The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-03-25
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction in
Europe Follow the Great
World War;
MEN CHANGED BY BATTLE
Soldiers Have Learned What Can Be
Accomplished by the Use Of Force,
SternIy and Efficiently
Applied.
Article TX
Rx HANK coMERFoRp.

a
does more than change the clothes he
wears. It changes the man. Men
who had never owned a revolver
or rifle, who bad 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 rifle. pick out
human heart for a target, fire and
eagerly watch for the man to fall.
They were trained to rush madly at
q 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
human slaughterhOuse, not only as
spectators. but as part Of the place.
1t steeled these men. Many of them
contracted the undertaker's point Of
view towards life. fataIism 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 a great group.
Everything depended upon team work.
Men learned that a grOupi 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 off khaki and put on over
aIls, the taking off of the khaki and
the putting on of multi 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-
as a commodity. Hatred Is cordial.
The men want something. They de
mand 1t. The employer refuses.
Their objective is to get the thing
they want and need. The war taught
them there is way, weapOn-FOrce.
Today in Europe men reason, eff we
can't get what we want, and need, we
must take it. We have the force"
Having grown habited to suffering. ac-
customed to blood and death. they
look with Indifference on the question
of danger. Of price. They saw that
when nations could not agree they re-
victory generally went to the nation
possessing the greatest force.
Threat of "Direct Action"
In the labor movement of Europe
we have this idea IN what is called
direct action" direct action" is
nothing more or less than applying
war methods to peace conditions. 1t
is 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
lowance is made for the fact that
methods justifiable in war are not
right In peace. Few people will deny
that war Is 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 is hard to go back
TO poor food and the tenements. Back
home. many Of the demobilized sol
diers are not eating as well or as
much as they ate during their service.
Notwithstanding the rigid discipline
Of army life. men are treated as men.
The humblest man in the ranks has
rights that must be respected. This
is not always the case in civil life
Then, too, while in uniform the pri-
vate was made much of. Glass dis
tinction was obliterated. He was
looked upon as one of his country's
defenders. Since he has been demobi-
LIED he has been forgotten and neg
lected- This has soured him. He re-
sents It Social distinctions have
come back. He is only a working man
now.
Another cause OF unrest among the
working man Of Europe grows out of
the 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 law Of supply
and demand affected the labor market.
wages went up. The soldier went off
to war. While he was In the trenches
the wages back home were high. His
pay was small. Our fighting men
were not interested in pay. They
went to fight for principle
With the coming of peace large
quantity Of labor was dumped upon
the market. The demobiliZed men
rushed for employment. Comrades
competed for jobs. The same old law
Of supply and demand sent wages to-
bogganing. The number of men who