Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-03-09
First and at Once Simple Justice.

there was nothing in it all to sug-
motive They went forth in the
spirit of the lad, who remarked to
the writer a few days before he left:
Il don't believe any of us really want
to go but it looks like our job
Then came the draft of fighting
men, but because the administrators
we're afraid, there was no draft of
workers, as there should have been.
TO most of the latter no job looked
like theirs unless it was covered
overtime. To expect any other at
ttude may be unwise Until such
some glory and renown to work. To
have drafted men for work would at
least have attached responsibility,
and that would have been some
thing.
tbaI " soCI DslN n zslc liz IVY "hS
made the supreme offer of their
lives: nothing mercenary then and
there should be nothing of the sort
row. Such a view would be u gross
insult to their high emprise. There
must be nothing now which may be
construed as in the slightest degree
,isrespectful to the really splendid
behavior exhibited in all branches of
the service. Whatever may or may
not be done in recognition Of those
services it must not happen that
sentiment shall regard it as pay
ment of an obligation. Such an
obligation should be recognized, also,
that in no way may it be cancelled;
all succeeding generations shall be
under obligation to pay homage to
the men who said: This looks like
my job"
How to do this thing: how assist
and not incapacitate? Were the
country to say to the returned SOL
dicr: You have done your life work,
YOU shall be cared for" 1t would be
robbing that man Of the greatest JOY
Of life, the joy Of accomplishment
Most Of those men are capable Of
accomplishing something worth
,shi1n re t;S,fo
ton Of SO doing. But because Of
their sacrifice they should not be
handicapped in this undertaking.
They should be enabled to make u
fair start in competition with the
Stacker" or with the man who feels
he was deprived in being unable to
so into the service. He was deprived.
The service man has something the
other may never hope to have.
Just now there is much confusion
respecting what should be done for
the returned service man. We think
the men as a whole are disposed to
be modest In their requests, but that
is not saying all who make demands
in their name are modest. One out
standing thing should be done at
once-more time may be necessary
to consider ways and means for a
general policy-simple justice should
be done. Il is not simple justice to
permit red tape to delay payments
due them; it is not justice that but
for private contribution there would
have been much suffering among the
discharged men. Up to February 1
tho Federal board for Vocational
Training had placed $4,000 men in
training and 10000 Of these had to
be assisted from the F1ks fund,
which amounts to $25o.0oo. And be
it said loans from this fund to the
soldiers have been scrupulously re-
paid. Nevertheless here is de-
pendence on private charity. which
should have been dependence on the
government
To come back to private life, to
find your Job taken by the fellow
who staid at home. to find it diflcult
to get what the government owes
you, to meet with delays at the
agencies which are supposed to ex-
list for the purpose of assisting you.
all these things would De annoying
TO anyone, indeed one would require
pretty broad vision to escape be-
ing embittered by them.
There is no shadow Of doubt but
the country means wells. that the
government means well, that con-
gress means we'll. but there is a
place said to be paved with good in
1entions-and that isn't T.. S. A.
The service men are not the kind
knowingly to ask for extravaganza
IN their behalf. but they naturally
may ask why there is extravaganza
in nearly everything else. 1t was
thought provision had been made