The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-12-07

into consptracies against the neutrality
Of the government. they have sought
to pry into every confidential trans
action OF the government in order to
| serve interests alien to our own. 1t is
possible to deal with these things very
etrectually. l need not suggest the
terms in which they may be dealt with.
I wish that 1t could be said that only
a few men. misled by mistaken senti-
ments Of allegiance to the governments
! under which they were born, had been
guilty OF disturbing the self possession
| and misrepresentins the temper and
principles OF the country during these
days of terrible war, when II would
seem that every man who was truly an
American would instinctively make it
his duty and his pride to keep the
scales OF Judgment even and prove him
! self n partisan OF no nation but his
own. But it cannot. There are some
men among us and many resident
abroad who, though born and bred in
the United States and calling them
selves Americans, have so forgotten
themselves and their honor MS citizens
us W put luSiA pussiosit>kc ny LNpallS
with one or the other side in the great
European conflict above their regard
for the peace and dignity of the United
States. They also preach and pra ctice
disloyalty. No laws, I suppose can
! reach corruptions of the mind and
heart. but I should not speak Of others
! without also speaking of these and ex-
pressing the even deeper humiliation
: and scorn which every self possessed
! and thoughtfully patriotic American
must feel when he thinks of them and
of the discredit they are daily bringing
upon US.
What Is moro Important Is that the
Industries and resources Of the country
should be available and ready for
mobilization. 1t is the more tmpera-
lively necessary, therefore, that we
should promptly devise means for do
ing what we have not yet done-that
we should give intelligent federal aid
and stimulation to industrial and vooa-
tional education, as we have long done
In the large field Of our agricultural
industry; that at the same time that
we safeguard and conserve the natural
resources Of the country we should
put them at the disposal Of those who
will use them promptly and intelli-
gently, as was sought to be done in
the admirable bills submitted to the
last congress from its committees on
| the public lands, bills which earnest
| ly recommend in principle to your con-
sideration; that we should put into
early operation some provision for
rural credits which will add to the ex-
| tcnsive borrow. facilities already
afforded the farmer by the reserve
! bank act adequate instrumentalitles
by which long credits may be obtained
on land mortgages and that we should
study more carefully than they have
hitherto been studied the right adapta-
ton Of our economic arrangements to
| changing conditions.
Many conditions about which we
have repeatedly legislated are being
altered from decade to decade, it Is
evident, under our very eyes and are
likely to change even more rapidly
and more radically In the days imme-
diately ahead of us when peace has
returned to the world and the nations
of Europe once more take up their
tasks of commerce and industry with
the energy Of those who must bestir
themselves to build anew.