The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-06-01
News und Views :.
.. BY ALEXANDER S. LIPSETT Can ILNS Feature)

Big business, the governor of a
Mid-western state recently declared
at labor rally, has not only made
mockery of Lincoln's principle of
government by the people, for the
people, and of the people," but has
actually replaced it with govern
ment by the corporations, for the
corporations, and of the corpora
tions."
In discussing the tax policies of
his state, he said that large indus
trial corporations carry only per-
cent of the states taxes. The con-
suming public, on the other hand,
staggers under a crushing 80 per-
cent tax load. This, the state execu-
tive added, cries for immediate
remedy, to enable the educational
and welfare facilities of the state
to serve adequately.
!. y !.
Naturally this column has no
quarrel with the tax arguments of
the speaker. He is perfectly right
in driving the lesson of the con-
sumer's excessive burden home and
stressing the need for tax redistri-
button. But it is well to keep in
mind that the relentless expansion
and extrayagances of bureaucracy
have led to a point whereby federal,
state and local government, directly
and indirectly, takes cut of near
ly 80 percent of the earnings of
every citizen. AS long as these con-
ditions prevail, it seems silly to
draw artificial distinctions and
make it appear that if it were not
for the big and bad corporations
everything would be hunky-dory.
Readers have undoubtedly recog-
nized by this time that the COVER
nor was speaking for home con-
sumption; that he was busy build
ing the platform for this years
election contest. In line with the
tone set by President Truman dur
ing his recent, nonpolitical, cross
country tour, it was only natural
that the governor would urge his
listeners to vote for representa-
tives who, in the politicians roll
ing phrase, have the welfare of the
people in mind rather than the in
terests of the big corporations.
y \ X
Another premature harbinger
of the silly summer season comes
from Florida, where, according to
Labor, railroad union weekly, "or
ganized labor proudly points to the
fact that it did not fail Senator
Claude Pepper, although Congress
man Smathers emerged victor I'M
the senatorial contest" We carried
Miami and cleaned up Dade Coun-
ty, writes the correspondent. "We|
smashed Smathers all over his dis
trict. In fact, Smathers lost wher-
ever he was we'll known. Unfortu
nately, Smathers' smear campaign,
financed by Yankee capitalists,
was successful in other parts of
Florida where we couldn't get the
truth to the voters"
To tell the truth, the Pepper
Smathers fight was nothing to brag
about. Nor have | great liking for
Mr.. Smathers, who made himself
particularly obnoxious by playing
white and colored people against
each other. On the other hand, it is
only fair to say that Senator Pep
per's campaign was little above
that of his opponent; considering
Peppers IA years in the U. S. Sen
ate, one might have expected more
of him. SO, weighing both in the
balance, it is perhaps not too bad
for the Florida citizens to find out
for themselves the qualifications of
the future Senator Smathers.
+ i i
What does the dollar of today !
to, compared with the dol
lar of 10 years ago? Although |
much has been written on the sub
ject, am indebted to a monetary
connected with a New York
financial institution for an intelli-
gent and understandable an answer
as can be expected on such diff
cut subject.
This is the way he puts it:
'If you had 81 coo in cash in
1889, and managed to hang on
to it until 1949, you still had
$1,000 in numbers, but their
purchasing power was down to
1914;
if you had put $1,000 into
savings account and left them
alone, you had in 1949 ST.
230.S3, amounting to $706.50
of the former purchasing pow