The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-08-02


Cause More War Activity.
BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.
Washington, Aug. l. r. Especial. =
Everything about the national capital
looks like wal save for the fact that
seriously. I'm spite of the earnest en-
OF officials and newspapers to
Impress upon the general public that Ii
is a most serious and stupendous un-
.dertaking.
Washington is filed with people in
war costumes, the army and marine
corps men I'm khaki and the navy men
In white. All the hotels, the clubs.
the departments and the rooms OF the
public buildings have such a large mum
Der OF uniformed men as constantly to
impress upon everybody the fact that
we are forming a mighty fighting force.
But Notwithstanding all this display
our people do not seem to think IL Is
n serious war. There is a great deal
of gayety I'm connection with the war
preparation In the national capital.
Built Upon Hope.
The lack of serious consideration
given TO the war In It's present aspect
Is built upon the lurking hope that our
soldiers will not actually get into the
fighting and be killed. That has been
the impression from the time Presi-
dent Wilson called congress into extra
zn..lnn A. Annforn mr. nn Earpannu
Every speech made upon the war reso-
luton and subsequent TO the war meas
ure seemed to breathe the hope that
the United States forces would not be
actually engaged I'm hostilities. Per
haps when the returns from the first
fight In which American soldiers take
part are received In this country our
people will begin to understand what
this war means.
Harding q Neutral"
Senator Harding of Ohio told the
senate while talking Of the food bin
that he Is a neutral" He explained
that he meant he represented both
manufacturing and farming people and
was neutral In his attitude II there was
a conflict between them. Then he
went on TO say be knew something
about farming.
Il have followed the cradle with the
rake when wheat sold for 40 cents a
bushel.' he asserted. | doubt very
much whether many people know what
he meant.
When he was a boy a cradle" was
used on many farms. IL was something
like a seythe used now TO o weeds
and small patches of grass. Ii had
long fingers and enabled the man who
operated 1t to lay the grain I'm a straight
row, heads all N way. The boy with
the rake heaped II up into piles, 10 be
bound by another man. BY the time
Ii was thrashed the harvesting cost
more than 40 cents a bushel.
Back In the Service.
There are a lot of men who are not
on the retired list who are back In the
service OF the United States. | refer
particularly to the graduates OF the
Naval academy at Annapolis, some OF
whom resigned because there did not
seem to be much In sight In the way
OF service or promotion. A lot OF these
have returned and offered their serv-
ices. Most OF them. II they are young
men. go In at the rank they had attain
ed when they resigned. They are gen.
orally assigned to the naval reserve.
An Old Conflict.
The fight over the food control bill Is
simply a development Of an ancient
conflict between two classes OF the hu-
man %race-the consumers and the pro
ducers. For years there has been a
contest between the town and coun-
try" a struggle between the farmer
and the worker in the factories.
Attempts have beer made from time
to time to pass legislation In the inter
ests Of the workingman and also In the
interests Of the farmer. We have seen
men stand I'm the halls OF congress and
speak vociferously for the rights of the
laboring man and a little while later
talk as earnestly for the farmer. They
were probably deceiving themselves
and thinking they were making great
pleas for the common people. As a
matter Of fact, the producers have been
in conflict with the consumers so long
that it is getting very difficult to econ
Gle their antagonistic interests. You
can't have high prices for farm prod
ucts without making the workingman
in the factory towns and cities pay
more.
Much Of the discussion on the food
bill has been an effort to reconcile
these conflicting conditions-that is. to
give the farmer high prices for his
products and insure the rest Of the
people reasonable prices for food.
"Ths Good Old Days"
If I could have my way" Senator
Harding Of Ohio said, II would go back
to the good old simple days OF the
fathers. II we could do that we would
solve the problem which congress has
been debating for sixty days"
He referred to the high prices OF
food and asserted that 1--WE have lived