The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1920-03-27
MANNED SOLDIER BOYS FIGHT SHY
OF THE GOVERNMENTS OFFER
Contest For Township Treasurer
Brings a Request For Information
On Both Sides

me contest for the treasurersbi,
OF Crystal Falls township has cause,
great deal OF discussion In regar,
TO vocational training for ex-seryic,
men who have been wounded. In tha
township. Henry Libery, soldier bo,
who received bad wound while fight.
Ing in the trenches in France. ia con.
testing for the Office on slips against
Ralph Waite who is asking for a sec
ond term and who won out by a small
majority in three cornored fight in
The primary. The office pays about
Si.50o per year.
Friends OF the wounded soldier say
that the patriotism OF the people OF
the township ought to dictate the Sc
lection of the wounded soldier; the
friends of Mr. Waite say that Mr.. Lib
erty can go to vocational training
school and get more out of IL than
in the treasurer's office.
The Diamond Drill has been asked
to publish an excerpt from an article
on vocational training in support OF
the claim that the soldier boy should
go to school," The Diamond Drill
Is more interested In giving its read
ers fair information on the subject so
that every elector in the township
may form his own opinion than Il Is In
giving either contestant an opportun-
ity over the other and with that end
in view We referred the article to the
local Legion Post with the request
that the "other side" OF the question
be stated and both printed together.
Both sides are printed in this article.
Boys Don't Like the School
1t Is fact that the wounded sold
iers. as rule. do not like the re-
straint which the government places
upon them In these schools. A man
from one of the schools returned to
Alpha last week and the stories he
told were anything but complimentary
to the present conduct of the voca-
tional training schools. Whether or
no this man and the others who
knock" the schools are telling the
exact truth we know not; the only
fact we know is that many don't like
the schools, SO there you have II. The
American boy resents paternalism no
matter in what form IL is presented.
It's another case OF leading the horse
to water"
The Governments Side.
The excerpt referred to is as fol-
lows:
thousands OF disabled soldiers
sailors and marines entitled 10 train
ing under the Federal Board for Vo-
cational Education, with pay ranging
from $50 10 $3.50 a month, tuition and
books free, are refusing TO accept
such training.
Investigation by agents of the Fed
eral Board has revealed that some
men are still under the impression
that army discipline prevails while
they are taking this training. Others
have refused TO take training because
some enterprising merchant In thier
town hired them. paying a salary In
excess OF what they were able TO earn,
for the advertising II might bring to
his business
II has been the experience of agents
of the board that veterans thus EN-
ployed could not be persuaded 10 take
the training. failing TO take account OF
heir future and the fact that the posi-.
ions which they were holding could |
,nly be temporary at the best
Oficers OF the American Legion and |
,ther veteran organizations through
,ut the country have united with the |
BOARD i'm an effort TO persuade the de-
inquents TO take the training with
,ut avail.
Records of the board show that more |
han 5000 men entitled TO such train
ng are still falling 20 take advantage
u n, with no indication on their part /
hat they will ever desire II.
In some cities OF the country public /
pirited men are asking merchants
md employers OF men to refrain from
firing disabled veterans until they
ave taken the training which II pro
fided. pointing out that Y IL little
hort OF criminal 10 empoly men who
re not physically and mentally pre-
jared for the battle or life"
The Legion's Side Of II
In reply TO this article the cores