The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-01-14

special dispatches herein are also re-
served.
GIVING THE SOLDIERS LAND.
We continue to hear the cry "give
the returning soldiers land and
constituencies real estate boomers are
getting ready to unload lot of
worse than worthless land upon the
men who fought for freedom. At
Seattle some of the most unscrupu-
lous dealers in real estate are plan
ming great campaign to locate sol
diers on logged-off lands in western
Washington, land covered so thickly
with stumps that one can almost
jump from one to the other; land that
it would cost from 500 to $500 per
acre to clear and then would not be
good agricultural land.
Scheming politicians are taking up
the cry and claiming to be the "dis
coverers" of the scheme to "give the
soldiers land" They plan to get this
land for little or nothing and sell it
to the state or the national govern
ment at a big profit and have the
government give it to the soldiers and
require them to live upon and clear it.
Another scheme being developed in
western Washington is to have the
government donate millions of dollars
to irrigate the arid sage brush lands
of central Washington, and to give
the soldiers the land (worth from so
cents to SIS per acre. and have them
buy water right lat $500 per acre.
payable in SO annual payments. In
this way the soldier, who saved the
world from autocracy will be given
land worth so cents to SIS per acre
and required to improve it, pay 500
per acre for water and struggle I'M
der debt for SO years. The politicians
complished this and will expect the
soldier vote to retain them in office
as their share of the "rake-off for
the scheme.
WHY NOT TAFT?
With the passing of Theodore
Roosevelt attention is being turned
toward William Howard Taft, our
only living ex-president and the ques-
ton arises 'why not Taft for presi-
dent in 1920?" Mr.. Taft made a
good president although he never had
fair show. He is a man of marked
ability and undoubted honesty Roose-
welt declared him the best fitted man
for president in the United States.
That was in 1908 and we feel certain
that he has lost none of his fitness
by having been president and the vast
he gained during his adj
and since.
He was the victim of ingratitudc
and jealousy. Looking back at his
we cannot find in it
derogatory, dishonest or of
which he should feel ashamed He
has grown stronger in the affections
and confidence of the people since he I
was defeated for reelection by treach- '
cry and jealousy. People realize he
received the most unfair treatment.
The nation owes him PREPARATION for
is ingratitude and unfairness.
If the republican majority in con- t
yress does not make great big i
mouse colored ass of itself in the next |
,wo years, but gets down to business !.
ind gives the people the kind of an r
of which it is capable,
he republicans will elect the next
PRESIDENT and it will not make mis-
AXE if it sends Mr.. Taft back to
,egun. 5
IA IA n =
PROHIBITIONS GREAT DAY. =
January 7 will be remembered as g P
Amous day for the cause of national a
Two states carried COM =
letely, third in which the upper A
ouse repeated the previous favorable "
elton of the lower, and fourth in j.
Which the lower house was unani- NJ
1ously carried-that was the record ~
f Tuesdays legislative voting on the CO
ederal amendment so far as reported IT
midnight The victory in Ohio, al
{ course, outweighs the others in i'm
ortance. There the opposition was
eaten by more than two to one in 10
lie House and by nearly two to one W
the Senate.-Springfield Repub- ~
IAN. m