The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-01-02

they believe in the Townsend
, Plan, are beginning to realize that
; what at the, outset seemed a wild
! dream, is threatening to become
reality and in the near future
may be given a trial. This is not
! because of any inherent value in
the plan itself, but because a ma
jority of the citizens of the coun-
try may support it.
There can be no question that
the Townsend Plan has gained
adherents in the last year-and a
sufficient number of adherents
to make it a real political ques-
ton. Candidates for the Senate
and House of Representatives in
the 1886 election will be- faced by
choice of supporting the plan or
taking chance on the organized
opposition of its supporters, and
this opposition in many instances
will mean the difference between
election or defeat.
1t must be admitted that there
are candidates everywhere who
! will be more anxious for theil
personal success than the welfare
of the country-and these candi-
dates will promise anything, even
though they know that they are
, supporting something that is Wis
ionary and hardly in the line of
practical operation.
With this condition of affairs,
the Townsend Plan may receive
sufficient support in the election
to make formidable showing,
and it is not beyond the bounds
of possibility that it may enlist
enough votes to pass the lower
branch of Congress. The lower
house of Congress in the past has
enacted much worse legislation
the prohibition law-as con-
! crete instance.
Professional Organization
The Townsend Plan is undoubt-
eddy attractive to the average
man and woman. It seems like an
insurance of a comfortable old
age. 1t also seems like real nice
way of taking care of the old
folks, and shifting the burden of
their support from the shoulders
| of the second generation to the
country at large. Father and
mother will be comfortable under
the Townsend Plan, they will not
cost the children anything for
, their maintenance, and perhaps
even some of the 5000 per month
will filter through to pay the
household grocery bills and the
! rent.
All these things make the
Townsend Plan attractive, but. it
would not be formidable were it
not for the horde of professional
organizers who have swung into
line under it's banner. Profession
al workers in all lines of former
effort, many of them out of en-
ployment for some time, because
of the collapse of their former
jobs. have rushed with loud hur-
rahs to the support of the Town
send Plan and the organization
of its friends.
In the list of the present ora
tors and organizers can be found
the names of many former ex-
ecutives of both the Anti-Saloon
League and the Organization
! Against the Eighteenth Amend
ment. The lions and the lambs
of the prohibition battle are seen
lying down side by side.
We can recall DIR. Clinton F.
Wunder, Eastern Organizer of the
Townsend Plan, as popular and
we'll paid orator for the "wets"
something like fifteen years ago.
, DR.. Wunder was convincing
! speaker in those days, and he has
not lost any of his eloquenee. We
could undoubtedly recognize many
other names of present day or
ganizers of the Townsendites as
names of orators. organizers and
agitators of the "wet" and dry
battles of the past. But, after. all.
job is a job.
Townsend Plan Plausible
The advocates of the Townsend
Plan have many very plausible
ideas that support their PROPOSE
ton. Ten millions of our old
folks would undoubtedly be made
happy by its enactment and many
millions more would look forward
to their own attainment of the
golden age of sixty, with its finan-
eial reward. The poor-house
would have no terrors, old age
would hold no fear, and in all
probability the savings accounts
of the country's banks would
shrink tremendously.
Business would certainly bene-
fit. There would be plenty of
work for everybody. for every
body would be spending much
more money than is spent at the
present time. In addition to the
| $24, 000, 00e, 600 spent by the TO-