The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1918-05-10
(By Walter v. Woehlke. J


According to the reports drifting a.
cross the continent, it was most ap.
propriately named. Upon it the pro-
fiteer got into the trough of public
funds with all four feet. From the
| army officer who sold the land at on
ly two prices, to the experts who
supplied the .snow how" at, only
double their usual salaries, from the
subconractor who pitched millions in
ne mud and increased the size OF
his commission, to t.le flnancels who
failed to stop the saturnalia of waste
and extravaganza, everybody was,
consciously or unconsciously, partici-
pating in one of the nastiest pieces OF
oilteering revealed since the nation
entered the world war.
The loss of millions in cash on Hog
Island is bad enough; the loss of in
valuable time in the ship-building
program is worse; but the worst loss
caused by the odoriferous scandal is
the effect it has upon the morale of
Americas army of labor.
The United States is not making
war against the German empire for
material gain. No nation ever drew
the sword with cleaner motives, with
less lust of conquest, than did the
United States when it declared. war
upon the kaiser. There isn't thing
that Germany has which the United
States could wish for, take or retain.
There isn't a chance to obtain from
Germany even an infinitesimal fract-
ion of the wars money cost, ard all
thewealsh of the Central powers can
not bring back to life the Americans
sleeping beneath the sod Of France !!
Aye, by going to war the United
States even surrendered the opportn-
ity to nail down the German markets
it was conquering all over the world
while still at peace.
To be sure, the spectre of victor
ious and revengeful Germany loomed
ominously On the horizon. The nat
ion was convinced that it's turn would
come next if miIitarism triumphed,
but this menace was potential rather
than actual. Sympathy for ravage1
Belgium and France abhorance of
German military methods were far
stronger than fear.
Pure idealism, untainted by the
slightest breath Of selfishness, led
the President to declare war, and be-
cause Of this untainted idealism the
nation lined up behind him in solid
ranks from the Atlantic to the Pacif-
ic. Because of the crystal-clear puri-
ty Of Americas cause, two million
men willingly joined the colors, ten
million persons bought Liberty Bonds
ninety-five million citizens gladly,
voluntarily denied themselves a por-
ton of their accustomed food. Not
one of these ninety-five million had
anything to gain by the war; who
ever profited by the world catastro-
phe could have profited as much had
the United States remained at peace.
Because everyone of the ninety
five million was ready to pay his
share, to give his life, his health, his
children, his money, his business to
the cause, Hog Island, with all it inn
plies, has taken on a sinister signif-
icance.
Do you remember what happened
in Russia?
Grand dukes, generals, officials,
contractors and other profiteers
sucked the marrow out of Russian
backbone; they derived huge personal.
benifits out of the agony of the mill
ions. Where are the profiteering
grand dukes, officials, generals, and
contractors now? Worse yet, where
is the Russian army.
The profiteer behind The lines, not
the German army, put Russia out of
the war. Beginning in peace time
with the exploitation of his labor, he
built up in war time an inverted
pyramid of huge blood profit. He
and his profits vanished when the
disillusioned masses, sickened by his
selfish greed, decided to take their
destiny into their own hands.
Thanks to the profiteer, Russia
has made mess of it. Civil war.
famine and pestilence are demanding