Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-01-11
Why America Is Richer BY Reason
Of the World War

wherein America is ahead Of Europe.
To the development of this country
in material and educational things
they will bring an almost limitless
power for good.
We are richer in self-reliance, rich
Ter in a knowledge of the tremendous
latent and developed powers Of Amer
lean business men.
We are richer through having
learned TO our ability to beat Ger
many in every science and in every
industry, just as our soldiers have
beaten the German armies on the
battlefield.
We are richer in the knowledge of
our transportation problems, and
therefore a the better understand
the mistakes we made In the past
y the need Of avoiding them in
the future: richer in this respect be-
cause we have learned that the rams
portation situation would have utterly
collapsed IT the government had o
Immediately, in taking over the roads,
compelled thepn>to do many Of the.
Things which the government and the
people fpr wears had prevented the
railroads. from doing; richer In the
realization Of the truth that We had
gone on false basis as to freight
rates.. and probably we would not
have been saved from a complete fin
ancial bankruptcy of the entire rail-
road system Of the country if we had
not learned through the work of the
government. due to the war, that he
railroads were breaking down under
the strangle-hold system which the
interstate commerce commission and
the state railroad commission held
upon the threats OF every railroad in
America
We are richer in a knowledge Of
the power of the motor truck In sup
plementing and in many cases sup
planting railroad traffic, and richer
because VIC have realized that we
have within our grasp an influence
Of tremendous, almost limitless, value
for %benefiting the whole natioa
will but avail ourselves of the power
Of good highways and of the motor
truck. These will solve many of the
problems of country and urban life
to the benefit of the farmer and the
dwclier in the city. The producer and
the alike will be benefited
ii We avail ourselves of the knowledge
conditions as to highways and motor
trucks.
When we place against these things
the material cost of the war and the
loss of life, we are forced to a realiza-
ton that however great these may
nave been, they were in our case only
sufficient to awaken our country to
stimulate its life and to open up to
the whole nation a future of po-
tentialitics beyond anything which
any man would ever have dared to
predict five years ago.
Our Allies must bear the burden
of 10000, 900 casualties az against
10000 that we nave suffered. They
must bear. the burden OF devastated
cities. ruined homes. of a loss of man.
power and of wealth staggering in
magnitude. while we are the richer in
every respect by ~reason>of the war.
No man can possibly set la limit
to the power and wealth and world
influence and opportunities for the
betternent Of mankind, for the
broadening of the worlds civilization,
as we stand by the Allies not in Il
spirit of opposition. but in a spiri,
Of cooperation and Of brotherly
love" to the nation who gave millions
to die on the battlefields to save CIV
ilization from destruction. and that
means to save America. We are the
richer through their sufferings to an
fextent that. We cannot now fully re-
alize, but which we shall the better
understand rs the year go by.