The Arvada enterprise., 1920-03-18
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction in
Europe Follow the Great
World War;
MEN CHANGED BY BATTLE
Soldiers Have Learned What Can Be
Accomplished BY the Uss Of Force,
stsrnly and Efficiently
Applied.
Article TX
By FRANK coMERFoRo.


does more than change the clothes he
wears. 1t changes the man. Men
who had never owned n revolver
or rife. who had never even shot one
of, who had never killed anything In
their lives. were given firearms. They
were drilled. taught to shoot. taught
to kill. The education was thorough
and scientific. They learned to look
down the sight Of a rife. pick out a
human heart for target. fire and
eagerly watch for the man to fall.
They were trained to rush madly at
n wall Of human beings and drive bay
Onets into mems heads and bowels.
Many of these men a few years be-
fore would have tainted In a stock.
yards where cattle were being killed.
For four years they have been In a
human slaughterhouse, not only as
spectators. but rs part Of the place.
1t steeled these men. Many Of them
contracted the undertaker's point Of
view towards life, fatalism without
fear.
Experience In battle taught them
the meaning of the word "force."
They discovered that the Individual
was only important and efficient when
he acted In concert with great group.
Everything depended upon team work.
Men learned that group of men
working In harmony. with nerve and
rifles with fixed bayonets. could do
wonderful things. They could take an
objective. In other words, take the
thing they wanted and needed. When
these men came back into civil life
and took Oft khaki and put on over
alls. the taking OF Of the khaki and
the putting on Of mutt did not erase
from their minds this lesson the war
had taught them.
This lesson has borne fruit. The
men look at the employer as an en-
envy. The employer thinks Of them
a. q commodity. Hatred Is cordial.
The men want something. They de-
mand It. The employer refuses.
Their objective Is to get the thing
they want and need. The war taught
them there IL a way. weapon-F0rce.
Today in Europe men reason. ''if we
can't get what we want. and need. we
must take Il. We have the force"
Having grown habited to suffering. &C.
customed to blood and death. they
look with Indifference on the question
Of danger. Of price. They saw that
when nations could not ngree they re-
sorted to force. They discovered that
victory generally went to the nation
possessing the greatest force.
Threat Of "plrset Aetlen!"
In the labor movement Of Europe
We have this idea In what il called
"direct action" "Direct action" Is
nothing more or less than applying
war methods to peace conditions. 1t
10 an effort on the part Of great groups
Of working men to compel recognition
Of their demands. They seek to Sc
cure their objective by force. No al.
Iowance Ii made for the fact that
methods justihable In war are not
right In peace. Few people will deny
that war 10 the supreme expression
Of force.
Many men got their first taste Of
fresh air and decent food while In the
army. Very properly the allied gov
ernments gave the best Of everything
to the men In the armies. 1t isn't diff
cult to get accustomed to good food
and fresh air; It IL hard to go back
to poor food and the tcnements. Back
home. many Of the deinobilized sol.
diers nre not eating as well or A.
much M they ate during their service.
Notwithstanding the rigid discipline
Of drmy life. men are treated rs men.
The humblest man In the ranks has
rights that must he respected. This
In not always the case In civil life.
Then. too. while In uniform the pri.
vate was made much Of. Glass dis.
tInction was oblitcrated. He was
looked upon AZ one Of his country's
defenders. Since he has been dem0bi.
lixed he Inns been forgotten and neg.
lected. This Inns soured him. lie re.
sents Il. Social distinctions have
come bnck. He 10 only a working man
now.
Another cause Of unrest among the
working man Of Europe grows out Of
H.. war. Mobilization took millions
Of men from their Jobs. A great short.
age Of labor resulted. Employers
were forced to compete to get men.
The usual competition was among
men TO get Jobs. The Inv Of supply
and demand affected the labor mnrket.
wages went up. The soldier went IN
10 war. While he was In the trenches
the wnges back home were high. Ills
pay was small. Our fighting mer,
were not interested In pay. They
went TO hght for n principle.
With the coming Of pence inrg''
quantity Of labor was dumped upon
the market. The demObilIzcd men
rushed for employment. Comrades
competed for Jobs. Tho same old lnw
~ supply and demand sent wages Ia
boggsnInx. The number Of men who