The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-05
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BIZ JAY 4. HOUSE.
trrom Philadelphia Public Ledgsf1

At any rate, and without reference
to the ultimate outcome of the strike,
the shop crafts have one grand vic
tory to their credit: They have thrown
the Chicago & Alton railway into the
hands of a receiver.
OF course, there may have been con-
tributing causes. The c. & A might
have gone into a receivership in any
event But the shop crafts will claim
the credit for the victory, and we are
disposed to concede it to them with
out argument.
Let those who are concerned with
the work of downing capital look
around them a bit. Maybe there is
something else they can wreck.
Business of Sneering 1t Off.
Sir-As an oracle Of pish posh you
should be the recipient of all the
brown derbys in existence. The
noble and inspiring bunch of twiddie-
twaddle masqueradIng as your view
point on the bonus question reads like
an essay by Boob McNutt. An exact
simile would be that of a complacent
old maid advising on the proper care
of children.
How easy it is for a self confessed
swivel-chair warrior to think for those
who really fought the war! If it be
repugnant to advocate granting a
monetary reward to active partici-
pants. may Noah Webster aid me in
properly designating those who also
served" To attempt to classify the
four million by the reactions of one
Joe Tiff sounds like the rawlings of a
hashish eater.
1t does not devoive into the ques-
ton of wrapping old glory in $500, but
rather some recognition of those who
really suffered financial losses by fol-
lowing the call of duty while the
trench dodgers corraled the lucre.
When you wander into strange pas
lures and attempt the impossible i'll
attempting TO write serious stuff. then
and then only does your column arouse
prolonged laughter. Sheer that off,
you tank-towner. R. J. HAGER.
There is, of course, no convincing
answer to Mr.. Hager's mastery and
logical utterance in behalf of the
bonus. We shall deal only with the
small change-the chicken feed, as II
were-of his communication. We
speak of his reference to US as a tank
towner. When he called US Il dumb
bell, that hurt. But when he refers
what we are-we glow with conscious
pride. For the tank towns are the
heart of country. No worm of dis
content burrows at the core of the
tank town. Its people, for the most
part, are hicks; but. thank God.
they're clean hicks and they have
nothing in common with the boobise-
befogged by incendiary speech, or
thought, or action. Massed conso-
nants do not fall from their lips nor
gutturals issue from their threats.
Out of the tank town by divers routes
to the ports of men on land and on
sea flows the likelihood of a nation.
In1Sf7 we went back to Grigsby City
to make the Decoration day speech.
Grigsby City is one of those tank
towns, and we grew up in 1t. There
are, we are persuaded, few crosses
heavier than that of carrying speech
back to the old home town and de-
iivering 1t to an audience that hopes
for the best but fears the worst. And
so as the hour of execution approach
| ed we fell into blue funk and, drift
ing away from the prominent citizens
gathered in front of the Clarion office
| with whom we had been exchanging
| jest and jibe, went On up the street
and sat down in an untenanted door
way. AS we did SO group of strag-
Cling. khaki-clad figures broke into
| the street just above where we sat and
marched awkwardly and without
| much semblance of order toward the
"opry" house. We recognized most
of them as they passed. They were
of Grigsby City's third generation
| Chad Whitsett, later of the Rainbow
| division, and who had seen service on
the Mexican border, was in command
He smiled in half-apologetic sort OF
way as the squad passed We had
| known Chad's father and grandfather
The martial strain in Chad ran back
| to the Civil war.
The Nation then had been in a state
OF war for forty-six days. The coun-
try was getting ready to fight. In
the massed centers of population there
still was much acrid controversy as
to whether we should have gone to
war at all. The boobiserie of the cities
was not yet sure there was a war
Grigsby City had beaten the draft and
was in uniform and in line. That's
the sort of obloquy the man who
| comes from tank town is forced to
defend.
/ Questions-Answers