The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1936-04-23
o. A. r. p.
(By Committee)
Youth for Work Age for Leisure

In order to create buying power
and to use goods, the New Deal has,
in part, adopted the Townsend Plan.
They have taken 100000 young men
and removed them from competitive
industry and distributed through
each one $500 a year. 1t costs the
government $500 year for each
boy. The boy gets $500 of the
amount, and the packers handle the
most of the foodstuffs. Under the
Townsend Plan, the boys would be
but to work, marry and establish a
home and their parents be remov-
ed from industry and distribute
$1,000 a year, instead of $500, as
the boys do. The expense of the
100000 is met with borrowed money,
debt and interest. Under the Town.
send Plan there will be no borrow
ed money, no debt and no interest.
The Townsend Plan will be financ-
ed with a two percent transaction
tax, mot sales tax) on a volume of
business that does not exist to-
day. The Townsend Plan is to
tax a new use and a new distribu-
ton of goods, farm products. There
will be no tax to pay for dead
horse, but new transaction tax on
new business that does not exist
today. The same principle of dis
tribution is applied in the CCC
camps, except that it is financed
with debt and interest. Instead Of
taking the 100000 young men, the
Townsend Plan takes their par
ents, and those 100000 young men
get a good job and marry 100000
young girls, which involves mil
lion. Truly the CCC camps are the
young mems poor farm. Serious
thought should lead you irresist-
ably to the Townsend Recovery Plan
and away from the young mems
poor farms, the CCC camps" -
Roseburg (Oregon.) Daily Times.
Government Control of Business
is stigmatized as bureaucracy, and
vigorously protested by vested in
terests that ask only to be let alone.
Government control in a democracy
is control by the people of them
selves, for they constitute the gov
eminent. It must not be considered
strange if they prefer self-control
to the private control of big bus
mess; that is a species of slavery.
And yet that is the only alternative.
It must be either government con-
troll of business, or business con-
troll of government and there has
been altogether too much Of the lat
ter in American history. Gigantic
corporations, created by a grant
of government, and enjoying stat
ut0ry privileged of incalculable val
ue, have regimented the entire pop
ulation of the country; and in the
face of this fact, doctrines like for
mer President Hoover talk about
the New Deal 'regimenting" the
population! The private mana
gers of these great ompanies can
grant or withhold employment, can
say whether the nation shall eat or
go hungry, enjoy prosperity, or rot
in poverty.
The lords of our modern feudal-
ism see in every legislative proposal
for social justice, this power being
taken away from them; naturally
they protest, and are adroit enough
to hire clever writer's to phrase
their protests in such specious terms
as to deceive the thoughtless vot-
ers, mislead them, and make them
the agents and servants by whom
their reign is continued and extend
ed. The opposition to the Town.
send Movement is not primarily be-
cause of any defect in the proposed
act, but because it is without de-
feet, and because it will impinge
upon the area of operative business
in which the many are exploited
for the enrichment of the few. 1t
asserts that measure of government
control in industry which We deem
necessary to avert catastrophe.
Compare it with other proposals,
with communism, for example. Big
business may succeed in poStpon-
ing of defeating the Townsend Plan
but if it does, it may square itself
for battle royal with malign and
sinister forces compared to which
the Townsend Plan supporters are
philanthropistS and statesmen.