Milford chronicle., 1951-06-22
SUPPOSE mis- HAPPENED


1t is commonly believed that the whole
responsibility for getting rid of unnecessary
government expenditures falls upon Congress
and the Administration. But a third power
must bear its full share of the responsibility
toO-and that power is the American people
WhO incidentally, pay all the bills. Suppose,
for instance, that chambers of commerce,
civic groups, business associations, labor
unions and other such institutions in every
part OF the Country came out for real ecOnO-
my-and said, frankly and flatly, that they
wanted their states and their communities
to willingly accept their part of the cuts that
would follow. And suppose, finally. that
when the cuts were made, these Organiza-
tiOns would praise Congress for making
them instead Of crying to high heaven for
more Federal tax money to be spent locally.
The result would be to enormously encOur-
age those men in government who honestly
want to pinch the peoples pennies and, at
the same time, it would bring many new
converts into the fold. For good or evil, the
men who run the government keep their
ears to the ground. They listen to "the folks
back home" Once they become. convinced
that their constituents want the government
to Danish the luxuries and the waste. thev'DI
do just that. They'll never do it so long as
theV believe that everyone wants economy
to be confined to the other fellows pasture.
5000
CONTROLS AND SMALL BUSINESS
No one in position Of high responsible
lty IN Washington seems to know it, but when
the government clamps down all-out con-
trOls on manpOWer and materials, small bus
mess, not big business, takes the beating.
This fact was recently pointed out by the
head OF very big business-Henry Ford II, J.,
president of Ford Motor Company. Mr.. Ford
TnoIIZoc fhof nj l. 1
cause OF the armament program But, he OBJ
served, "In the first two years of World War
IL, 16 per cent of the sO-called small busi-I
ncssmen of the country were forced to shut
up shop under a system of all-Out controls.
l am told that there is some suspicion even
now that when the fatality count is known.
this time, the small business liquidation rateI
may be even higher than it was in 1912 andI
l943. That's not because there's nothing forI
small business to do, but because many SMALL
businesses are less able to withstand theI
strangling grip of controls" Mr.. Ford pro-
tested particularly at the uncertainty and
confusion which emanates from Washing
ton. He observed, eve can't plan our busi-I
ness on rumOrs." The big business, of course
can stagger along somehow. But the small
business can't. It's time the deep-thinkers inI
Washington came down to earth.
5000
INITIATION HITS EVERYBODY
The initiation that has eaten away nearly
half Of each American dollar is levying a |
heavy tribute against every one of us. First
OF all, initiation already has destroyed about
S3,OOO,O00,00O of the money we appropriated
for defense. Machine guns, rifles, uniforms,
alrplanes, and ships all cost more now than
they did when the Armed Forces made their
original plans - $3,OOO,OO00OO more! The
savings we have deposited in bank have lost
nearly half their buying power. The insur
ance which men took out for their families
the pensions on which we depend for old age
these too will pay for only little more
than half of what we expected. No one
escapes imitation. It taxes the housewife
when she does her weekly shopping; it robs
the farmers when he buys tools and ma
chinery; it strikes at the manufacturer who
produces those farm implements. The only
way to avoid imitation is to prevent it bv
sound taxation and frugal government spend
ing.