Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-12
Provisions for Soldiers.

Lane expresses this opinion: Being
Americans and being young, they will
not ask or expect pensions. They will
| want work. They will want, If pos
sible.. a chance for home of their
own
By systematic government develop
| ment of idle lands, said Mr.. Lane,
there will be provided immediate jobs
for these men, labor markets will be
protected against possible collapse by
being swamped with a surplus of la
Dor. re-established industries will be
| supplied with an immediate demand
for their products, the movement of
population to cities will be checked,
many best proven Americans" will be
atfixed permanently to agricultural
occupations. and great areas of land
, now neglected and valueless will be
| brought into use.
AS an immediate program" said the
Secretary, I'VE should first offer an
ton projects for all who wish to
work at clearing and leveling the
land not now cultivated but for which
water is available, or to which water
can be brought under the present irri-
cation system, and that such tracts
pirate land-settlement plan. This we
can do at once and meet whatever Ia
Dor problem may be imme rebate.
LAS second step l would urge an
appropriation for one or moro of the
largest irrigation schems for which
Concurrently 1t would seem to me
wise to undertake the draining of the
most promising projects government-
owned land preferred. but, II privately
owned, the land to be bought at an
appraisement made by the farm loan
board and subject to the approval OF
the Department Of Agriculture.
Reference to Alternative Method.
There is an alternative method of
dealing with private lands which al
ready has the approval of Congress.
being incorporated in the reclamation
act. Under this private owner
agrees to sell his land to whoever
gets the water right at an appraised
undertaking the construction of irri-
cation work. Under such a plan there
would be no difficulty whatever in
securing control of any sized bodies
of cutover or swamp lands that
might be desired; the government
would not buy the land but the own
err would look to the new settler for
the price. and take it on such terms
as the government itself would exact
for its own expenditure upon the land.
experimenting this there should be
an opportunity given for the cooper
alton of all the states upon limited
tracts which would be dealt with I'M
der state control and subject to the
closest federal supervision"
After a soldier has returned to his
home. said Mr. Lane-if his old posi-
ton is not open and he wishes to turn
to an indepe ndent life-"there would
be laid before him number of prof.
ects which the government had I'M
dertaken in the different sections of
the country. Let us assume no more
than three. one an irrigation scheme.
another drainage project, q third
the development of body of cut
over lands. The one would need to
have great dams constructed to i'm
electric plant. miles of canal and tun-
mel, perhaps. thousands of acres to be
cleared and leveled. fenced and brok-
en-. This would mean years of work
at good wages. work In the open un-
der housing conditions that would
seem palatial to the soldier of the
trench. and at the end piece of land
on which would be erected a house
and barn, farm home in a group of
farm homes. For this he must pay.
But already he has received wages
out of which he can have saved the
necessary first installment on his
place of 10 or Is per cent. The bal
ance with interest he can pay in forty
yearly 1nstallments, or earlier If he
can"
Mr.. Lane estimated that more than
one-th1rd, probably nearer one-half
Of the American troops IN Europe
came from farms, and probably would
wish to return to the AGRICULTURAL
work. Care should be taken. how
ever, he said, that the government, in
selling farms to these men, limit the
size and impose restrictions to pre-
vent their being aggregated into
great estates.
Turning to the question Of cost,
Secretary Lane said this would be
"as much as we wish to spend .
less than many strike has cost this
country"
Equivalent of Pensions.
Would it be unreasonable to ask for
for pensions to the veterans and their
dependents of wars that ended TWEEN
ty and fifty years ago." he asked.
Would it be unreasonable to ask
that we spend in the next two years
on these veterans of the great war
| as much as it cost us to conduct that
war for single week? Would
F, 4 noble sense of charity to quasi
public organizations. $500, 200, 900 for
the entertainment and care of these
boys, hesitate to buy the bonds of
this country for a like amount to
provide peace work. home work and
homes for these Same boys?
I'VE have spent largely for this
many years to come. We are to
economize that we may meet our
debts; this must be the national
policy. But to stop growth is not
economy. To stand paralyzed in the
presence of debt is to become its