Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-03-06
TEE UNITED STATES-A GOING
CONCERN.
washington Post.)

There is a passing uneasiness in
the public mind in the United
States which is manifesting itself
in various ways. The war has
shaken individuals out of their for
mer easy habits of thinking-Or not
thinking-and the acquisition of
knowledge is proving acutely pain
full to many kinds of brains. Some
of them are unequal TO the strain of
absorbing truth. They are turning
sour, pessimistic or bolshevist, ac-
cording to the temperament of the
individual One type of mind that
seems to be increasing in numbers
is that which would throw away all
the good that has been acquired
through a century of effort, to en-
brace notions that cannot stand ten
minutes of quiet analysis. This kind
of hair-trigger American is reVel-
ing now in the chaotic state of af-
fairs. hoping to see complete over
turn in which he will stand
chance of grabbing some advantage
which he cannot hope to acquire IN
honest competition with his fellows.
The fault, however, does not lie
with the shallow-pated or the mere
ly unripe intellects. Some of the
strongest business men in the coun-
try are behaving as though their
brains had deserted them. Instead
of concentrating upon the new
problems that are presented and
quietly comforting upon ways and
means to cooperate on a sensible
course of action, they are throwing
fuel upon the bOlshevik bonfires by
ill-cOnsidered speech and unwise
acts. Others have drawn into their
shells, refusing to loosen their
minds or their pocketboOks for the
sake of keeping the wheels turning.
They excuse this turtle-like man
euver by asserting that mo one
knows what is coming" and eve
must wait and see what the peace
conference Will do" or similar non
sense.
OF course, no one knows what is
coming. But is it not presumable
that the richest, strongest, most SOL
vent most active and most independ-
emily placed nation in the world
will continue on the map? Surely
that is not a violent assumption, al
though, strictly speaking, it is no
more capable of demonstration than
any other future proposition. 1t is
sufficient, however. for the ordinary
American if he will but stop to
think that he and his fate are
bound upon the fate of the coun-
try. If the United States is to go
down, the average American would
Just as soon go down with it; and
if the United States is to go for
ward. the average citizen is salts
fed 20 go along. rather than seek
his fortune in other countries.
The banks are bullying with
money. The people of this country
are rich. Their government borrow
ed millions, but it borrowed from
the people who have recovered most
of the money in business and at the
same time hold the bonds, which
are drawing interest. The bankers
of the country are cautious-a good
trait in bankers, if it does not de-
generate into mere sheepish timid-
itv. Would it not be well for the
bankers to examine themselves and
the country and ask whether they
are not a bit too cautious for the
best interest of all concerned? Does
the United States depend upon the
peace conference after all? Is it
not rather a fact that the United
States has been held back too long in
its normal domestic development
until it is too cramped? The 100,-
900 600 individuals of this country
want more railroads, more build
ings, more homes, more schools,
more churches, more suburbs, more
farms, more gardens, more of
everything that brings comfort.
Why shouldn't the people have what
they want when they have the
money to buy it?
With all due respect to the
strength of the late German en-
pire, it seems to us that many
Americans are conceding too much
to the prowess of the enemy when
they are afraid to go forward in
business because of unsettled con-