Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-03-15

defeat to the side they are not back
ing. 1 am not judging OF the merits
of the case. but simply stating facts.
am convinced that If American
money was backing the central pow
ers, long ago we should have heard
good and sufficient reasons for aveng- !
ing tn cintonual violation of neutral
rights made by the British government
from the beginning of the struggle.
The men who have been supplying
ammunition from this side Of the Az
lantic, that men on the other side
might continue to shoot each other
down, also want war. Blood and death
and cripples and suffering and starry
ing children crying for bread mean
millions for them, and they would vote
to continue the war forever. Acres Of
factories have been built and thous-
ands of men and women have been
employed to help feed and keep alive
| the demon which is at large across the
water. These wealthy interests would
gladly sell their products to all the
warning governments, but long ago
Great Britain forbade them to trade
! with her enemies, and now that Ger
many, by fair means or foul, is deter
mined to do likewise, the manufactur-
/ ing interests swell the chorus and de-
mand the sacrifice of men, that they
may be allowed to resume the turning
of blood into gold for their already
overcrowded vaults.
The wealthy transportation COM
panies add their voices. They have
been wont of late to load their vessels
to the limit with munitions Of war for
the allies, to hide behind Uncle Sans
coat tails by taking on a goodly num-
Der of American passengers, especial
ly women and children, II they could
be secured. then to sail into the area
where nations are battling for very
existence and men are drunk with
blood, to return If successful, with
harvest of gold. There is an obstruc-
ton in the way just now, and these see
nothing incongruous In asking Uncle
Sam to spill the blood OF q million or
two of his best sons, to avenge the in
terruption of their ungodly trade.
The voice that shouts for country
best when it hears the jingle of the
guinea may be questioned even when
it arises from so respectable an in
stitution as the American newspaper.
1t takes very little calculating to real
ize that every war headline in our
newspapers, increases the sales enro-
mously Every shot fired, every citi-
zen endangered, every move toward
the hideous thing that threatens,
means for the newspaper interests. the
time of plenty. So, fondly believing
that they are but speaking the voice
of the people, they would mold senti-
ment along unnatural lines, and lead
the people to think that what they do
not want Is inevitable, and help to
swell the tide that bears us to ca
lamity.
Most of these I have mentioned will
never see a battle line II war is thrust
upon us. They live in houses of plenty
and their children will never know
hunger even II we should come to the
condition of stricken Europe. The
man who Is least able, must bear the
blow; and out Of the thousands who
go forward, the survivors who return
when all IL over. must bend their backs
to toll while they pay a little more
for every article of food and clothing
SO long as they shall live, and their
children after them, that Uncle Sam
may pay the war debt
And for what is 1t an? Shall we
not bear even insult until men are
once more sane, then in our might and
right, demand PREPARATION for the past
and guarantee for the future?
FORD NJ. BURTCH.
Fruitland. Idaho. March IL. 1917.