The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1915-08-26
RACK TO THE SOIL" MOVEMENT

|"6ACk TO THE SO1L' MOVE0&N1
In a speech in San Francisco, Secre-
|tary of Labor Wilson exclaimed: LET
JUS take the $3.50, 900 surplus in the
immigration fund and take it over to,
the department Of agriculture to be
used in transporting immigrants and
laborers "back to the SOIL" on govern
ment land and we will do much toward
solving the unemployment problem. A
fair sample of administrative "team
work. At first the hard times and I'M
employment were purely psychological,
then they were overcome by what Sec
rotary Of Commerce Redfield described
as landing the country safe and strong
on the peaceful shores Of prosperity
Now unemployment admittedly exists
again and is to be solved by taking
$130,00o,0oo from a treasury whose
daily reports show net balance Of
only $65, 1000, 900, including bullion,
subsidiary coin, and other assets which
other administrations did not class as
available for expenditure. But if Sec
rotary Wilson really wants to help that
back to the soil movement, why not
get the postmaster general to restore
those discontinued star and rural mail
lroutesi
The Houston Post advocates bond
issue to meet the expense of national
preparedness, no matter what the sum
may be. The suggestion is a natural
one-natural, as coming from Demo-
cratic newspaper, and natural for a
Democratic administration to follow.
An issue of bonds in time of peace, to
meet an obvious national expense, To-
the regular Democratic practice. 1t
never happens except when Demo-
cratic administrations are in power. The
Post advocates bond issue "insteadf
of piling on more taxes for the people
to pay at time when all burdens are
heavy" Surely the Post must be nis-
taken in this last assertion. The aim.
and object of the Democratic admins
tration is to tighten the burdens Of the
people. The Baltimore platfrom said.
so; the president has said so; hundreds
of lesser Democratic lights have said
SO; we have seen it thousand times
in Democratic newspapers. Whaddaya
mean, "When all burdens are heavyi"
The postmaster of st. Louis Demo
crat! Oh, yes) rushes into Washington
and tells reporter on the Post that
prosperity has struck Mound City. The
steel mills have opened and the bread
lines have ceased. Bread lines3 Bread
linesf We're there really bread lines
In st. Louis? Whenf And what caused
thems The war in Europei How in
teresting! And what caused the steel
mills to open, the war in Europe, alsof
NOT 1t was the Democratic partyf Won
derful! Wonderful! Mr.. Postmaster.
you desirve your job. You are indeed q
deserving Democrat.
The postmaster at Osceola, Iowa, 10
also the editor of Democratic news
paper; and he has just filed a petition
in bankruptcy. 1t would be interesting.
right now, to reproduce some of his
prosperity editorials.
| Vice-president Marshall has been tell
ing Kansas Chautauqua audience that
he is worried about what he shall do
when his term expires. He doesn y
want to 60 back to the law, he finds
politics too dull, and Chautauquing too
hard. It is evident that Mr.. Marshall
does not share the Democratic illusion
about 1916.
Senator Jim Ham Lewis foresees the.
day when we shall be at war with four
nations-Japan, Russia, Germany, and
China. Far be it from us to attempt to
discredit the Senator's vision. But
what is his party going to do about itf
When Pancho Villa exclaimed: "The
United States government can 20 to
hell" he merely voiced publicly what
every Mexican bandit has thought about
us for the past two years.
-O-