Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 April 1909 — HARD TIMES AND THE PEOPLE’S EXPENSES. [ARTICLE]

HARD TIMES AND THE PEOPLE’S EXPENSES.

There Is a great concern throughout the country over the continuance of “hard times.” Those persons who voted for Taft and Sherman, and who helped to give the Republican party a majority in congress with the expectation that the land would instantly flow with milk and honey, must feel that they made themselves the victims or a political confidence game. As a matter of fact—cold and disagreeable fact—business conditions have shown no appreciable improvement, and the chances are that times will get worse before they begin to mend. In addition to their other troubles the people are carrying heavy public burdens in the shape of direct and indirect taxes for much of which they get little in return. The deficit in the national revenues for the present year will reach about <140,000,000. The national government’s income through various forms of taxation has been enormous, but its expenditures have been monstrous in their extravagance. The people of Indiana have borne and are still bearing their share of this heavy load. Under Republican control in this state—and that control has only partly been broken —the taxpayers have been made to groan. Heads of families, with children in the schools, have been particularly hard hit, and if the State Board of Education shall make a complete change in the text books used in the public schools, as they will be urged to do by interested book sellers (including the trust), the parents in this state will have to dig down into their pockets for many hundreds of dollars more than will otherwise be necessary. When the late legislature met, Governor Marshall and the Democratic members did what they could to cut down expenses. And they did much, although they were handicapped by a Republican senate and by conditions created by the Republican party which could not be at once corrected. The Democratic party is pledged to save the people from a public extortion in every form, and this is a thing that is vitally important while the hard times continue. So long, however, as the Democrats have only partial power they must be held responsible only for those things which they can control.