The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-09-07
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MUST DO NECESSITY
BynUL MALLON :

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MUST DO NECESSITY
WASHINGTON. - The confusion
about where the United States Is 60
ing in this world seems developing
into debate. Mr.. Churchill, still
the best reporter of International
events in his new secondary role
(his speeches give more news) told
parliament the U. S. "at the minute
stands at the summit of the world"
He added that in power and respon-
sibility it would take two or three
years before our great progress Is
overtaken. Yet since peace, all you
hear on our radio every hour on the
hour are doleful tones about how
many unemployed there will be and
Mr.. Truman has summoned back
congress primarily to raise the UNI
employment compensation level
from $40 to SIS week and extend
the allowances from 20 to 20 weeks.
There are some who see a con-
nection between the cries that the
wolves are at our door, and the pro-
gram to push up the unemployment
allowance which congress had stead
tasty resisted for many months. In
fact the connection is so closely
joined, in their eyes, that the COM
mon prophesies Of defeat for the
Truman idea and the CLIO de-
mands which would 60 further-are
being softly amended. Word being
passed around now, the Truman
measure will surely be adopted and
the CLIO may pry additional conces-
sions.
I am not a master of the propa-
ganda arts, which become more
mystifying to me as new techniques
develop, but / do recall many past
occasions, in recent years, when the
cry of 'wof, wolf" was raised sole
ly for the purpose of shearing the
sheep while the public was looking
for the wolf.
In this particular case, ! note that
tax reduction is subject further
down the list. Indeed, no program
for that phase of postwar adjust
ment was worked up in advance by
the administration, although some
anonymous members Of congress
were being quoted on the back pages
of the papers that the normal tax
will be cut from to 3 per cent. Also
have heard some rather good au-
thorities suggest the taxes our peo-
pie are paying are greater than
the war expenditures of all the other
nations of the world in short, our
people are paying more than
all other nations were putting out
in the war. This cannot be precisely
proved or disproved because what
Russia spends is not even known to
her own people, but believe it to
be substantially true.
Not only that but you never even
get straightforward picture Of the
unemployment situation. No one has
gone on the radio at any hour I have
been on, to say that 80 per cent of
the unemployed are already author
lied to get the maximum Of $40 a
week, but an expert figures out the
fact, and the congressional experts
say it is about right. The states,
of course, are flushed POSSIBLY &c.
100000, 000) with big unemployment
reserves from war taxes, as in New
York, for instance, where the I'M
employment sales tax was kept on
before and throughout the war al
though there was no unemployment.
When need for the tax passed, the
tax was not repealed. Perhaps I
am expecting too much, to think that
any politician would wolf up a tax
reduction program. But why is this?
There are more taxpayers than any
other class.
Non-Military Spending
Reaches High Peak
Nor do hear anything about the
existing, greatest non military
spending program ever conceived in
the mind of man. Congress has ap-
propriated $1,000, 100000 for flood
control works and $500, 000,000 a
year for highways, a fact you will
never find in CLIO leaflet promoting
increased free compensation. The
CT. bill of rights is supposed to dis
pense between 5000, 000, 900 and 81
600, 100000 in compensations within
two years, with allowances to pay
the way Of many boys through two
years schooling, but there is no adj
vertising on that.
In any case, everyone now is pay
ing taxes, or should be, most peo-
pie through the nose by the with
holding arrangement, yet no COM
parable interest in their behalf is
noticeable. You never hear anyone
crying: "Wolf-the tax collector"
The present-day politician never
mentions the subject most affecting
practically all the people In their
pocketbooks and breadbaskets? And
why their publicity men do not add
up and announce what they are
spending.