The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-07-12
WAR AND DEMOCRACY
(By Henry Dwight Sedwick Oh 'ne
Vigilantes)

oration for quiet argument "
thresbing out differing opinions
War REQUIRES prompt action; 1t com'
nels a nation to entrust great po"
ars into the hands of the President
and reduces the functions OF COL
press to enacting laws that carry OUT
the Presidents will. A natioh a.
war like a man attacked, must Dc
o h,e IN strike its hardest on the IN
slant and ward off blows instinct
ively. All the national actions tnat
in times of peace are rational ac-
tions the fruits of deliberatlon, must
in time of war became instructive
automatic.
It is difficult for peace-loving
people suddenly to adjust itself 10
this novel situation. The country
would like to have time to think what
il had better do about this and that,
about anti-submarine defense, ABOUT
steel and wooden ships, about sehd-
ing great army to France, about
wise policy towards Russia, ABOUT
how to convince the German people
that we really are their friends ana
wish to help them to democracy LOT
their onw sakes as well as for safety
of the world But there is no time
to colate the opinions of 2O,OO0,OOO
men and 100000 women, neither
is there time for Congress to listen
to the elaborate arguments OF the
pacifsts among its members. Inc
President must have immediate pow
er to act for the whole country.
Undemocratic as this seems, we
may hope that it will lead to two
great democratic achievements. The
first, of course, is to induce Germany
to overthrow her military class and
becom a republic. The second ap-
plies particularly to the democratic
affairs of this country; we believe
that there will be far greater equal
ity in sharing the wealth of the cOun-
try, far greater equality between the
rich and the poor This will be &C.
complished in this way:
The taxes will be enormous. The
country will spend 10 billions of dol
lars year That sum of wealth.
whether it is all raised by taxes, or
in part by loans, will be consumed
each year, The problem gefore Con-
gress is how to make taxes fall on
luxuries, or, in other words, to turn
all the labor now employed in pro-
ducing luxuries for the luxurious
class into producing all the things
needed for war,-ships. armament.
munitions, supplies, etc. etc.
The country would overwhelmingly
/, agree to such a plan. Even the lux
urious would, for the most part, glad
ly agree. The problem itself is diff
cult for the labor that goes into lux.
uries is divided into thousands of
branches. and often luxury is but
some necessity or reasonable COM
fort carried to excess; and often it
is very difficult for workers engaged
all their lives in producing luxuries,
suddenly to abandon familiar Job
and take up work in a munitions fac
tory, etc. Nevertheless, that is the
fundamental question to be dealt
with
Let us suppose that the country
sees clearly that this is its chief
problem, and insists that taxation
shall fall on uxuries so that labor
shali be transferred from the produc.
''oii Oh luxurles to producing the
necessities of war. Then after the
war there will be this great number
OIL laborers released by peace from
their labors and ready to turn to the
works fpeace. Here is the great
democratic opportunity.
This released labor must NOT or
BACK to the production of Injuries
II must then be employed to produce
reasonable comforts for the noorar
classe. There must be more schools
and more teachers in the schools
there shall be more public buildings
ior exemple, public smimminp.ho,b
IN every town: an ample play.ground
for school children should he a.
tached to every school: there should
De Tree public doctors and den,is.s
etc, etc.
This is the goal democracy has .,
ways put before itself: and now wo,
opens a ready way. First orr do
inoeracy must strive nightly N u,ir
the war, and then it may well hon.
10 reap the fruits of victory both e.,