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Show PASSING THE HAT By George Pock Scarcely a week gws by but at least one individual climbs tbe stairway to niy garret office to resale me with; some scheme he lias hatched up that he believes will benefit bene-fit the American people. Dnrinir the course of an ordinary week, several others bombard me with letters. All of them request my help to publicize their particular plans. A few of these proposals have merit and, in my humble hum-ble opinion, would be beneficial . if put into operation. Most ofthem, however, ajram, in my humble opinion, arc visionary and impractical could not be put into opera-lion, opera-lion, and even if they could, would lie detrimental, not helpful, help-ful, to the welfare of the nation. Rut what makes me politely but firmly reject about nine out of ten of these schemes is that they call for a further fur-ther assault on the U. S. Treasury and for adding to the burden under which Uncle Sam's taxpayers already arc staggering. Tn other words, they would require Federal support and financing. It is no secret that T am bitterly opposed to the Federal Fed-eral Government's usurpation of many things that constitutionally con-stitutionally and rightfully belong to our state and local governments. Someday 1 hope we will exercise the good sense to turn many of these' projects back t ostnte and local governments, where they will be both better and more economically administered. And not only has the Federal Government unconstitutionally unconsti-tutionally stuck its long nose into the affairs of states and municipalities, but also it has taken upon itself the administration of philanthropies and charities that the Founding Fathers, in their great wisdom, ordained should lie privately financed and administered. Tt is time to call a halt to this looking. to the Federal Government for free education, free insurance, free medicine, medi-cine, in fact, for free everything, Tt is sheer nonsense for the Federal Government to syphon money from the various states, only to send it back again. That money shrinks on the trip forth and back, and what's even worse, it comes back freighted with political power and with strings attached. In the knowledge of this, T was delighted to receive a copy of a letter written by a "Waterloo (Towa) businessman business-man to a hospital in his community which was soliciting his company for financial support. T quote this letter: ""We have your circular letter of April 8th requesting request-ing this company to contribute to a fund for furniture to be used in the new addition to your hospital. This is a wortliv project and the sort this company usually is very glad to support. "However, your hospital is on record as requesting a large donation from the Federal Government. Your government is in debt to the extent of over 2."0 billion dollars and is taxinsr our company and every one of our employees at a rate that is ruinous. Your government is spending your money and ours at the rate of over 40 billion bil-lion a year. Tt is a disgraceful condition, and hospitals should make a stand for economy in government and for local responsibility for local projects. ""We can not contribute to nnv concern which is asking ask-ing for Federal funds. Yours truly, C W. CHAPMAN' LUMBER CO." N'ow. if all businessmen will follow the lead of Mr Chapman, we'll wt this nation back on an even keel Tt's high time that all of us stop passing the hat to Uncle Sam |