The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-01-11
FUNDAMENTALS

This is 1919. The war was won last year. Forget
ii ii is and done with.
This year has problems of its own. tasks just as
complicated and difficult and fundamental as the lick
ing of the lohenzollerns and all they stood for They
are the establishment Of just peace for the world.
and the creation of new peace basis for The United
States industrally socially, and economically. There
is no time now for looking backward.
To begin with. the peace. The president is in
Europe today that important mission. What he
is striving for is new kind OF international agree
ment that will be an absolute guarantee against future
misunderstandings-.an great wars. Just and
equal League OF Nationsequal according TO the num-
bers and Importance of the civilized peoples of the
earth such-is his plan. Whether just that kind
of a league will be feasible or not what he has set
out to do. and has vary fair chance of accom-
plishing is 10 definitely avoid the mistakes OF the
pastthe writing of old-fashioned, secret, grabwhat
you-can. war breeding treaties. And TO do away with
conditions brought about by that kind Of treaties is,
above all else what our soldiers have fought and
died for.
actively support the president Politicians in congress
and out, who are doing their best to embarrass him
nc this CRITICAL time, are no less traitors than were
those others-and some of them the same-who tried
TO embarrass him and his administration in the carry
ing out OF war preparations.
Then our own reimbursement In facing this there
is one fact clearer than all others WE CANNOT BE
SATISFIED WITH A MERE RETURN TO PRE-
WAR CONDITIONS. The fought for prog
ress; there must be progress at home as well as
abroad
There is but one direction American progress can
take. This nation is committed-"a for democ-
racy That is empty phrase unless there is actual
progress in our own democracy We are all citizens.
We can all share in IT, And we can all work for it.
There are traitors here too. There would-be
after-the-war profiteers, just as there were war
profiteers. There are price raisers and the wage
reducers. There the corruptionsts There the
tax shfters and dodgers There the labor crushers
And there the Bolshevik both sides of the
fence-the fanatca Bolshevh of the down-and-
cutters with their mistaken faith and the COOL calctf
latng. n thousand times more dangerous Boshevild
hO NIL OVinU Tor tpdu
and commercial anarchy and cut-throat competition
for what they can get out Of it.. Let's make it bot
for all Of these traitors. without fear favor They
are menace to every one of the rest of us.
Here is n list of some of the things that can be
accomplished. not in mere reimbursement" program
but in recreation" Of the country live in
things we must accomplish il this is TO have been
worth while
IA fun re-establishment Of the right Of free
speech and free press-thc right Of honest criticism
e-Better pay. better living and ,corlino and
These things icH better citizenship TO hundreds
Of thousands.
S-A fairer system Of taration 10 support great
public projects Direct and simple tazes based on
ability 10 pay not ability to Grade shift the bur
den. This ioiH largely, graduated income taxes
nth publicity Of returns.
Increased government activity in building,
controlling. operating operating part such pat
ent public utilities as our railroads canals shipping
and other transportation systems telegraph cable,
and other communication system; coal mines, oil
fields and the like
5-The creation Of a real high court Of labor. of
nnquestionabe fairness and ich poiCer TO settle in
dbstriai disputes This iciH the permanent
establishment Of an institution like the labor
board-d peace labor bodrd-oniy uith its authority
and responsibility clearly fired BY lato.
6-The continuance of our high court OF
merce-the federal trade conmission-dnd the broad
ching Of its scope and porer.
7-PoSitire action by the federal government in
the housing Of workers, TO do array 1oih the rent
profiteer and unsanitarv. depressing and degrading
Ig1 IN 13y1 suHf
All of these fundamental items that will go to
make up and better America, and n new and
better world, things upon which the thought and
expression of the common every day citizen will have
great bearing What they spell is a better and a
farer chance to ve and enjoy living for returned
soldiers, for those who couldn't CO. and for the chill
dren and grandchildren of each and every of us