New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-01-20


made.
IT HIS has been year of expansion
within the nation.
The acceptance Of Germany's
challenge and the realization that the
national life was now at stake BROUGHT
at once new sense Of the relative i'm
portance Of what we did, what we had
and how we used it. Things fell away
as OF little value which had hitherto
been accepted without questioning as
worth while. ard ideas, resources.
powers which had hitherto been slight
ingly regarded rose in their stead into
matters of primo national concern.
Unless we could transmute gold and
silver into coal and iron they could no
longer be called the precious metals.
and unless men had the power to con-
vert skill, strength and imagination
INTO some form of shield or spear thew
could not play in the great game.
Therefore we made new appraisal of
ourselves in terms of ability to do
something that would hasten the great
day of peace. We judged each other
by primal standards of proved CAPACITY.
not by the standards of superficial So
clal system. For this is the curse and
the glory Of war-that it has but a
single scale Of measurement. it put,
but one simple question::
What can you do to serve me p
for now I am the nation"
1t is the directness and the fullnes,
of this challenge that gives war its
spell and likewise gives birth to its
horrors.
What can you do to serve me?"
10 that question each individual and
each department of the government
must give answer. The answer of the
Interior Department is that it has put
every agency and activity which it has
at the service of those departments
moro directly concerned with war max.
ing. Our men of scientific KNOWLEDGE
-metallurgists, chemists, engineers.
topographers-have found new work at
their hands. The homesteaders and
the miners on the public lands have
been released from their obligation if
they go into the army or show them
selves to be Of greater service of their
lands than on them.
Wars New Classification
The Reclamation Service on million
and quarter acres Of irrigated lands
and the Indians on hundred reserva-
tons joined in the campaign for more
meat and more wheat The Patent Of
nee has been searched for new devices
that could be brought into use to kill
the submarine or limit its destructive
ness, Tor the plans Of heretofore un-
used lethal weapons, and for the form.
oI@ OF improved or unknown sources
OF power. Before war actually came
our department. had compiled the data
which showed the power of the nation
IN mineral and chemical resources. orr
possible needs and how they could be
met at home or where abroad. Pre-.
pared lists OF those men who had sne-
clal knowledge or were of skill along
the lines of our own activities enahled
US to expand as the call was made I'm
der the imperative mandate of war that
all things shall become subject to a
new classification according to their
Usefulness in carrying on the nations
struggle, certain phases of our work
nave fallen into the background, while
others have been brought into the
1igh-light of national Importance. We
are thinking less, for instance, of the
amount of public lands that are being
taken by homesteaders and are alb
'oroed deeply in scientific work of
more recently established branches of
he service.
Yet, II we search for tie foundation
II our strength, the reason that Amer
ca is an invaluable ally to the West
I'm powers. it will be found in the adj
'enturesome spirit and the exploiting
energies of those who pushed their
way into the wilderness and "took nm,
lands. On these the na-
ions rely to the foods and the min
erals which make possible the wars
continuance. All others who work on
'hat these produce-the manufacturer
INVENTOR, even the soldier-are impo-
ent without the coal operator. the oil
rlller, the lronmaster, the farmer and
he miner, on whom this war between
esources" ultimately rests. And these
ave been enabled to place themselves
n this crisis at the worlds service
" reason of the generous policy of
MS government in the disposal of its
ands.
The homesteader, with his covered
'agon, was indeed the pioneer in pre-
arednesS for this war. and that b;s