The Kennewick courier-reporter and the White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1938-1939, 1938-09-15


payments to the state Of California
1t is certain also that those who con.
tinue to accept them would not pay
the face value. and the possessor
would be forced into paying higher
prices for the things that he buys,
That is, the possessor would be buy.
ing SO cents worth Of sugar and prob.
ably would be handing over a dollar
warrant for it. All Of this is the
result OF lack Of confidence among
the people in any form Of exchange
except the currency that is backed
and guaranteed by the United
States, as has been shown so many
times before.
DoUney Plan Would Make
Trouble for NeU Dealers
Then, I believe I foresee some
other trouble respecting such war.
rants as Mr.. Downey's scheme pro-
poses; not that I think his plan ia
worse than any others but it serves
as an Illustration. It is proposed
that the possessor put a two-cent
state stamp on the warrant for each
week in his possession. or So such
stamps in year. Well, ! imagine
that the warrants would be in the
hands Of many persons who had no
cash at all-not cent. Immediate
~. there would be cry 60 up to
have the state supply the stamps
free, and it is quite certain that
there would be some politicians dis
honorable enough to campaign for
office on that issue.
Now, assume that Mr.. Downey
comes to the senate; assume that
he is elected over his Republican
opponent in November. I seem to
scent some added trouble for Pres
ident Roosevelt and his New Deal
friends who have been promising
too many things and too much Of
them. OF course, many persons be-
lieve that Mr.. Roosevelt's methods
to date have encouraged all kinds of
quackeries because he has talked
at length Of humanitarianism. He
has aroused the minds Of elderly
persons who are suffering under
conditions not Of their own making.
He has likewise aroused lot Of
flabby Drained individuals among
the younger people who live on IL
lusions. It is made to appear that
congressional leaders, seeking to
follow presidential policies. are GO
ing to be confronted with frequent
bulges for national pensions of a
kind that no nation can bear.
The number and type Of these
panaceas GIBBS and flows with the
economic tide. When business is
good and there is plenty of work,
when storekeepers are able to sell
and people are able to buy, we hear
little or nothing of the dream-world
children Of the Townsends and the
Downeys and the others. When
there are ''hard times and there
are thousands upon thousands with
out work and food and clothes, those
suffering minds become easy prey
to the silver tongue.
Pursuing the thought bit further,
it then becomes possible for a move
ment which demands not $50 every
Thursday for persons over so, but
one demanding $40 or $50 every Fri
day or $50 every Saturday. The
amounts can be pushed up and up
and the fervor of the suffering un-
der this illusion grows greater and
greater. And always, such move
ments provide the breeding ground
for other racketeers who want to
promote dissension and dissatisfac-
ton. Always, too. there will be po-
litical champions for the cause"
whatever it may be, because there
is something, some halo. about pub
lie office that will lead men into the
strangest views.
Presidenf Cannot Dodge
Some of Responsibility
Mr.. Roosevelt has said with en-
phasis several times that none OF
these things will work. He believes
they should not be propagated and
spread, because he recognizes how
easily miserable humanity can be
lead off at a tangent. It is a type
of hysteria, an emotion. The Presi-
dent, however, must not dodge re-
sponsibility for a part Of it. AS I
said above, his methods have been
conducive to hysteria Of several
kinds. These panaceas that threat