The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1920-04-22

10 the ones who responded to its arm
ed defense. He favors the plan cham
pioned by the American legion which
provides for a per diem for the period
OF enlistment and payable over a
period OF ten years IN purcha~rs a
farm. a home. vocational education for
anyone. or in a lump sum in case the
applicant can show urgent need
Regarding the national defense. he
said: W ought TO nave il under
stood from this time on. this Is no
more collection of peoples calling them
selves Americans. but one people, with
one spirit. one soul. one allegiance, and
one flag. We might well pledge our
selves never again TO be 50 unmindful
of our national defense. We ought TO
have an ample navy. as our first line
national defense. We ought to more
than keep apace-we ought TO ,-ad
the world in development OF aviation.
and be stronger in the air than we are
on the sea. We ought to have ample
army. n we ought to have all the
young of the republic know
the BENEFITS Of discipline and physical
betterment that come OF military train
ing. but ii ought to be VOLUNTARY.
not compulsory; supported by the gov
in camp, in the national
guard. in schools and colleges It
ought to be made so popular and 50
helpful that young America would
seek it as a privilege rather than &C
cept II as a duty OF compulsory re-
quirement.
There must be a halt in the present
upward tendency of prices" he said.
and he then described the cycle OF
higher wages and higher costs which
is back OF it all. Dwelling upon his
subject at length, he said.
on must be impressed with the
glowing Importance Of sane thinking
sideration of a problem bigger than
international warfare. The world Is
in a state OF unrest. All humanity is
in q greater or less degree or rebel
lion against things which are. and
curious TO try a new and unknown
social and economic rider.
Every experience following all the
great wars ever recorded proves there
is just one way to recover from It's
wastes and altering burdens. Nothing
has ever availed saw work and trade.
attended by thrift and persistence.
High wage come as a war inherit
lance. They viii abide. 1 thinh they
ought to abide. But high wages are
of no avail If living cost grows high
er. Money has lost its standard OF
value We can't restore it until we
recover our poise and get to think
ing and acting soberly again. We
must strive, all together. for approx
mate normally. For higher wages
must come higher efficiency. Cheaper
ed prices and Increased cost of pro-
ductfon constitute an economic fraud
With increased efficiency the high wa
ges will abide and cheapened cost viii
attend. Workmen are more interest
ed than anybody else. because they
constitute the great consuming mass
which is called upon to pay.
The Russian ruble was once worth
cur American half-dollar. Measured
by tina standard. Russian bread to-
day Is s225 per loaf. butter is $1,000
a pound. pork is $3.50 a pound, and
cigarettes are s. each. These are
the money values OF wreck and ruin.
america must think straight and
act straight. and resolve to preserve
our inheritance and determine to main
tain Just relationship. Thpre are
certain fundamentals which are ever
lasting. We ma submerge them in
chaos to the disappointment and dis
tress OF the present generation, If we
run into folly. but sanity must as
sert itself ultimately. What I want
more than all else is the understand
ing which will save our own gener-
alton.
The ambitions Of the working
world can't be suppressed, nor SUBJ
dued by the mailed fist. Ours is a
government of reason. by law. We
must frankly face the problem. The
government must help. 1t must strike
at the crime Of profiteering on the
one hand. and bring TO responsibility
the crime Of interpretation on the
other.
For the American w~age-earner the
problem is more pressing, because
there Is the attempted development Of
class consciousness which is always
a peril to popular government. We
ought TO nave no class a~ntagonism in
this republic, because the fundamental
law contemplates every man precisely
alike and grants equal rights to all.
Special privilege belongs to no man
no body Of men. whether their might
is wealth or knowledge or in weight
of numbers. And influence isn't gov