The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-20
NO TIME FOR TIE GLOOMS.

NV EVN H. U1lOVNCs
AS Billy Shakespeare would say,
"Now is the winter of our discomfort"
ETC., and it has to be admitted that,
at this time, the national psychology
inclines toward pessimism.
Almost every fellow who returns
from Washington reports that the
of the war management
are pessimistic Investigations are
showing up near-scandals and sure
weaknesses. The transportation stu
alton is bad Many of the newly
selected soldiers are drilling with
broomsticks and thousands of the re-
cruits have had to be taken into pri-
vate homes In almost every dircc-
ton there appears decided lack OF
military necessaries.
In even ordinary times the winter
season has it's natural gloom The
sun doesn't do a good and regular
job of shining. Bills seem to have
a habit of mobilizing. There's q
shortage in pretty near everything
save the furnaces ability to burn up
money. We stay in the house more
and, consequently, our livers work
less.
But, if the most pessimistic amongst
us sit down and think, we ought to
easily put the glooms to flight.
When Uncle Sam declared war, a
little over eight months ago, the real
proposition was to turn peaceful
democracy into warning autOcracy
And just consider what a democracy
it was!
Politically, we had divided Re.
publican party, party that had dom
mated, pretty regularly, for a hall
century; a Democratic party that had
slipped in by the skin of its teeth
Socialism growing; progressivism
trying to find itself; and all of us
claWing at each other.
Racially, we were just one beauti-
full cOsmorama of over such mighty
issues as prohibition and womans
suffrage.
Racially, we were just one beauti-
full of cosmorama Of all the nations
extant.
Socially, we were about as caste
ridden, in one way or another, as ever
England was.
Commercially, our railroads were
headed toward the poor house, we
had no merchant marine whatever
and no adequate system and organ
ization through which to complete in
the foreign markets.
Industrially, we had got to habitu.
ally setting disturbances by violence
and private armies OF thugs, with
court-martials and government troops
as the final resort.
What we really declared for, last
April, was the right about-face, in re-
spect of all these conditions. We de.
cided to convert confusion and dem.
ocracy of opinion and effort into ma
tional unity and organization for one
purpose. 1t was like taking all the
tongues of Babel and making. them
speak in the language of United
States patriotism. 1t was giving
birth to an infant who should take
the job Of an Atlas. And some of us
are gloomy because the boy isn't on
the job at eight months of age!
Behold! we have made mistakes, we
have shown weaknesses, we are no,
yet ready to take the mighty burden
of the world upon our shoulders!
But the wonder of it is that we've got
the start that we have. Any commit
tee can take gun and go out and
find spots in any department of ma
tional effort that are not bullet-proof.
Any individual can feel his body over
and find corns, boil, bad teeth, aches
of some sort over which to make him
self satisfactorily miserable, if he
wants to. But the nation, or the man,
worth while is the one that can smile
when some things 60 wrong, take an
other cinch in the belt and 60 at the
real job fiercer than ever.
Cheer up, everybody! After winter
comes spring. and this coming spring
is going to be the growingest spring,
every way, that this good old world
ever saw.