Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-11-22
GEN E RAJ
HUGH s.
jon N son
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uns,,d fs.twr, rSIst,
Washington, d. G.
)ANGER OF INITIATION

Since they are not as spectacular
as the bombing of workers homes,
they usually don't get attention be-
fore it is too late.
War imitation is about the deadli-
est bearing of war upon the poor.
Wages in war never have advanced
as fast as the cost of living. The
price of anything is mostly the cost
Of labor to produce it. The higher
they go, the higher the cost of living.
War imitation (high prices) is the
worst bearing of war upon the help
less, Germany is bombing the
homes of England's poor non-com-
batants and seeking to cut off the
supply of milk to babies and food to
adults. England is hell-bent on the
same process-to blockade Europe
and starve into submission even her
most gallant defenders: France,
Finland. Poland.
do not counsel otherwise. We,
ourselves, invented war frightful-
ness in our blockade of Southern
ports and our destruction of food
supplies in Georgia and the Shenan-
doah. 1t must make the wounds of
Christ bleed again, but SO it is and
We must accept it.
But let's not be blind to similar
war of starvation against our own
people-high prices. If they go too
high they will destroy the practical
living value of every insurance pol
icy, social security benefit, wage,
salary or pension in the United
States. This is not because they
will reduce those payments. They
won't. But those payments will buy
50 little in high price structure
that they will become chaff.
lhear that Wall Street pundits say
that II will be only mild infla-
ton" l honor the sincerity of their
opinions but l suspect their knowl-
EGG Once you start this deadly
process it is like a SNOWFALL rolling
down hill. You can no more suffer
II 'gradually" than you can fire
gun gradually. 1t is progress that
feeds upon itself.
With much actual experience in
war initiation, have made a study
OF this thing for years-from the
beginning of history. War price in
datlon always grinds the face of the
poor, not only during hostilities, but
LOT years thereafter. 1t lowers the
buying power of their wages. 1t
also doubles or multiplies the cost
OF war, not merely while it is going
on, but for years thereafter in the
toll, sweat and taxes in which work
ers and their children must pay for
the vastly increased cost.
So far, we have only the symp-
toms of war imitation. But the
germs are SO plain that it takes no
microscope to see them - terrific
governmental spending and in
creased debt and deficit, capacity
production, a sellers market and
desperate disposition for counter
bidding in a congested market with
expense no object.
1t has been said that high taxes
Will stop it. l shall write another
column on that. 1t is crazy non
sense. Do high taxes of as much as
III cents a gallon prevent the price
OF gasoline from going up as high as
IL cents in some states when it
Should be 6 cents? High taxes are
not the answer. Mad as it may
seem, am for deficit financing of
this war and not for higher taxes.
This may come strangely from
me, who hates personalized power,
out am also for giving the Presi-
Uenf p1nfa IF y,rinriftaS
10 stop competitive bidding and to
ration production not to the longest
purse, but to the most necessitous
use. The latter can only mean sky
rocketing prices. If necessary, l
am for giving him complete authori-
" over the price structure to pre-
vent its rising above reasonable lev
els. Everybody knows it is high
enough now for reasonable profit.
TWO PARTY SYSTEM
1t is suggested that Mr.. Willkie
Should be appointed to Mr.. Roose-
Velt's cabinet and accept. l think
not. We must stand united in pre-
pairing this country for defense, but
that doesn't mean that we should
give up the principal instrument of
our democracy which we are pre-
Barring to defend-our two-party sys-
tenn.
We are not at war and even If we
were, we would commit suicide for
Americanism if we abandon the in
stitution of political debate by re-
sponsible leaders of opposing
schools Of thought. For the present,
Mr.. Willkie is the titular leader of
the party of almost half of the Amer
lean people. That half is in opposi-
ton to many Of the policies Of this
administration. He now acts as their
anointed spokesman and advocate.
II he abandons that part, he would
Certainly be derelict in the duty he
owes to them for their trust.