The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-09-27
j. S. FIGHTING MEN
WILL GET CHANCE
FRANKLIN X. LANE SAYS GOV
ERNMENT WILL Do ITS DUTY
BY RETURNED SOLDIERS

WASHINGTON Franklin K,
Lane, Secretary of the Interior. I'VE
judge man by what he does more
than by what he says, and so with
a nation. If we wish to know Amer
lea we must ask ourselves what Amer
lea has done, how she regards her
self with relation to other nations,
and how her spirit is expressed. A
nation, like an individual, is many
sided and contradictory. We may
acknowledge that America is boastful
and at the same time truthfully assert
that she is humble in spirit; that she
is materialistic but also highly ideal
istic; that she has been self-centered
but is growing broader each day, and
very rapidly since the great war in
Europe.
One characteristic of America of
which we have not boasted, at least I'M
duly, is gratitude. Republics have been
noted as proverbially ungrateful This
is hardly true of the United States. Her
people always have been generous
toward those who have made sacrifices
for the country After the civil war
every soldier became entitled by law to
100 acres of the public domain Those
who were injured came in for pensions
Those who were too old to work we're
and now all of the survivors
and their widows and dependents are
oensioned. So that so years after the
close of the civil war we have three
quarters of a million of pensioners and
Ire spending $175,00O,0O0 year for their
support. Such generosity as this the
world has never seen before. The
hought in the public mind has been that
hese men fought to preserve our liberty
nd that we should sacrifice that they
nay not suffer those privations that
ONE because of injury, age or depend ,
nee. Before the war we expended more +
n our pensions growing out of war
hat had closed one-half century before I;
han any nation in the world spent in +
upport of its army or navy
We now are looking forward to the
nd of the present war, and are saying ,
. ourselves that those men who are
lighting for us shall always be ourselves
hat those men who are fighting for us
hall always be Our especial care. They
re giving of their youth and their blood
lat those who follow after for the cen
tries to come shall enjoy their natural
ghts which we have enjoyed. There
no obligation other than a moral one
lat these men shall be especially con- :.
dered. The great arm of the state may !
roperly reach out and draw into its >
rfny all who can be of service But this ,
oes not satisfy the American sense of = 7
1stice We wish to do more than exer |
Sc power; in fact, the only excuse we y
ave for exercising power is to" incur I
ome obligation. Liberty to us means !,
rgeness, a wider consideration of hui 4
ian beings. Thus it is that we are '
-ought today directly to consider the d
oportunity which we will reserve or :
i'll give to those who return to us I
ON France Four million men will be
lie size of our army within another
ear. They have given up positions, op- :;
ortunities, hopes, for us. In return 7
hat can we do for them? My answer :
that we should give each one an op-1 I
,rtunity to make for himself a farm y
ome upon Our land, if on his return Y '
!: finds himself without position, or if !, =
, desires to lead the independent life :
a farmer; that he be put at work on i
me great irrigation project or some :,
Our swamp or other unused lands, !"
ID there, under proper direction, be U
abled to make home for himself |,
d the family that he now has or de- -,
-es to have. -
Congress has already made an appro- .
iation looking to survey of the land :,
uation in the United States and we I
Il have report for congress during
: winter upon this matter. 1t appears
w tina there are at least 200,000,000
res of land in the United States that in
Il be reclaimed. To reclaim these acres W
Il obviate all difficulty whatever as Sc
the reabsorption of our army on its is
urn. The men who reclaim the land to
II own the farms. The government pi
Il lend them money with which 10 get st
their feet, and help them to a farm CT
S education if necessary. We will al
FAX the back Of this ruinous movement al
ward the cities. So out of this war te
Il come many good things, and once ha
ain the American spirit of gratitude co
sacrifice, appreciation of service rem an
red, will be revealed re,