Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-12-02

provide Immediate employment Tor all
OF tho men OF our returning armies.
Those who are of trained capacity,
those who are skilled workmcn, those
who have acquired familiarity with
established businesses, all those whose
aptitudes are known or Will be sougnt
out by employers will And , no diffi-
Guilty, IL is safe TO say. in finding places
and employment, But there are others
who will be at IA loss as to where TO
gain fivlihood. There will be "A large
floating recediums Of labor which
should not be left wholly to shift for
itself. II seems to mC important,
therefore. that the DEVELOPMENT ot
public works of ovory sort should I've
promptly resumed in order that oppor.
tunitios should be created for unsklleS
labor in particular and that plans
should be made for such developments
of our unused labor and our natural
resources that have hitherto lacked
stimulation.
Endorses Land Scheme.
II particularly direc. your attention
to the plan which the SECRETARY of tho
interior has developed in his annual
reports for the reclamation OF ariG,
might II the states were willing ~ =
able TO cooperate, redeem some 800
100000 acres of land for cultivation.
There are said to be 1900 900 or 60
100000 acres of land in the west at
present arid for whose reclamation
rater- is available if properly CON
served. There are about 230,000,ODn
acres from which the forests have been
cut but which have never yet been
cleared for the plow and which lie
waste and desolate. These lie scat
tered all over the union. And there
are nearly S0.000.oo0 acres Of land that
lie under swa,nps or sub tect to peri
'odical overflow (which it is perfectly
feasible to drain and redeem. The
congress can now at once direct thou
sands Of returning soldiers to the
reclaV1Htfon of arid lands if it will en-
large the plans and make appropria.
tionS.
1T is possible in dealing with our
unused land D effect a g.eat rural and
agricultural development which will
afford the best sort of opportunity to
men who want 10 help themselves, and
the secretary of the interior has
thought the possible methods out in Il
way which IS worthy OF your mos.
friendly attention.
Needs of Belgium.
Il have spoken of the control which
yet for a while, perhaps for Ions
while. must be exercised over shipping
because OF the priority OF which our
forces overseas are emitted. May |
not say especial word about the needs
:: ES!S:a.n ANA nortnern france? NO
sum of money paid by. way of indemni-
ty will serve of them selves to save
them from helpless diSad vantage for
years to come. Something more must
be donsl than merely find the money. 1t
they had money and raw materials la
abundance tomorrow they could not
resume their pace in the industry o.
the world, the very important place
they held before the hame of war
swept across item. Much OF their ma
chineI IS destroyed or has been taken
away. Their people are scattered and
many OF their best workmen are dead.
Their markets Will be taken by Others
IL they are not in some way assisted
to rebuild their factories and replace
their. lost instruments of manufacture.
They should not be left to the vicis-
situdes Of the sharp competition 70.
materials and industrial needs which
now will set in. l hope, therefore, that
the congress will not be unwilling IL
it should become necessary to grant
to- some agency the right to give pr,-
ority of exports for the benefits of
these peoples whom we have been so
happy to assist in saving from the
German terror and whom we must not
now thoughtlessly leave to shift for.
themselves in pitiless competitive
market.
Our Home Problems.
For the steady ing and facilitarion OF
our own domestic business readjus,-
ments nothing is more important than
the immediate determination Of the
taxes that are to be levied for 1918,
1919 and 1920 AS much OF the burd-
en- Of taxation must be lifted from
business as sotnd methods of finan-
cling the government will permit and
those who conduct great essential in
dustries Of the country must be told
as exactly as possible what obliga-
ton to the government they will be
expected to meet in the years immedi-
ately ahead Of them"