The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1938-10-27

BY 1882 the national income had
dropped to q trifle over 40 billion
dollars but the cost Of government
had increased to Is billion dollars
which was 37.7 per cent Of what
every man produced. BY 1885 the
federal spendings alone had Jump
ed to $8,879, 900, 900, not counting the
81, 087, 600, 900 spent for foreign gold
which Is buried down at Ft. Knox,
Kentucky. Local expenditures in
the same year amounted to 81
billion and state expenditures to 8
billion dollars, so 1t will be seen that
our total expense Of government in
1896 was 21h billion dollars. With
the national income at $63, 466, 000,-
600 1t will be seen that 33.9 per cent
goes for taxes, but our income, in
stead Of being in 100 cent dollars,
as was the case a few years back,
must NV be computed en- the basis
Of SO cent dollars. It works out this
way: If in 1929 the 40 million work
ers produced 80 billion dollars in
wealth, then each worker had q
chance to share in approximately
$1,000 in production, less taxes of
1913 leaving 1882 as net income
per worker.
In 1885 the 40 million workers
produced about so billion in assets.
This would be about 1,250 fer each
worker, which after deducting one
third for taxes, or SALT leaves $3.50
cnond a h1a ;rno,,oo NAV wnrLav r,v
reduced to SO cent dollars the in
come has dropped td $491.47. So
it will be seen that the whole pic
ture has dropped back to the de-
cade before the Spanish American
War.
To make matters worse what
the farmer and worker has to pay
fer what they buy has materially
increased and that is one of the
basic reasons for this new depres-
sion.
High taxes mean that there will
be less money for productive activi-
ties. Not only does it mean that
our living standard will be lowered
but that the employers of labor
will have less money left for ex-
pansion purposes and we all know
that it is only through expansion
Of industry that new jobs are Great
ed. am wondering just how long
this situation can continue.
Preparing For What?
President Roosevelt has an.
nounced that we must enter the
mad race for ornaments that Is
slowly but surely bleeding Europe
white. News dispatches from Wash
ingtcn announce that the govern
ment has entered into large con
tracts for war materials and we
are told that the next Congress
will be asked to make appropria-
items for national defense that will
eclipse anything heretofore known
We are all for national defense
but isn't there limit to all coed
things? AS I recall, Congress ap-
propriated something like two
thousand million dollars for pre-
paredness last winter-an all-time
peace time high in such expendi-
lures.
What folly! What insanity! With
5000 miles of ocean on each side
of us it seems to me that we are
unnecessarily alarmed ever the
future. For nearly $50 years we
followed a foreign policy that call
ed for non-participaticn in Europ
can affairs and at no time DURING
that period was our national exis
tence threatened. But it seems
that we are now going to take our
place in the Grand Parade.
Much better would it be If these
staggering sums were spent for
purposes that would provide en-
ployment, raise our standards OF
living and alleviate suffering and
misery. Will we never learn?
Business On Up Grade
I am sure we are all happy to
note that business Is on the up.
grade. Car loadings have increased
of late and now the automobile