The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-04-12
Buying Liberty Bonds Aids Our
War, Our Army, Our Boys.
HOW WORKMEN DO Their BIT
Investment Brings Good Returns, in
Addition to Giving Financial Az.
sistance Every Loyal Citizen
Owes His Government.
tRy EvA DEAN Of the vialIantea.l

4
the everyday hum. The workmen |
talked loudly to be heard; they always
talked while they worked; they liked
the sound of their own voices. 1t mat |
tered not much what they said-the |
same Joke will do day after day in a |
factory; an old one is almost as good |
as new one to break the mental
monotony. When ones habitual activ-
ity Is with ones fingers one isn't very
critical of mental efforts.
Still, were you to ask them, any of
the men would have said they pre-
ferred an argument to all other kinds
of brain exercise. Argument is what
they would have called any of the YER
bal volleys they fired back and forth
at one another from their inexpert
mental batteries, while their expert
fingers moved ceaselessly at their
tasks. And nowadays there is always
enough to argue about-the war! The
only trouble-though no one really
seemed to mind that-was that there
was no one around to uphold the gov
eminent in these controversies.
OF the hundred men employed-for
~ was d SLldtI 1dClOIy-lleIE WAS DuI
one with an American-born parent,
though a considerable number We're
themselves born in America. The one
hundred were all here by choice, how
ever, and hardly one ever really ex-
| pected to live anywhere else. But they
talked as though they might; and one
| could imagine they expected the Unit
| ed States to Immediately offer them
inducements to stay when it heard Of
| their intended leaving.
They Discuss Liberty Bonds.
Charles, in the lightest corner-a
| few years ago he would have been
| Karl-was always talking about the
| price of food II take Liberty bond?
Indeed I'll not If the government had
/ kept prices down, and protected the
working man, and kept the rich man
| from making war profits, why,
| might. There is going to be trouble
in this country some day and the gov
eminent deserves all that is coming to
| them. The government ought to do
everything it can to keep the good will
of the people. Why-beer-" Charles
can never talk long without mention
ing beer.
Jo-whose early training was in
proteetorate-was a born financier.
He had actually been talking about
bond on the dollar-a-week plan, but no
one in the workrooms seemed to think
It a good investment. 1t would be bet
ter to buy sugar or whisky and keep 1t
Tor higher price. So 10 had simply
talked for the past two weeks; he had
not decided. One might get Az per
cent, or even per cent later! 1t
would be better to wait.
''The government don't feed the boys
in camp!" shouted the porter.
"Of course it DON'T" yelled the thin
man by the window. 1--WE don't know
what goes on there. No wonder lots
of them commit suicide!'
"Well-rd like to buy a bond" broke
in Old Bailey, courageously. Old Bal
ley was born among the Pennsylvania
Dutch. But, with sixteen dollars q
week. and a family, 1 don't see how
1 can"
"Nor do l." said the tall young man
of whom the men said, His mother
was born here"
All Are Buying Bonds.
The machines hummed on, the voices
rising and falling In opposition, when
suddenly the eager face of Jo-the
news gatherer-was thrust through the
door: There's an Italian banker in
the second room talking to the wops
about Liberty bonds" he informed
The voices ceased. Everybody wished
he could hear.
He's still talking All the wops
are in there" spread the news to every
| corner of the building; and then close
upon that: They're buying them
every one of the wops are buying
themw
In a shorter time than 1t could have
taken man to walk through the builG.
ing, every one In it knew that the
wops-the lowest-paid men of them
all-were buying Liberty bonds.
; Presently all the workmen who could
understand English were assembled
in one room They looked about Gu.
riously at one another; never before
! had they seen themselves en- masse. II
! was a strange assembly, with its dirty
2 aprons, its rough, lined faces and quiet
tongues. 1t must have seemed such
to the salesman; his mouth set per
ceptibly as he looked about at his au
dience.
: The italian orator had gesticulated
r grandly; and there had been much Of
{ 'Italia! Italia - But this man, after
) his first look at the faces before him
decided not to talk patriotism. So he
simply stated thsst our government was
at war Very clearly he explained
3 what that meant financially; he ac
1 knowledged that living was high and
hard, but nevertheless everyone who
5 did not help was a Stacker. And, In
, convincing conclusion: IF we dom
give our money, the government Is go