South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-06
By EDWARD MOTT wooLLEY.

.
This. 1 reflected. was only an
other evidence OF our Americanism
the thing we must fight for. Is
: there any other land in the world
I where young men-or all men. for
! that matter-have such opportu-
mites? DO we half appreciate what
we have?
Then saw the same thing again
in Detroit only here / went through
automobile factories chiefly An
automobile plant is a demonstration
Of the amazing opportunities men
have in this land Of ours. Here
you find Industrial MANAGEMENT
I organized along the lines OF the
modern thought, so that in prac-
tically all the great plants ;nten-
sive study is given to the de-
velopment of mems earning capac-
ity. and to all the contributing fac
tors Of their progress and happi-
ness. This is a distinct reflection
OF our Americanism.
/ wish young men would appre-
ciate more than they do the causes
that underlie their extraordinary
opportunities in the United States.
] should like to see them possess a
realization Of the fact that these
chances do not come TO them by
luck, but are the result of our free
form OF government. our boundless
opportunities for enterprise, and
our individual freedom.
And these are the things we are
going TO maintain in this war 10 the
death. That is why we are fight
ing. We must never let the young
men of this land struggle under the
risidly CONSTRUCTED opportunities of
a form Of government such as Ger
many would thrust upon us. if she
could.
In Chicago I saw still more
swarming millions of people - all
enjoying the same boundless free
dom of enterprise which 1 fear most
of US, all of the country, fail TO
understand. on Lasalle ST. / met a
young fellow whom / had not seen
for five years. and in that period
he had developed from an office
boy at Sc a week to an executive
drawing 50, 500 a year. He told me
that he contemplated going to New
York, where, as he put it, his OPP
portunities would not be so limit
ed. Why, the very bigness of a
mans opportunities in this coun-
try blinds him to the wonder of
the thing. This nation OF ours is
so marvellous in every way that we
grow accustomed to seeing the
greatness of it. and think it com
monplace.
Surely it must not take defeat in
this war to wake us up. He will not
wait for the military rule of GER
many before we realize that these
golden material opportunities come
from basic underlying freedom.
/ wish you could study, as 1 have
done TO quite an extent, this sub
jet of individual opportunity in
some of the countries of Europe as
compafed with our opportunities
here. 1t would amaze you 10 know
how small were mems earnings
over there-before the war, of
course-and how hopeless were the
chances the great majority Of them
had TO rise above the dead level of
lifetime poverty and mediocrity.
Chicago, 1 say. is another mani
festation of freedom and opportuni-
ty-yet in Chicago l heard men
say that the war was a mistake.
They thought we should have kept
out Of it, one man asked me why
we should go over to France and
fight that cOuntry's battles The
very meaning of our part in the
war was lost on him, just as the
meaning of Chicago was lost. We
are lighting our own battles-New
YOrk's and Chicago's, and the whole
country's. We are lighting to keep
our opportunities.
At Minneapolis I stood in awe
and contemplated the immense
wheat elevators - those gigantic
concrete piles that distinguish this
flour center of the nation. / went
through one of the greatest of the
flour mills and saw the reverend
ing ribbon of yellow wheat that
runs from the bins to the machines.
To me. il stood for another vast Op-
portunity. Few Of us have any
conception Of our American food
possibilities. 1 wondered, as l con-
templated a 1000, OOO-bushel eleva-
tor, how many people there are
who ever tried 10 picture in their
minds 1000, 900 bushels - or TO-
100000. Yet in 1916 North Dakota
alone produced almost 100000
bushels. In 1915 she produced
nearly four times that much.
For hundreds Of miles rode
through the wheat country. Most OF
the harvesting was over, and the
grain was being thrashed. Mon
ster straw stacks dotted the land
scape, and the golden stubble reach
ed away in undulating waves until
il met the horizon. Prosperity stood
out all over that country The trains
were crowded with local travellers
as well as trans-cOnunental ones,
and money and comfort were in
evidence.
In America the farmer is far re
moved from the serf of Europe. We
have cut loose from feudalism and
the rule OF barOns. Not for a min
ute would we stand for a system
that compelled us 10 rent our wheat
felds from a group Of aristocrats
and sycophants Of royalty.
No: but We need To guard against
all possibility OF reversion TO such