The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1918-05-23

we have not yet begun to prepare for
taking care Of them after they are dis.
charged from the hospitals provided
for their immediate care.
! am Informed that there are 5000
wounded and disabled soldiers In the
province Of British Columbia alone
men who q short time ago left their
homes In perfect physical condition.
but who are now unable to perform
military service or to resume their
usual occupations. am also ad.
vIsed that In British Columbia. all In.
termed enemies have been put to work
In the clearing and Improvement Of
public lands which the Canadian gov.
ernment will distribute to It's dis.
charged soldiers. while those unht for
military duty on the front are put over
them a. guards. who zee that the In.
ternes perform the necessary work In
improving the land ready for occu.
pancy. and use whom the soldiers are
returned to II. In this way. the enc.
mics at home are compelled to work.
but they also work under supervision
Of those who have direct interest In
getting the land In At shape for their
subsequent use.
After several years Of army life.
amid new countries and new scenes.
facing death In It's many horrible
forms and undergoing the most nerve
wreckins and physical hardships. .
large majority Of our boys will vel.
come retreat to the quiet and rspose
OF rural life. Many men. highly skilled
In various trades and accustomed to
hard work. will not be able to return
to their former occupations because OF
the change Of viewpoint which the
tolls and hardships Of war has brought
about.
A an economic and a. . patriotic
policy, q solution Of this problem.
which will be upon u - . nation
within . few weeks following the Arst
great battle In which our soldiers On.
gage. should be worked out and put
Into effect.
After the Civil War the situation.
serious then. but not comparable to
the magnitude Of the one confronting
this country now. was taken care OF BY
the settlement Of public lands By
means OF the soldiers homestead. This
policy cannot be renewed. for the rea-
son that practically all Of the good
land upon which . man can make .
living has been taken up.
It would be . crime to place the re.
turned soldiers out upon the large
portion Of the lands that are yet the
public domain.
We spend many billions Of dollars In
the purchase OF cannon and ammuni.
tion. and In building barracks and
all Of which will be worn out
or destroyed during the course Of the
war. Would Il not be good economy
to spend only one Of these many bill
lions Of dollars In taking care Of our
boys when they get back. or In giving
them an opportunity to start life anew
when their struggle ID over.
Ny suggestion 10 that there be set
aside In each Of the Western states
1000. 900 acres oe land. That the
United States build the necessary ir'
rigation systems TO properly irrisats
this land, and clear It. and improve II.
ready for use and occupancy. That
In such reclamation they expsnd In
the neighborhood Of $50 per acre. max
Ing Q total Of about half a billion dol
lars, and that another half billion be
set aside to loan to these men for the
purchase Of farm equipment and stock.
That they b allowed the use OF this
money for twenty-five years without
interest. the whole to be paid back at
approximately the end Of that period
Of time. The land to bs divided into
forty acre tracts and sold to men who
are going to actually live upon the
land. All OF the interned enemies
could be put to work In the improve.
ment OF the land and the building OF
the necessary works. and the returned
soldiers put In charge OF the
construction camps. There are I'M
Mense areas OF land In each Of the !
Western statea that BY the application !!
of water could be made veritabls Gar. |
den spots. but which without water
lre desert wastes. Such colonization !
would not only develop and enrich