Willmar tribune., 1919-07-02
UNIVERSAL MILITARY TRAINING
FAILS THROUGH SOLDIER VIEWS
Army of Only 100000 Provided foenator kim Of Utah intro
duces Drastic Espionage Pofeers Steal s7oooo-
voo from Farmers-samue Gempers Reelected by Labor
Vanderp Sees New Labor Conditions Neededstandard l
influences Some AntiLeague Senator's p

cetved calmly the news that congress-
plans to cut the $4,000 men for 9
standing army, as asked for by the
war department, to a mere 100000
and army expenditures from $1,1oo,
100000 to $718,000,00O. Also it an
pears that we are not going out fo1
the greatest feet in the world. What
has become of that nationwide de-
mand" for compulsory military serv
ice which the National Security league
and dozen other organizations have
been developing with great funds and
great publicity?
The danger Is not yet entirely over
Tor these organizations have not ex.
hausted funds available for militar.
Ism, but the change of sentiment is
so great that no amount of funds NAV
be able to put their feature bills
across. These bills are still before
congress and some fight for them may
be expected.
Much of the change of feeling may
be attributed to the returned soldiers.
They appear to be fed up on war and
military training. The American
Legion, in its national meeting at St.
Louis recently, refused to fndorse
compulsory universal service It even
decided to abolish all titles within the
organization and to know its mem.
bers only as plain Mr.
The National Security league in
despair wrote the editor of the New
York Tribune that in all high school
and college debates the defenders of
universal military training were be-
Ing defeated at the ratio of prac-
tically two to one" The letter also
declared: 'The league considers the
results in these debates and the com
ments thereon most Illuminating as
an exposition of an enormous senti-
ment against universal military train
ing which will have to be overcome" J"
New Espionage Bill.
The honor" if any such thing can
be found in it, of introducing the new
espionage bill to take the place of the
one which goes out of force with the
official close of the war, has fallen
upon Senator King of Utah. This
bill, prepared under the direction of
Senator Overman, who was chairman
OF the committee which investigated
bolshev1sm, is more drastic in it's
terms than the act which it is to dis
place. 1t is more drastic because the
war camouf1age has disappeared and
the new act appears as an out-and-
out device to kill off progressive and
radical thought.
Big Wool Steal.
By little, stroke of private initfa-
tive the big wool dealers Of America
trimmed the farmers and the govern
ment of the tidy sum of $4,000, 900
during the year 1918, according to
Milo D. Campbell of the National
Agricultural Advisory Committee.
"The first mistake by the govern
ment was when it invited the Boston
wool dealers to advise the war indus
tries board,' says Mr.. Campbell.
This gang is notoriously the great
est trust on earth in the wool busi-
ness. The war Industries board had
much business on hand, and so it Gre
ated division of the board known as
the wool division and it was in this
little corner the plans were made to
fleece not only the sheep but the farm
ers and the public generally"
These private wool dealers were
made government agents and helped
fix the price which the government
would pay for the entire wool clip
Of 1918, estimated at 100000, 900
pounds. The wool was bought from
the farmers ''in the grease" accord
ing to Campbell, at prices ranging
from IS to 81 cents pound. It was
then sold to the government as
secured wool" at prices ranging from
$l.3O to $1.85 pound. But not q
single pound of it was really secured
The government paid for grease and
ALL
IF the public wants to know how
much it has been mulched by this
gang" says Mr.. Campbell, "1ust let 1t
multiply 700,000,000 pounds of wool
by the number Of cents per pound
that the farmers should have gotten
Ten cents a pound would mean s7O,.
OOO,OO0.'
Labor Convention News.
Full participation Of labor in poll
tics" was urged by the resolutions
committee in reporting a resolution
at the American Federation of Labor
convention at Atlantic City.
The committee reported: "Con
scious as never before of its power
labor will no longer rest content un
der system which treats workers
| as commodities or articles of com
| merce. The workers = now insist
on the full value and a full compen
sation for services rendered on a basis
that will enable all to enjoy the high
er things of life rather than merely
exist near the line beyond which we
find human misery and which spells
human bankruptcy"
The committee further recommends
remedies against unemployment; de
mands protection of women and chill
dren In industry; demands adequate
wages; declares labor's right to fix It's
own working hours; favors co-opera
tive institutions of farmers and sim
liar producing agencies; favors curb
ing the power Of the courts to make
and unmake laws; favors full partici
patton of labor in politics, but disap
proves Of partisan politics.; favorf