Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-03-19
WOEFUL LACK OF
EDUCATION SHOWN
SECRETARY LANE URGES CAM
PAlGN TO ERADICATE ADULT
ILLlTERACY.
GREAT ECONOMIC LOSS
THRU LACK OF LEARNING
Educational Statistics Show Iowa Has
Fewest lliterates in Nation and
Louisiana Has Greatest Number -
Senator Owen Would Convert Fac
tories Into "War Plants"
fBv E. G. DouSherty.]

Washington, March l9.-ln urSlnS
the passage of a bill appropriatins
funds to the bureau of education to
begin and conduct Il vigorous and sys-
tematic campaign for the eradication
of adult ilteracy, Secretary of the In
terror Lane today sent letter to the
president and to the chairman of the
senate and house committees on
education which revealed a woefu.
lack OF education of residents in the
United States.
Pointing out that Iowa with only
IL per cent of illiterates, was the most
learned. and Louisiana with twenty
nine per cent illiterate was the least,
Secretary Lane made a strong appeal
for the passage of the bill. which he
declared would remedy this woeful
condition. Viewed from an economic
standpoint, Secretary Lane said:
Il beg you to consider the economic
loss arising out of this condition Gllit-
eracy). If the productive labor value
of an illiterate is less by only ffty
fifty cents a day than that of an edu-
Gated man or woman, the country Is
losing 1926 5000 year through HIT
eracy. This estimate is no doubt un-
der rather than over the real loss. Inc
federal government and the states
spend millions of dollars in trying to
give information to the people in rural
districts about farming and home
making. Yet 2.7NO 900, OF ten per cent
Of our country folk can not read or
bulletin on agriculture, a farm paper.
food pledge card, liberty loan appeal
a newspaper, the constitution OF the
United States, or their Bibles, nor can
they keep personal or business &C
An uniformed democracy is
not a democracy. A people VINO can
not have means of access to the medl-
uns of public opinion and to the mes
sages Of the president and the acts OF
congress can hardly be expected 10
the full meaning of this
war, to which they all must conTl-
butte in life. or property OF labor
Senator Owen, Of Oklahoma, believes
that the great factories Of the middle
west should be more generally used for
the manufacture Of war materials. He
talked with President Wilson the past
week on the financial aspect soon ex-
pected to be encountered through the
fact that 80 per cent OF the war ma
terials were manufactured in the
northeastern states Of the Union, while
50 many plants in the middle west
were not being utilized to the maxi
mum with necessary products.
Senator Owens pointed out that
plants in the east and the northeast
states already were encountering diff
culties to procure sufficient money to
operate their plants to the utmost and
suggested that a redistribution OF
future war orders should be made on
the basis of giving the middewestern
plants some of the government bust
ness.
1t is known that many plants in the
middle west, now making so called
non-essentials, could be utilized on
war orders with only slight modifica-
ton of their equipment 1t is likely
that some legislation will be introduce
ed soon or some definite program out
lined by the federal government by
Which these factories may be given
war orders. and thus stabilize the fin
ancial markets, and also the labor
market.
,J,1dsOn c. Welliver well known in
Iowa newspaper circles, where he was
employed before coming to Washing
ton, and known generally through mis-
magazine articles, has returned to
Washing ton from London where Tor
the past year he represented the New
York Evening Sun as correspondent.
"Jud" as he is called by his score OF
acuuaintances in Washington, told the
members of the Press Grub Sunday,
what it meant to be away from home
for a whole yearr-at the half way
stopping place from the United states
of America and the American eXpedl-
tionary forces in Francois he put 1t.
WeIliver's story was one filled with
straight talk about how the United
states fares in the eyes OF our British
ally. and how his heart with those or
the Rritishers jumped with joy when
the first contingent of Pershing's army
stepped in Great Britain en- route to
the front where it is today. He took
pride in briefly referring to the valor-
Gus conduct Of ''his home state boys
who recently went over the top with
other of the Rainbow division and WHO
likewise were decorated for their
courage, and he predicted that before
the year was out American troops
would have carried the Stars anu
Stripes into Berlin.