The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-01-07
BINGHAM COUNTY CIVIC LEAGUE
URGES BUILDING ROADS this YEAR
Past Two Years all Energies Were Directed To-
ward Winning the War. Energies May Now
be Directed Toward Road Improvement
BEGIN PRELIMINARIES NEXT WEEK

Today is the beginning of one of
the greatest years in mans history.
In It the question of future peace
and safety will be settled between the
great powers of the human family
and 1t will be the beginning of hu-
man freedom, freedom to speak, act
and serve God and man in any way
within the bounds of right.
Thoughts of men are much like
the large bodies of water with their
tides, streams, currents and waves.
Elements sometimes effect the great
body SO severly that it over-reaches
it's confines, floods surrounding lands
and disturbs everything within it's
reach. Our great men will, during
this year, direct current of thought
which will counteract that caused by
potentates and autOcrats of the past
years and which will have balance
wheel, so to say, or governor to con-
troll disturbing elements so that
mems fears Of each other will cease,
and the little currents of thought
flowing in from this and other di-
rections, troublesome or otherwise,
will not distrub the whole nor sur
rounding elements. War and peace
are only matters Of education or
current thought and opinion.
During the past two years, thru
which we have directed all energies
toward victory in the fields of battle,
it has been necessary for us to con-
serve man pawer to such a degree
that essential civil construction, even
maintenance have suffered. Many
great enterprises upon which thou
sands in men and wealth depended,
have suffered, have been discorded
and allowed to deteriorate, while war
and more war materials were manu-
factured, soldiers trained and
equipped and transported from home
to camp, from camp to the fronts, all
in the interest of mars.
We have learned many lessons,
however. We have learned what
great power Uncle Sam has, how
quickly he can direct his energies to
some given purpose and the wonder
full things he can accomplish. We all
learned to work and to direct our
work and to direct such work to that
great thing, war, waging it on such
a scale that nations crumbled under
the power.
Peace is dawning and with 1t thou
sands Of men are returning to their
usual haunts. These men must live,
therefore, work is necessary and we
are going to learn how. powerful
Uncle Sam is in returning home and
getting back to normal without loss
and suffering. We must think of the
common good, the one big interest,
and arrange to occupy the time of
each and every man coming back
to civil life so that he will not suf-
fer. He has done his part and was
willing to do all, even to giving his
life, and now we must do our part,
employ him so that he will not suf-
fer.
William B. Wilson, secretary of
labor for the United States, in an ad-
dress delivered December 80, 1918,
implores citizens to prepare for con-
struction. Building creates per-
manent wealth." he says, increases
the taxable property Of the commun-
ity, and is a form Of wealth subject
to little depreciation. He further
stated that, Building makes for
good citizenship, and is the only safe
guard against Bolshevism."
1.-THE main reason why civil con-
.,.ruction is held up,' continues Mr..
Wilsaa. lis because the public has
been i,n.tinctively educated against
it. The new attitude of the govern
ment toward building and the work
thus started must. be given as much
favorable publicity as the govern
ment directed unfavorable toward
construction during the war. A cam
paign to encourage home owning and
home construction has already been
inaugurated oy the department of
labor" '-.
In other speeches made by Sec
retary Wilson and other leading men
of this and the other waring nations,