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Show Let's Build No More Pyramids We would like to see the government of the United States, the government of every state, every county and every town, start right off on a program of public improvements improve-ments that will put a lot of people to work and put a lot of money into circulation. But we don't want to see that sort of work clone if it is just going to sink taxpayers' money where it won't come back. Among the greatest public works of all time are the pyramids of Egypt. Under the direction of successive Phoraohs they gave employment to practically everybody in Egypt, but they consumed practically all of the money and resources of Egypt. And once all of that labor and money had been built into the pyramids, there wasn't any way of getting it out again, and that is what ruined ancient Egypt. We have built enough pyramids, in the form of non-producing public works, in America. We do not think the government, gov-ernment, or any part of the government, ought to go into business in competition with private capital, but we can think of a lot of things, to build which it would be perfectly sound business for the government to borrow money, because be-cause eventually Liie money would come back to pay for those enterprises, and they are not tiie sort of thing toward which private capital has ever been greatly inclined. We have in mind such things as the building of toll bridges over riv?rs, of developing great water power cites like the Btiokler dam, which will pay for itself by the sale of power and of water rights for irrigation. We understand that the Washington monument, altho it was only partly built by government funds, more than pays for its upkeep by the fees charged for taking visitors to the top of it. We think the principles of democracy have been carried too far in assuming that whatever was paid for out of public funds should be free for the use of everybody who wants to use it. By all means let Uncle Sam sell bonds to get money for public works, provided it is not to be spent for pyramids but for projects so sate-guariied that the money will come back with interest without putting an added burden upon the taxpayers. |