The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-09-12
WE, THE JOHN DOES,
ENTITLED TO KNOW

4 Increased py western newspaper Unfun.D
WE, THE JOHN DOES,
ENTITLED TO KNOW
IN LESS THAN Is months, the
congress Of the United States, our
representative at Washington, has
obligated John Doe, Mrs. John Doe,
John Doe Jr., Sally Doe and Baby
Doe for $512 each, the whole Doe
family for $3.50.
All of us John Does, and our
families, realize the need Of being
prepared to defend our nation, our
institutions, our way of life, our
homes, but as those who must pay
for that defense, we are entitled to
know what it is costing and what
we are buying.
4 Appropriations made by congress
for 10 months, up to August of this
year, have amounted to $67, 559, 1885,
$40. During that 18-month period,
congress has obligated each man,
woman and child, including the
babies, for $512. Each family of
Eve is obligated for $2,560. And that
is not the end, for additional appro-
priations of from 6 to 10 billion more
will probably be made before the
end of December.
We John Does do not object to
digging down in our jeans to pay
for whatever may be necessary to
defend this land we love, but as the
fellows who must pay the bills, we
feel we have a right to know what
we need and to receive an account
ing as to what we are actually get
ting for these sums for which we
have been obligated.
Certainly someone must know
how many really serviceable planes
we had when the agitation started
and can give an honest statement
of what we have now. We should
know how many light, medium and
heavy tanks we had when it started
and how many we have now. We
are entitled to more than a state
ment of an 800 per cent increase in
heavy tanks because that is mean
ingless when we do not know how
many, if any, we started with.
With an army of one and half
million civilian employees, it should
be possible to keep books, to take an
inventory, to know what we have,
what we need and what we are get
ting. If those who represent us at
Washington do not know these
things, they are spending our money
Like drunken sailors and when the
opportunity offers year from now,
we should carefully pick as repre-
sentatives others who can be de-
pended upon to obtain the facts and
give them to us fellows who must
pay the bills. j
It is our money that is being spent
so lavishly and we are entitled to
know what we are buying, and why.
LIGHTNING RODS
WAY BACK when was a boy, the
wagon of the lightning rod erector
was familiar sight on the country
highways. He disappeared with the
passing of the last century. It is a
safe bet that the farm home or
barn ornamented with lightning rods
was erected before 1900. 1t was
profitable racket for a number of
years.
GETS IMPORTANT POST
PAUL APPLEBY worked for a
couple of years in the print shop of
a country newspaper in Missouri.
With that experience, he went to
Montana and for a few months
operated a weekly newspaper there.
Then he went to North Dakota and
another paper for another few
months, and then on to Minnesota.
In Des Moines, Iowa, as member
of debating society, he became
acquainted with Vice President Wal
lace and that acquaintance resulted
in his appointment as mdersecre-
tary Of agriculture. Now Paul APP
pIeby is in England investigating
the food needs of the British people
for the American government. You
might term it from devil to am
bassador."