The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-03-07
accomplished the vast things which
we undertook and put through to a


we undertook and put through to a
finish, but just at the height Of our
war production the war ceased
When we stop the ammunition fac
tories it throws thousands out of EN-
ployment. This is the slack time OF
the year even, in normal times, and
the closing of factories and war
work has thrown an enormous num-
Der of people out of work. The gov
eminent is doing everything that is
honorable. In the last two or three
weeks it has paid over two billion,
five hundred million of dollars to hon.
orably adjust contracts entered into.
Question of the Unemployed.
'What are We going to do with
the unemployed? Propaganda is be.
ing spread here like poison from Eu-
rope, where the people hate their
fellow men. You can't argue with
them. You can't argue with France
until factories are restored, until her
starving children are fed. Just as in
your own lives you cannot do wrong
without paying for it, so the erring
nation must pay.
Unrest is spreading over the
world. The argument is that no gov
eminent is any good any more. Eng
land made a mistake, France made a
mistake, in sending their soldiers
home>too soon, before they had found
work for them to do. So did we. We
had our boys come back by the
thousands, and we had not planned
reconstructionAther were no jobs
for them, They We're turned loose
with thirty dollars. Now the gov
eminent gives them a bonus of sixty
dollar. But twenty thousand unem-
ployed men a week are piling up
against us, and there are no jobs
ready for them No construction
work is being done. Business is
holding back. hesitating.
Propaganda Is Spreading.
1.-THE propaganda, to hell with all
government is spreading. If you men
don't help us stop it in the east you
will soon have it in full measure In
the west. Don't blame your govern
ment for the coming loan, or any of
the after war conditions. Blame that
Potsdam gang. They are the fell
lows who are responsible for it all.
The soreheads of the war, the paci-
fists, the bolsheviki, are spreading
this poisonous propaganda over our
country.
The Reconstruction PROGRAM.
"Here is our reconstruction pro-
gram: We are losing about 10000
men a week. men who return, find no
work, and become embittered. If we
allow three hundred thousand of our
men to come every month. and we
cannot possibly supply Jobs for over
2OO. 900. what are we going to
do. We have government bureaus all
over the United States. We have
hundreds of bureaus and we get
complete reports every night. so we
know the exact sit,ation all over the
country. We flrst made 4 survey Of
me boiIz1z -construc{io and found
that three billions Of dollars IN con-
struetion work was held ND during
the war. All that construction work
must now start. This three billion
dollars worth of deferred work must
start. at once and is being started.
You businessmen who are present, I
urge you to start whatever work
there is to be done in your vicinity.
and employsthe boys. We want every
man in this town to take back in
their employ every boy who left here.
If necessary find out the names of
the BOYS who left and write to them.
Say to the boy Your Job is ready
for YOU
"The government has now made a
rule that the soldiers may STAY in
camp as long as they chose at the
salary of $50 a month. and a bonus
of $50 when they are mustered out.
They can stay until they secure a lob,
and may then go to their commander
and ask for their discharge which
will be given to them. The govern
ment has issued General Order No. II.
authorizing every commander of
every camp upon proper application
to let the boy 90.
Many Were MutiIated. -
thousands of boys were terribly
mutilated and injured during the war.
and you may thank God that you are
not near p hospital where YOU see the
manned, blind and comsumptive SOL
diers that are returning. Every one
: of these men will be taken care of
by the government. They can saw Tn
the government Il want to be taught
and the government will take that
manned boz. teach him vocation