The Monroe journal., 1919-07-01
Is THE LANE PROPOSITION
BEST FOR OUR sOLDIERse ,
This l. the Question Old Hickory l.
Called Upon to Prove Now-Novus
Thinks Only the Best l. Good
Enough For the BOYS.


Enough For the Boys.
Written for The Journal.
Mr.. o. Hickory: My Dear Sir
have been right muchly amused al
YOUR last attempt 10 prove that the
Lane PLAN for helping the soldiers
is worthy one. Fact is. you failed
10 prove IL. really don't believe you
tried 10 prove II.
What's the matter with it. Mr..
Hickory? Has il turned out TO be. to
your mind, about what said it was,
a trick?
You speak about prophets. etc.. as
though il required any prophet to in
terpret a proposition that has always
worked only one way. and that way
open to the eye of every locker on.
You might as well say that a man
who would say that if il rains enough
il will wet the ground is assuming the
role OF prophet as TO say that man
who would accuse land spectators of
being ready to profit by Lanes prop
osition is a prophet.
| believe you promised if | would
prove there is "a Negro in the wood
pile" that you would appeal to Judge
Lemmond and have Cliff sent out af-
ter him. and just little further on
one. but think I'VE can't help it," so
Cliff loses job and | am relieved of
the task of proving. see?
With all due respect, | must say
that YOUR last communication fell far
shori of what | expected. | was per-
suaded that since you had fired a
forty-two centimeter in your first.
that you would bring out Tall Bet
sy" next time and break through my
fort, somewhere between hope and
despair. and put me TO the trouble of
digging up something.
| said in the first article wrote as
a criticism. There is not anything
too good for Uncle Sam TO do for the
boys who made the sacrifice" | said
further "there is no danger of his do
ing too much" but | tried to make it
plain that the Lane plan was unwor-
thy and would 10 my mind work a
hardship rather than a blessing. You
took me to task. | thought for the
purpose of showing that the Lane
plan was the very best, and that no
one should show himself little
enough to criticise 1t.
It's up 10 you now TO prove that
the Lane plan is the best Uncle Sam
can devise for the boys. If you prove
it, I'm whipped if you do not, still
hold the fort.
Talking about prophets, grapejuice
and railroads is not in order at all,
until we get through with the ques-
tion now before the house. Is the
Lane plan the best or is ii not the
best? If it's the best thing that can
be done for the soldiers, show why.
But you don't want to put 'em to
building roads in competition with
Cheap negro labor" That's very
commendable indeed, but it makes
me kinder smile behind the ears, for
just now remember reading in The
Public, | think. some few weeks ago
that there was some little complaint
among a few of the boys who had got
no further than the camps when the
armistice was signed and were mus
tered out and returned to their homes
| with only a few months experience in
army life.
The paymaster apparently had got
behind on his Job and these boys were
raising some cain. about their dollar
day wages. The explanation as |
remember it was something like this:
1t seems there had been some extra
force work done az the camps by col
ored men who had assisted in build
ing roads. cutting sewer bitches. etc,
and that this extra force had worked
right along side by side of the boys
in khaki. The extra force had been
working at the recognized wage scale
of 80 cents an hour, and the boys in
khaki had earned only ten cents an
hour. so just as soon as the book
keeper could get the proper appor-
tionment made so as TO give each his
proper stipend according to Y equals
80. and y equals 10. Y representing
cheap negro labor and Y representing
the khaki, the checks would be forth
coming.
That's how to keep them out of
competition with cheap negro labor,
eh? Did you say it? Your railroad
suggestion is loaded too; better let ii
alone. I'll just give hint. so when
YOU get through proving that Mr..
Lanes plan for helping the boys is
the best plan, We'll tackle the other,
If you like. We should not prevent
railroads being built because 1t will
put value in land. We should build
railroads because it does put value in
land. We should also take this val
ue in land as net return from the
community creation and consider II
community asset. The way we have
been building railroads we have given
to promoters enough land to pay for
the work of constructing and equip
ping, about three times. Then we
allow the said promoters to issue
stock enough before a single shovel
full of dirt has been moved to sell for