Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1918-12-07

needed, by which to check undertak.
ings that could for the time be dis
pensed with and stimulate those tina,
were most e-in~war,-sb By
which to gain for the purchasing de.
partments Of the Government a Ger.
tain control over the prices of essen.
tial articles and materials, by which
to restrain trade with alien enemies
make the most of the available ship.
ping and systematic financial trans.
actions, both public and private, sc
that there would be no unnecessary
conflict or confusion, by which, in
short, to put every material energy o.
the country in harness to draw tie
common load, and make Of us che
team in the accomplishm OF a
great task. But the moment we know
the armistice to have been signed We
took the harness off. Raw materi:. Ii
upon which the Government had kept
its hand for fear there should not he
enough for the industries that sup.
piled the armies have been released
and put into the. general market
again.
Experts Covered Every Field.
Never before have there been
agencies in existence in this country
which knew so much of the field OF
supply, of labor and of industry as
the War Industries Board, the War
Trade Board, the Labor Departm ent,
the Food Administration and the Fuel
Administration have known since
their labOrs became thoroughly sys
tematized; and they have not been
isolated agencies; they have been di-
rected by men which representej the
permanent departments of the Gov
eminent and so have been the CEN
tiers of unified and cooperative
action. 1t has been the policy of the
executive, therefore, since the arm
istice was assured (Which is in effect
a complete submission of the enemy
to put the knowledge of these bodies
at the disposal of the business men
of the country and to offer their in
telligent mediation at every point
and in every matter where it was de-
sired. 1t is surprising how fast the
process of return to peace footing
has moved in the three weeks since
the fighting stopped. ..
1t promises to outrun any inquiry
that may be instituted and any aid
that may be offered. It will not be
easy to direct it any better than it
will direct itself. The American bust
ness man is of quick initiative.
Employment For Soldiers.
The ordinary and normal processes
of private initiative will not, how
ever, provide immediate employment
for all of the men in. our returning
Those who are of trained
capacity, those who are skilled work.
men, those who have acquired famil-
Iarity with established businesses,
those who are ready and willing to
go to the farms, all those whose ap-
titudes are known or will be sought
out by employers, will find no diff
Guilty, 1t is safe to say, in finding
places of employment. There will be
others who will be at loss where to
gain a livelihood unless pains are
taken to guide them and put them in
the way of work. There will be a
large floating residuum of labor
which should not be left wholly to
shift for itself.
1t seems to me important, there
Tore, that the development of public
works of every sort should be prompt
" resumed. in order that opportuni-
les should be created for unskilled
abor in particular and that plans
should be made for such develop
nents of our unused lands and our
:atural resources as we have hitherto
acked stimulation to undertake.
For Reclamation Of Swamps.
l particularly direct your atten-
ion to the very practical plans which
he Secretary of the Interior has de-
,eloped in his annual report and be-
ore your committees for the reclama-
ion of arid, swamp and cut-over
ands which might, if the States are
Wiling and able to cooperate, re-
leem some 30O,0OO,00O acres of land
or cultivation. There are said to be
100000 or 100000 acres of
and for cultivation. There are said
o be 100000 or 2O,O0O,000 acres
n the West. at present arid, for
whose reclamation water is avail
BILE, if properly conserved. There
re about 23O,OOO,OOO acres from
which the forests have been cut but
which have never yet been cleared
or the plow and which lie waste and
Isolate These lie scattered all
yer the Union.
And there are nearly 100000
cres of land that lie under swamps
r subject to periodical overflow or
90 wet for anything but grazing
yhich it is perfectly feasible to drain
nd protect and redeem. The Con-
ress can at once direct thousands of |
he returning soldiers to the reclama
ion Of the arid lands which it has al |
eady undertaken, if it will but en-
arge the plans and the appropria
ons which it has intrusted to the
Of the Interior. 1t is
0ssible in dealing with our unused
md to effect a great rural and agri-
lltural development which will af-
)rd the best sort of opportunity to
len who want to help themselves;
nd the Secretary of the Interior has
,nu chit tho nnssihle meth ont in |