The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1950-03-16

could generally find a doctor or
dentist fairly quickly. They took
a personal interest in our trou-
bles. Now they just jot down
our number in the book and
hurry us through, if we get to
see them at all.
July, 1875: The Fourth of
July reminds an old fellow of
his younger days, when we cell
ebrated or not, according to
how we felt. Today, as is usual,
now, everybody had to appear
in town to listen to the offici-
al program, and watch and hear
the President make his speech
on the municipal television. He
ranted about freedom, like his
father used to do, but what he
says and what he does are two
different things.
August, 1875: The Lumber
Administration refused my an
plication for the three tWo-by-
tours. They said it was improp-
erly made out.
September, 1875: I have been
trying to figure out in my own
mind just when these present
conditions had their beginning
Some say it was when the gov
eminent bought all the, rail-
roads. Next they took the coal
mines, then the steel mills
then the truck hauling business,
then the whole petroleum in
dustry. They said they had to
have the mines and the oil
business to get fuel for the
trains and trucks, and the steel
mills to get enough steel fol
everybody. just try to buy some
now! Now the government runs
nearly every kind of business
just as Russia did when I was
a young fellow. Then production
started going on down, and the
country has been getting poorer
ever since.
October, 1875: I think the be-
ginning was further back. IT
might have been about 1886,
when the politicians discovered
they really could buy votes in
quantities with borrowed pub
lie money, through the w. P. A
and other things. Some of the
younger people now can't re-
member when we used to have
elections.
November, 1875: I've got ii
now. Our freedom began to be
lost in 1918. That was the year
the income tax amendment
was ratified. The idea would
have been all right, probably, il
it had contained a provision
that no more than one-fourtE
of any ordinary mans earnings
could be taken in taxes, and nc
more than half of the biggest
incomes. Since there were nc
limits on taxes the politicians
eventually discovered that there
were no limit on the amounts
they could spend. They KEEP
taking more and more from
everybody to give more "free'
help, until no one could save
Then there had to be still big
ger pensions for us old folks
and more government service!
of every kind. No one could
save up for investment, so the
government said it would have
to take over business.
December, 1875: Kind of hare
to be cheerful at holiday time
Can't help remembering the
great days when every Ameri-
can out of Jail was free anc
full of hope for the future.
July, 1875: Just two centuries
ago the Declaration of indie.
pendence was adopted. TwC
hundred years! Years that saw
the United States produce the
highest standard of living thai
ever has been! And years tina
saw us, in my time, fritter away
our freedom until all of us once
proud Americans are no better
off than serfs! Except the gov
eminent crowd, of course.
August, 1875: They'll shoe
me if I print these paragraphs
And suppress Farm Journal. Al
ter all, this isn't 1850 any more
when one could still say wha'
he believed -. All right, let ZEN
shoot.
Are my "reminiscences" ex'
aggerated? I hope SO. But I have
mentioned nothing that doesn'
happen today in England o.
Russia. And the U. S. A. ha!
been faithfully following TIT
English route. Next month II
write about the cheerful anc
wonderful prospects that can b.
realized if the U. S. A. is lief
free to go ahead.
BusbY News