Evening journal., 1918-10-24

When will the war be over? Millions
in their hearts hope that it may be
soon, but the thinking man may well
fear the consequences OF peace which
finds us unprepared.
Let us picture the arrival OF peace
All the worlds millions will be wild
with joy. The expectation of'sacrifce,
privation and death will be supplanted
with a frantic relief. The look ahead
down the long hard road OF war in
stantly will be wiped out and in its
place will come happiness and new at
mosphere filed with rosy visions.
But. OH the cold, gray dawn OF the
morning after, when we bathe our heads
In icy common sense and face the facts
Of a world half-destroyed, Of cities up
rooted, OF manufactures diverted from
their normal course, OF industries all
twisted from their old foundations, of
whole populations DETECTED from the
wonted ways they must again learn TO
travel.
Let us be selfish for a moment and
blot out the awful picture OF Europe.
Let us consider only our own United
States which war has as yet apparently
so lightly touched
DO you realize that at least ten mil
lions Of laborers are employed today in
filling war orders, in making munitions
for war, and I'm supplying with food,
clothing and otherwise, our armies in
the field? Do you realize that on the
declaration OF peace the United States
will have in uniform in the army and
navy four or five million men?
What will happen 10 affect these sol
diers and these laborers? The first
thing probably will be the cancellation
OF war orders. Every factory, every in
dustry organized on a war basis will be
obliged, in the space OF few days, 10
place itself on a peace basis and in do
ing this it win face the stark unknown.
II there are two million or more
American soldiers in France IL may re-
quire two years to bring them all home,
but many Of them will return immedi-
ately Meanwhile, and this as soon as
peace is declared, those assembled In
cantonments in this country may be dis
banded. What are these soldiers going
to do, their former occupations largely
gone, and coming back TO a world where
industries are partly il not wholly
stagnant, where Offices are filled with
substitutes, where factories are closing
DOWN.
We are floating now in the high tide
OF an artificial war commercial activity.
How many have saved the extra wages
earned? How many are ready to meet
protracted period OF unemployment?
or course, employers will make every
possible haste 20 switch their factories
over TO peace products and to reconnect
with peace markets and peace custom
ers. But all this takes time.
Each man should ask self,-what
has he saved, what place has he ready
20 Jump into when the one he now oc-
cupies is taken from him, either by the
shutting down Of the work or by the
return Of soldiers to whom the country
owes first care.
Remember, too, that this shock OF
peace will hit us at the moment when
the cost of living is at its pinnacle. Never
before in our history will bread have
cost so much, never before in our his
tory will clothing fuel and the essen
tials OF life have been so high. Millions
will face on one side the chasm OF nm
employment and on the other the noun
tain peak OF the highest prices ever
known for living essentials.
What will happen when demagogues
may appear on every hand TO preach
anarchy and fear and envy and distrust,
and when the demagOgue has for an
audience not only those Of his own ilk
but the vast army, compelled against
its Will, 10 be idle and hungry?
Then through the streets OF the cities
may be heard the hollow clink Of the
empty dinner-pail. Then through the
stagnant factory aisles may wander the
underfed workers. Then will millions
call upon those who have been tenn
pOrarlly their rulers for terrible ac-
counting
That we may have a better idea OF
what this initial era Of peace may be,
let us go back to the panic Of 1893. Let
us take from history one startling es-
sential fact. The consumption Of wheat
in 1893 was largely reduced.
Think what il means to have a large
part Of the normal amount Of wheat
bread taken from the millions, the hun
dred millions Bread is the last thing
which a human being denies himself.
II the people are buying less than their
ordinary amount OF bread, how much
less do you imagine they will purchase
Of automobiles or furs or diamondsG If
people are forced to buy less than their
normal supply Of bread, what becomes
of the steel industry, what becomes OF
the coal mines. what becomes OF the
thousands OF factories manufacturing
every conceivable kind OF material, what
happens TO the Transportation facilities
that convey the freights which are COM
posed Of these materials; what happens
to the banks who supply the credit
which supplies the money to meet the
pay-rolls OF these industries, OF these
transportation systems?
What happens in such a condition TO