Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-12-24
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Back Up the BOYS.

Onhola' Lev @o'-io the EultOF
of The Bee: read the article about
the order OF Secretary of War Baker
denying the United States soldiers
their promotions after the armistice
was signed on November II. and
also your editorial comment on the
same. Then again today in The Bee
on the soldiers page l find a moth
er's letter asking expression of
opinion). which seems to strike the
right key. But / fear that mother
was too modest and did not fully an
swer your impartial criticism. feel
the same as this mother that our
heroic khaki boys should have every
thing justly due them, and it would
not seem possible our dear old Uni
ted States, which advocates Justice
for all. would let such an inequitable
order stand against the very ones
who, II any Partially were to be
shown at all, should be the first to
be considered. The editorial touch
es upon swivel chair favortes and
political pull patriots who nailed
down commissions at home" etc.
Everybody knows these latter men
never saw the front nor endured any
Of the soul-racking and body-wreck-
ing hardships, nor performed untold
acts of heroism like our splendid
boys overseas did. No one is envi-
Gus Of the commissions the men over
here received. They may have
earned them, but l cannot see the
justice of awarding our "stay-at-
home" soldiers advancement and
cutting off our overseas boys from
their promotions. The latter gave
themselves to the cause--their
health. strength, vigor, Drawn.
brains, ability Of all kinds-their
very lives if need be--and left be-
hind them everything worth living
for to fight in the great cause of
justice. Have we parents, wives,
sisters. brothers and others con-
cerned not gladly opened up our
purses. our hearts. given our time
from home and other duties and our
own fine boys to win the war? Do
we not expect them (the boys) to at
least get their earned deserts? Have
we not all been just and fair? Then
how can a great honorable and glor-
ious nation Gke our beloved United
States let such a deprecable order
of injustice stand and not reward
the boys who have more than sue
ceeded in fulfilling their part of the
great contract and are still in the
army Of occupation with what is
their very own by right Of merit?
AN INTERESTED PARENT.
"self- determination" for Ireland.
Silver Creek, Neb.. Dec Ito
the Editor Of The Bee: The self
determination people of Omaha and
elsewhere who are agitating in favor
of the independence of Ireland
would have more solid ground to
stand on if in the late war Ireland
had whole-heartedly upheld the
cause of the entente allies, which
was the cause of human liberty, in
stead Of sulking and even conspiring
with their enemies for their destruc-
ton. Had they done SO, ignoring
for the time their own grievances,
England today would undoubtedly
have been quite ready to give them
pretty nearly everything they might
demand short Of absolute indepen-
dence. Now they will not get, and,
in my opinion, ought not to get. even
that measure of home rule England
before the war seemed ready to give.
and probably would have given eX-
cept for divisions among Irishmen
themselves.
AS for DIFFERENTIATION" it is
sound doctrine as an abstract prop
osition. but is not fairly susceptible
of universal application to concrete
facts Take, for example, the peo-
Pile Of our southern states during the
ctvy rxpo hot ot,.i,,
given them their independence, just
as it still might do some time in the
future. if accepted. in the unfortu-
nate event that the republican party
should undertake to force upon them
negro rule.
But. really, is it not quite absurd,
quite ridiculing, that so many peo-
pie should connect Wilson's name
with the phrase, self determine
tion?" just as though it We're a SUI
perhuman child of his supermun-
dane brain, and not merely, as it is,
a high-brow rendering-"int erpreta-
tion"-of that part Of the Declara
ton of Independence which, in plain
words, says that "all
derive their just powers
from the consent Of the governed?'
No, now, when after untold suf-
fering and sacrifice, Great Britain
has established it's right to be ac-
claimed as the greatest and most /
organized civil force on
earth, is not the time for a people |
who tried to destroy it to come to it
asking favors, or even what they
may deem to be their rights. APP
pea!s to Wilson will be vain, even If
he were disposed to accede. AS
have all along heretofore said. and
as say now. the entente allies may
pat Wilson on the back and tell him
what great and good man he is, but
when they come to sit down at the
peace table they will take what they
want and refuse what they do not
want, no matter whether Mr.. Wilson
likes 1t or not, Irish independence
will be one Of the things the entente
allies will not want.
CHARLES WOOSTER.