The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1918-05-09
3d.

= eA.s look Dack over
our history and
consider how we
have met great problems-such as
slavery, by great war; tariff, by
fourteen bills and like number of
panics; conservation, currency, bank
ing, antitrust and railroad questions.
by making the same matters of poll
tics-it may be doubted whether we
are quite as great as we think we are.
In. considering how we exercise our
Judgment, we should remember the
extent to which we have devoted our.
selves to the education Of the young
and the large sums we have spent at
all times for public schools and for
colleges. When we look back and see
the mistakes we have made, it would
almost appear as If we had failed to
apply much that had been taught us in
school and college, or that perhaps the
school and college had not taught us
bow to solve great political measures.
Then, again, the thought comes to us
of whether or not we have not had
false leaders. and have not chung to
false gods.
Corporation Wrongs.
We all remember the Outcry against
vested interests of the capitalists.
There have been great wrongs done
by many OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of their
franchises have been obtained by cor
ruption and theft and great injuries
have often been done to the rights of
tie people; and so. when we found
times lard and things going wrong,
we have vented our anger upon cor
pOrations and upon the capitalists who
controlled them. IE many cases we
allowed ourselves to become angry
with class or with certain individ-
uals and expended our strength on
our temper, rather than upon a study
of the cure of the conditions about
which we complained; and in many
instances we punished corpora tons
for the wrongs of their predecessors
in ownership, much as sins of parents
are visited upon their children.
Demago&ues. knowing the public
mood. appealed to prejudice and ig-
norance in discussing public matters
and made issues like currency, anti
trust laws and the railroads political
footballs, just as if the question of
whether money could be saved by
| Joining together companies and pro-
viding for economy in purchases and
sales was political. OF course it was
matter of economics (Which is the
| science of commerce). Such matters
| call for a conference between repre-
| sentatives of farmers, laborers, SCI
entific students of world conditions,
and manufacturers and purchasers of
| goods to consider and determine how
| goods can be produced with fair
wage to the employee, fair profit to
the employer and the maximum bene-
fit to the public.
| Future Problems.
In Europe they have taken these
questions up in this careful way and
the result has been of great benefit.
Now, and in the future, America will
have to deal with countries that are
short of resources through the exhaus-
| ton of war and have, of necessity, to
get down to rock-bottom. The thrifty,
intelligent, industrious European is
apt to be good merchant, and we are
going to have hard time competing
with him for commerce and for world
position, so we must consider all OF
our problems more carefully than ever
before and cast aside those men who
attempt to lead us away from q
thoughtful, dispassionate view of great
questions
Craft and neglect in local communi
Ties of political duties by the average
citizen are responsible for the misgov
eminent that breeds disrespect, where
we should have pride because of the
efficiency of our people. The first con
Germ of the citizen in every communit,
must be to see that it is governed ii
Il way that will assure the approva
Of clean thinking men and women
The mechanics governing a city re
quire the same kind of clear though
and careful work as that given t
shop work or farm planning, and every
GOOD American must feel that at thi.
time there is nothing more wortl
while
If we do these things well, we viii
not have to worry about the foreign
born loving America, because Twin,
conditions here will be so excellen
that they simply cannot help it, espe
rially when they are given not alon,
good government and healthy condi
tons surrounding home and wor]
shop, but also education, opportunit
and a charter of liberties which vii
mean happiness to them, if we pei
form our duties as citizens.
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