Show e- e t 1 r rt t r t I rf R Washington A A politician without a D problem confronting him Is virtually virtually vir vir- unknown f frt Political Whether Whether h he be n a r t Problems Ms big shot bot In political po po- t. t ideal life lire or Just Justa ij a n ward heeler his life Is constantly constant constant constant- constanty ly y y beset with Ith difficulties Those difficulties dIr dif always have hn and always c. c will force forc him to wiggle le and md squirm and sprout a additional gray hairs The newest problem worrying politicians po po- Is the Townsend old age ne aget t pension proposal Promoters of that fantastic scheme are paining gaining such sucha 0 a hen headway wa that even en James A. A Farey Farley Far Far- ley ey postmaster general chairman v of the Democratic national committee commit commit- tee and chairman of ot the New Ne York state Democratic committee Is currently currently cur cur- reported to be ba developing frowns fro on his otherwise smiling face When Mr Farley begins to I get worried there Is cause Indeed ct i at l for tor all nn of ot the other politicians big bigand bigand and 11 little to get worried The Republicans Re Ile- publicans also are concerned about the Townsend plan But Dut It Is not quite as Important to the Republicans cans as It Is to the Democrats to take e a n stand on the Townsend Townsen d plan because the Democrats are In control control con con- of the national administration I and obviously oh they are on the de de- de- de e The hattie battle being pressed by Mr Townsend and his satellites Is no small concern Impossible as It Is of operation doomed to ultimate failure failure failure fail fail- ure as ns such a n scheme must definitely definite definite- ly y be be It continues to expand In Its scope of political Influence and has hns arrived at nt the point where It constitutes constitutes con con- a power that must be reckoned reck reek with by all I am nm convinced con that anyone who will trill analyze analyse the Townsend plan cannot cannot can can- not help arriving at nt the conclusion that'll Is comparable to the fantasy of ot the Mississippi lIs bubble When the Mississippi bubble brol broke e not thousands but hut millions were u If It not utterly destroyed S and DOll their economic future so glowingly glowingly glow glow- painted was completely wrecked t t The Townsend plan which contemplates con con- contemplates templates payment ment of ot two hundred dollars per pr month Townsend to the In Indigent Isone Is Plan one of or those r I thIn things s that de develops de- de e. e Invariably In perl periods oils of ot economic distress It Is distinctly a i product of hard times When people are out of work and without resources when they are suffering they are alwa always s prey to any and all argument offering them thlIn relief The conditions exact even e a greater toll a toll leading to crime Only a few days ago ao the chief of or the secret service W W. II H. told me that It was n a characteristic char char- of hard har times that coun coon counterfeiters 0 of ot currency were more active arthe Idle hands will find something some J thing to do an and the clever er crook crank will take advantage e of or the situation While every pry one who has hns talked with wi One Doctor Townsend reco recognizes his his earnest desire e lre to accomplish relief for the n aged rl anti and Indigent population I believe helle It Is Isan isan an on Indisputable fact that Doctor DoctorTown Town plan would not get Jet to first bJ base e except for the fact that this country now has hns millions of ot citizens who are arc almost If not quite without food fond The point paint I am nm trying to make e Is that Doctor One Town Townsend's Townsends scheme Idle dream m that It Is Is has b been en put forward forward for for- wm ward at one of or the few times In this nations cation's history when It Is possible to amass a following of political Im- Im I e. It Is only In times such as liS those these that people would pay attention at nt- to IL It It will die down lown and hi Or organization will crumble sometime sometime sometime some some- time In tIP tine future lout hut this will not J happen until It tins has caused plenty of or grief until It It- has wrecked po- po fortunes s of countless scores score eg of men and women who guess JUNiS wron wrong and until probably It has hns produced a burden of or taxation upon this nation antian na nn tion tian the like of or which never oever has bas been 11 seen n t Townsend plan supporters In all of their preachments nl have IrI consistently consistently consist consist- talked of or their proposition irom from us Its beauteous Fide clde It Is sus susceptible of that because It It Is easy II Y to tn point n r Oil out not t what lint r n a blessing sl fI H It would be to tn Ira have each aged nell pr person un receive a n monthly ell check of or two tarn hundred dulla dollars rs from the tile government o t. t nut But there Is another r side to the picture plc It Ir Is basic Where will the till government O nt get pt the Itte money Townsend Town Town- send spokesmen Io mn have c figured out a visionary taxation scheme to raise the amount of or III money on r. required but the thing they do not net discuss I Is the fundamental l fart fact tint that by hy their taxation taxation tax tax- lX scheme they will depreciate our national currency and mel will load upon tho e who hn ore are willing to 0 work such n burden of or rr taxation that rha soon joon there will t be lie a n clamor from frum three out of four of the theu for sour pome kind of nr a government n payment The TIu Pili end then would be he obvious oh be- be after nil Government r o as ns such es nothing All that I 1 pays pars S' S S out trust must be lie taken from Crow row those who i pro product uc i fro In n adverting to the thc Townsend plan as I have hate done ono I have attempted attempted at nt tempted to set Another forth ID lu a n manner Problem what I believe to tobe tobe tobe be one of or the thereat greatest reat st dangers of or the present day namely the absence of ot clear think think- ing In the Townsend plan as In Inmany Inmany inmany many other problems that confront the nation at nt the moment Individuals Indi seem prone to Jump lump at conclusIons conclusions con con- without analyzing what conditions actually are and without considering c what the tile ultimate effect would be bc It seems worth while to consider another national problem which though of ot an nn economic nature nn and less sensational In Its outward appearance ap ap- ap- ap Is nevertheless very real This problem concerns our transportation transportation transportation trans trans- s system stem Shortly after President R Roosevelt took office we e were deluged with argument that amounted to propaganda propaganda ganda favoring government go ownership ownership owner owner- ship of ot the railroads There was ns a n reaction against thIs i Idea ea The reaction reaction re re- action was so stron strong that few tew pol pol- I dared to unloose their In favor or of or government I ownership Yet It Is perfectly evident evi evi- evident dent that those who favor or perpetuating perpetuating perpetu perpetu- private enterprise which h Is I always more efficient and less wasteful Wasteful Waste waste- ful tul than any government are In danger danger dan dan- ger of or being lulled to sleep Crack Crackpots pots and misguided e theorists In Jr great at numbers still favor government government govern govern- ment ownership of the railroads Certain developments of the past several sc months confirm the statement statement state state- ment I J have e Just made Taken Thlen singly singly sing sing- ly y these developments appear In In- significant Collectively cly they are very cry Important I have heard beard It cJ charged ared that government gov go em anent own ownership advocates nd have hn havea a n well laid plan to wreck private ownership In the rail Industry This charge chare goes Joes further It asserts that those hose who s seek k to destroy our profit prof- prof It t system are arc proceeding piecemeal to o load a n burden of ot charges upon the he railroads s so that In the en end It will be he a n ph physical Impossibility for tor forthe he the railroads to earn carn a n profit Obviously If that end were attaIned at- at bankruptcy would woul follow Then there would woul Means Mean be no 00 alternative Bankruptcy but legislative e action netlon ac ne- tion placing the rail railroads roa s In government o owne ownership I Our wartime experience ou ought ht to tobe tobe tobe be sufficient to demonstrate how the the costs mount when the government government f operates the railroads It means more taxes on every everyone one of ot us usi who has hns las Income whether It be large or small But to get et back to the developments developments develop develop- ments mentioned earlier Whether there here exists an nn actual plan to give drive the railroads Into bankruptcy or not the de developments certainly are subject to that surmise One of or the terns items of or expense e a n new burden cn of cost that Is proposed propose to be loaded loaded load load- ed ell on the railroads Is the rail pension pension pension pen pen- sion law I have seen some statistical statistical statis statis- calculations were wert convincing convincing con con- to me at least that the charges es proposed to be levied lcd upon the railroads by hy the law will not work out In the manner their proponents proponents proponents pro pro- claim The bill hili would assess assess as ns- sess each rail corporation 3 per percent percent percent cent of or Its pay roll and each worker work er would contribute a n proportionate amount of his salary toward his pensIon when he lie retires Like the Townsend Townsen plan no one can argue against the fine One spirit actuating a n move mOte to protect the retired work work- ers But to go o behind the figures at nt atthe atthe the thc start one finds certain astonishing astonish ing facts Almost any way almost any method one uses to calculate I this cO cost t forces the conclusion that after el eight ht or ten years the pension pensions s system stem will have hn expanded to such an extent that lint the railroads will be carrying ln an nn annual charge e en their payroll of or not 3 per cent but hut approximately approximately ap nr- ap- ap proximately 1 in 15 per pcr cent I J think It goes Joes without saying that no Industry Industry industry Indus Indus- try can bear benr such a tax tae In adoption addition to the pension proposition labor unions nl aided er by hy their cn cats cats' In con congress ress have kept up a t steady machine gun fire demanding de de- mantling manding fir first t one thIn thing anti and then another from the th carriers For In Instance In- In n- n stance one of or the rhe current nt demands amt and It Is la likely ly to succeed l In some form Is form Is the nt for shorter r hours for practically the he entire list of or railroad employees pl rel Of or course e the he railroads cannot Justify work work- in Int their employees lon longer pr titan than eight hours hour except In an nn emergency It I Is po possible that a t seven sp seven hour day might he be practiced Rut nut even n n a seven hour tiny day would me mC n that the railroads runs nuts add to their op op- crating costs coats o t and any tern Item nIle added ll to operating ro costs tR reduces the chance of or the corporations for nn an even break between een Income and out out- go 0 There are a number of or other such demands or movements under tinder way 1 or In the offing I Each Kach one means a n new nw burden a a new tax on the railroads railroad C O Western Newspaper Union |