protect dusty surfaces from high winds
and be plowed under. contributing
| humus. before the next planting.
In the Northwest. farmers have used
the "duckfoot" cultivator. which cuts
a path GU feet wide, going through the