The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-03-13
"RUBE' WRITES FROM FRANCE.

Bennett, France, 2-16-19.
Dear Editor: It has been some time
since I wrote to you. We have been
located in this village ten weeks now.
Life in the, army is considerably diff
ferent now than it was while the war
was raging. We no longer have the
long hours of drill which was neces-
sarily a part of the soldiers life in
wal time. OF course we still do COM
siderable drilling. We n all very
anxious to return to the states again.
Now that the war is over the boys
have more time to study conditions
as they exist in the United States.
The Doughboys m particularly in
terested concerning the activities of a
certain clique in the states, those who
are working for universal military
training in the time Of peace. The
boys are almost to a man against uni
versal training. They say, "why
should our country adopt universal
military training in the time Of peace
when we came over here to fight such
conditions? We fought for democracy
not for compulsory military training
in the time of peace"
It is to be hoped by the liberals in
the United States that the reactionar-
les will place q military man in the
race for the presidency. Whenever
you mention the fact to "Sammie"
that any military man is going to
make the race for the presidency the
said "Sammie" smiles and will inform
you that the said military man is just
out Of luck. Of course there is a class
of soldiers that will approve Of mill
tary men but it isn't the Doughboys.
The fellows over here are doing con
siderable thinking along other lines
also. The politicians will find the av-
erage soldier a harder man to deal
with when he returns.
The boys are wondering why the
wealth is not conscripted in the Unit
ed States in the same manner as were
the men. The soldier wants to know
why the sugar trust was allowed. to
soak the people in the states for q
profit Of $44,OOO,O00 while the patri-
otto people were denying themselves
sugar to help win the war. The sol
dier wants to know why the steel
trust was allowed to make $882,OO0,-
600 and get away with it. The sol-
der wants to know why the leather
trust was allowed to get away with
$~43,413,OO0; why the copper trust
was allowed to get away with $751;
600, 1000; the Electric Manufacturing
trust $~l46,O00,OOD and the rubber
trust $95,OO0,OO0. Indeed there are
many things along this line an answer
for which the average soldier will be
looking. So politicians beware! Boys
over here have told me that they new
er had taken any interest in politics
before they entered the army but
that now they intend to take q part
in politics and not on the r~eactionaries
side either.
Another matter which interests the
the boys is the fact that in spite Of the
governments law marine insurance
rate and the losses suffered through
submarine raids of the American
coast, less than tWo-thirds of the
premiums paid to the marine section
iof the war risk insurance bureau have
gone TO pay losses. The fact that
1.-THE government made $16,060,O00 pro-
fht out Of this government owned and
loperated affair il quite interesting IN
ideed. The boys 1 undoubtedly with
tire progressive-rninded people back
home.
Please extend congratulations 4
Matt, FaIkY Garden md their thkee
EEn6ed cirrus thirteen msnherz
upon their recsnt (Novennbsr
!oryl 4
saThe Ru Corn. m Hsco