Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-12-09

nto conspiracies against the neutrality
If the government. they have sought
10 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
effectually. | need not suggest the
terms in which they may be dealt with.
l wish that it could be said that only
a few men. misled by mistaken senti-
ments Of allegiance to the governments
under which they We're born. had been
guilty Of disturbing the self possession
and misrepresenting the temper and
principles of the country during these
days of terrible war. when 1t 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 a 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 as citizens
as to put their passionate sympathy
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 practice
disloyalty. No laws, l suppose, can
reach corruptions Of the mind and
heart, but l 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 u.s.
What is more important is that the
industries and resources Of the country
should be available and ready for
mobilization. 1t is the more impera
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 voca-
tiOnal education, as we have long done
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 it's 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-
tensive borrowing facilities already
afforded the farmer by the reserve
bank act adequate instrumentalities
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