Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-24

TO the Editor of the Telegraph:
There is a rather discouraging pro-
blem facing the discharged service
man these days ard that Is in the
matter of securing employment. Ihe
employers and business men in gem
eral have assumed very selfish and
close-fisted attitude, quite in variance
with the spirit which prevailed dur
ing the period of the war; and on
all sides the returning soldier, sailor
and marine seeking employment Is
encountering an attitude of utter in
difference and In many cases open
dislike-strange as the latter may
seem. Such conditions should not
obtain when one considers what
those men did in order that the
people of America, which naturally
includes the present day business
men, might live in peace and enjoy
their prosperity. 1t is fast assuming
the proportions of a hopeless propo-
sition for a discharged service man
to find a job and yet there are still
q million men in France and one
breads to think what these poor fell
! lows will do on their return.
The United States Government on
discharging it's men after good and
| faithful service, gives them the mu-
| nificent sum of sixty dollars with
which they are supposed to COM
p1etely outfit themselves in civilian
clothes and pay for their food and
| lodging until such time as they are
able to secure n position.
But when they try to locate said
position the invariable answer to
! their INQUIRIES is-"Conditions are
% thaf
afraid to take the risk" Yet-two
wears ago conditions were very un-
settled in Europe-but that did not
deter two or three million American
lads from taking a risk and going
"Over There" to make conditions
more settled. They gave up posi-
tions, future, home, families--in fact
everything that makes life worth
| Iliving-for a principle and went
through He'll in justification of that
principle and won. Without thought
or desire of gain or personal aggran-
dizement in any shape or manner.
millions cheerfully shouldered a gun
and lived in mud and filth and
wretchedness; many of them dying
under those conditions, but never a
com mplaining murmur came home
across the seas to shake the trust
the people here had in the boys
"Over There"
In return they do not ask anyone
to give up anything for them, but
just to act square. Is it quite right
or in accordance with the we'll
known American spirit OF fair play
that these men on returning should
meet with such complete indifference
and apathy from the people for
Whom they suffered all?
| Conditions may be unsettled, but
these returning men must live and
work must be created for them.
Charity is not asked-nor would it
be accepted-only a white mans
chance to dig in and make good and
an oportunity to repair as best as
| possible the financial losses of the
two years spent in the service -
If employers do not awaken to
the situation at present, they may
be surprised at the one confronting
| them later on. Before going over
to France, the majority of men were
promised their jobs on their return
and, just before returning, glowing
accounts reached them of the work
being done in their behalf towards
making a job for every fighter.
ON returning home, however, the
men found that words were cheap,
promises easily broken and the art
| of camoufiage as much in vogue as
at the Front, but applied in different
ways. During the war business
houses took great pride in display
ing huge service flags showing the
number of their employees in uni
form, but when the custom started
of putting a white star on the flag
for every re-employed man, flags
were suddenly hauled in out of sight.
Why this sudden modesty and re-
serve? This is not an Indictment
against all employers, but against
those who in their narrowness of
mind and spirit can see nothing out
side of their own selfish selves. If
the promises that were made to the
men and accepted by them in good
faith were kept, there would be no
necessity of any soldier, sailor or
marine worrying as to how to pro-
| vide for himself and family. Efforts
on their own part in conjunction
with the noble work being done by
various broad-minded people, who
| appreciate what the boys did, would
| suffice to land everyone of these dis
| charged men in some position that
would guarantee him a lving-pro-
viding they had the cooperation of
the business men. But the latter
| rs not the case, the exact opposite
being the general rule, except in