Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1920-03-20
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
ev FRANK coMERFoRp.

Making a soldier out Of a civilian
does more than change the clothes he
| wears. Ii changes the man. Men
who had never owned revolver
or rife. who had never even shot one
+! off, who had never killed anything in
| their lives. were given firearms. They
| were drilled. taught TO shoot. tau II
| to Kill. The education was thorough
| and scientific. They learned TO look
| down the sight of a rifle. pick ont a
human heart for target. fire and
! eagerly watch for the man 10 fail.
| They were trained 10 rush madly at
a wall of human beings and drive bay
| Onets into mems heads and bowels.
| Many of these men few years he
| 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 as part OF the place.
| Ii steeed these men. Many az them
contracted the underlaker's point of
| view towards life. fataIism without
| fear.
Experience in hattie taught them
the meaning Of the word fore"
| They discovered that the individual
was only important and efficient when
! he acted In concord with a 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 lack into civil life
and took off Khaki and pat on over
| ais, the taking oft Of the khaki and
the putting 90 of mufti 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
as a commodity. Hatred is cordial
The men want something. They de-
mand H. The employer refuses
! Their objective Is to get the thing
! they want and need The war taught
! them there is n way, wPap0n-Force.
! Today in Europe men reason. "if we
! can't get what we want, and need. we
must take 1t. We have the force"
| Having grown hahited to suffering, ac-
customed 10 blood and death. they
/ look with Indifference on the question
I of danger Of price. They saw that
when nations could not agree they re-
sorted to force. They discovered that
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 10 peace conditions. Ii
is n 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 thar
methods tustifiable 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
10 the men IN the armies. Ii isn't diff
cult TO get accustomed TO good food
AID fresh air; II is hard to 20 hack
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 humhleSt man in the ranks has
rights that must he respected. This
IS not always the case In civil life
Then, too, while in uniform the pri-
waite was made much OF. Glass dis
tinction was obllterated. He was
looked upon as one of his countrv'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
tplhS both. NE 10 piliN q WoIhINS man
now.
Another cause Of unrest among the
working man Of Europe crows out OF
the war. Mobiizaii lion took millions
Of men from their jobs A great short
age Of labor resulted. EMPLOYERS
we're 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 of
TO war. While he was 10 the trenches
the wages back home we're high. His
pay was small. Our fighting men
were not Interested in pay. They
went to fight for principle
With the coming Of peace a large
quantity II labor was dumped upon
the market. The denlob.uzed mcn
rushed for employment. Comrades
competed for Jobs. The same old lsu
If supply and demand sent wages 10.
bogganing. The number OF men who