River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-12-12

three-year naval program.
Leaves determination of rail- =
roads future to Congress, but rec =
ommends against return, to pre- :
= war conditions of railroad control >
unmodified.
Urges railroad control question =
= be studied by Congress immedi- :
ateIy TO quickly remove doubt of =
= their future.
Reclamation Of arid, swamp and =
cut-over land.
our duty-the war could not have been
won or the gallant men who fought it
given their opportunity to win it other
wise; but for many long day we
shall think ourselves "accursed we
were not there and hold our manhood
cheap while any speaks that fought
with these at St. Mihiel or Thierry
The memory of those days Of triumph
ant battle will go with these fortu-
nate men to their graves, and each will
have his favorite memory. cold men
forget, yet all shall be forgot, but he'll
remember with advantages what feats
he did that day."
Germans Beaten Back.
What we all thank God for with
deepest gratitude is that our men went
| in force into the line of battle just at
| the critical moment when the whole
fate OF the world seemed to hang in
the balance, and threw their fresh
strength into the ranks Of freedom in
time to turn the whole tide and sweep
of the fateful struggle-turn it once
for all, so that henceforth it was back,
! back, back for their enemies, always
| back, never again forward. After that
| it was only scant four months before
| the commanders of the Central En-
| pires knew themselves beaten and
now their very empires are in liquida-
! ton.
And through it all how fine the
! spirit Of the nation was. What unity
Of purpose, what untiring zeal; what
elevation of purpose ran through all
it's splendid display of strength, it's un-
firing accomplishment. | have said
that those Of US who stayed at home to
do the work of organization and sup
ply will always wish that we had been
with the men whom we sustained by
our labor; but we can never be
ashamed.
Must Steady Business.
For the steadying and facilitation Of
our own domestic business readjust-
ment nothing is more important than
the immediate determination of the
taxes that are to be levied for 1918,
1919 and 1920. AS much of the burden
Of taxation must be lifted from bust
ness as sound methods Of financing the
government will permit, and those who
conduct the great essential industries
of the country must be told as exactly
as possible what obligations to the
government they will be expected to
meet in the years Immediately ahead
Of them. It will be of serious conse-
quence to the country to delay all I'M
certainties in this matter single day
longer than the right processes Of de-
bate justify. 1t is idle to talk of sue
cessfu1 and confident business recon
struction before those uncertainties
are resolved.
If the war had continued it would
have been necessary to raise at least
$4,000, 100000 by taxation payable in
the year 1919: but the war has ended
and | agree with the secretary of the
treasury that it will be safe to reduce
the amount to $6,000,000,000. An i'm
mediate rapid decline in the expenses
0f% Ion &c f0 ho Ian1rna
for. Contracts made for war supplies
WILL indeed, be rapidly Cancelled and
liquidated, but their immediate liqui-
dation will make heavy drains on the
treasury for the months just ahead of
us.
Expenses Still High.
The maintenance Of our forces on
the other side Of the sea is still neces-
sary. A considerable proportion Of
those forces must remain in Europe
during the period of occupation, and
those which are brought home will be
transported and demobilized at heavy
expense for months to come. The in
terest on our war debt must of course
be paid and provision made for the
retirement of the obligations Of the
government which represents it. But
these demands will Of course fall much |
below what continuation of military
operations would have entailed and |
Sc, 00O, 100000 should suffice to supply a
sound foundation for the financial
operations of the year.
I entirely concur with the secretary |
of the treasury in recommending that |