The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-03-30
BELIEVES ARMY AND
NAVY SHOULD WORK
Senator Bailey Of Pennsylvania Has
Bill Authorizing President to En-
ploy Men and Officers
CONDEMNS PRESENT CONDITIONS
Says Boys are Taken From Gainful
Occupations into One Morally and
Economically Destructive
BY Cong. G. H. Tavenner


Washington, March 3O.-"If we
must have hugh standing army and
a big navy-and all the LIMOGES
agree that we must in the interest
of the worlds peace,-then let's put
'em to work. ~,
This is the idea of Representative
Warren Worth Bailey of Pennsyl-
vania. He has embodied it in a bill
which he has introduced in the
house. =
BY the terms of this bill the presi-
dent is authorized and directed to
employ the officers and men both of
of army and navy in the construction
of the Alaska railroad, the reclama-
ton of arid lands, the drainage of
submerged or swamp lands, the con-
struction of levees or public high
ways and the improvement of rivers
and harbors.
trained men who are not earning
their SALT" said Mr.. Bailey in dis
cussing his bill. "Largely speaking
army and navy are a dead weight on
the shoulders of labor. They are as
much burden as the folks in the
poor house or in the asylums. They
work of course. but unproductively.
They consume without contributing
to the sum of wealth. And they are
made up in large part the very flower
of our young manhood. Officers and
men alike are capable of useful work
and if they were not engaged in dip
ping up water and pouring it back
they would he occupied in some gain
full employment. .--.... .~
"Now why should all these men be
carried on the backs of our toilers
in mill and mine, in field and forest?
Why shouldn't they get down and do
their share of the worlds real work?
We are about to build railroads in
Alaska. Why not set army and navy
on this job? I feel certain that
there would be fewer assertions from
either branch Of the service and much
less vice among officers and men if
they were busy on a job in which
genuine results would be shown.
1--WE are appropriating approx
mately $300,000,OOO on army and
navy this year." Mr.. Bailey contin-
ued. 'That is at least twice what
a Democratic congress ought to ap-
propriate, but jingoism has posses
sion of congress. And what are we
going to get for all this money? Not
a blessed thing actually worth while.
We shall get perhaps some more bat
tleships and other fighting craft. We
shall get some more boys away from
gainful occupations into an eccupa-
ton morally and economically des-
structive. We shall pave the way for
a lengthening pension roll for the flu
ture. And that's all. But II my pro-
posal shall be adopted-and it is not
a fantastic or impossible one-we
shall get for a part of it at least
some concrete results in the way of
railroads in Alaska, reclaimed lands
in the arid west, tillable acres in the
now submerged sections and i'm
proved highways-all without addi-
tional taxes. For with the poten-
tial labor now frittered away in
climbing up a ladder and climbing
down again turned into the channels
of actual production the appropria-
tions for army and navy to this ex-
tent will take on the aspect of an in
vestment or pay for services rendered.
The work done will be useful Instead