V.gabond Editoriafs

By Jack Dionne

The farmer once remarked to his jackass: ..I have only one advantage over you that I lrrow of-I can vote; and after I have voted I generally wonder who is really the jackass-you or I?"

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The other morning there stared. back at me from the first page of the morning paper headlines that Washington said prices must increase still farther. That same day a neighbor lady said to me-"I paid five cents a pound more for beefsteak today than I did two weeks ago; with the same reduced salary of my husband, how long can I keep this up?" And, I said to myself-',Why did the Good Lord put me on earth with so small a supply of brains that I cannot understand simple ,matters like these, or answer simple questions like my neighbor asked me?" Never before have I longed to be smart as I have of late; so I could understand the things the smart folks are trying to do.

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I got the feeling that the inmate of the asylum must have had who was in the group that was called together in the institution one Sunday morning to listen to a sermon from a visiting preacher. This particular inmate showed great interest in the serrnon, and as it ended he was seen to say something with much fervor to the keeper who sat near-by. So the preacher, desiring to get the reaction of the feeble. minded people with regard to his sermon, asked the keeper what the dim-wit had said. The keeper replied: ,,He said to me 'this is a hell of a world; I'm locked up and that guy's running loose."'

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Old age pensions is one of the hobbies of the hour with our political talkers. I have no quarrel with old-age pensions whenever they can be intelligently planned-and paid. But when I hear men advocating old age pensions whose payment would require one-half of the entire income of all the people-and some of the plans would cost that much and more-I wonder what on earth HAS become of the fool killer.

I used to make a speech (which I intended to be humorous) outlining two pet laws I wanted passed. The first one was to trade the Philippines for frehnd, and start raising our own policemen; the second was to make it compulsory for bow-legged people to marry knock-kneed people, the idea being to get things straightened out in this country. I thought those proposals were rather funny in those days. Today I'm afraid they might be taken seri_ ously.

However, some smart things ARE being done of late, and some of my hopes reach fulfillment. I prayed in this column two weeks ago that some of the shackles might fall from business so that it might try to walk alone. Since then a number of very important shackles have fallen, including the fixation of retail lumber prices. The old law of supply and demand oftentimes bites savagely; but in_the long run it is safe, sound, and sane. I long for the return of health to the lumber industry; and the removal of the crutches, the canes, the bandages, and the anaesthetics must come before we again crawl, then walk, then run. ft's the days when lumber will .,run" again, that I'm waiting for.

:trr* f see more signs of ready money around rne today than I have seen since the depression started. I hear less talk of trouble than I have heard since depression started. When a good movie comes to town I have to stand in line away down the street waiting my turn to lay down an exorbitant price for a ticket to see it, just as I did six or seven years ago. If it were not for the fact that I know the number of people on relief everywhere, f would think we had gone back to pre-depression times. And, of course, I know that the country is still about 7 SVo dead industrially; and that confidence and credit are still largely absent. yet to the casual glance as I stroll about the streets, things are greatly improved.

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It would be interesting to know how many men have gone back to work in all of our cities who were thrown out of employment eighteen months ago when the codes went into effect. All the small lines of business such as small shops, restaurants, pressing and cleaning establishments, car washing and greasing and dozens of other lines of business in our cities were absolutely staggered by the imposition of the code wage and hour scales. When they couldn't agree with those provisions and operate, they simply laiil off their help, and this happened everywhere, and ran into big figures. It didn't last long. Again these small shops and businesses run as best they can, charging what they can get, and paying what the business permits. But worlds of people have gone back to work.

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