The Nome daily nugget., 1935-11-29
Howe About:
War and Debt
 Temperance Plea Farming Situation
By ED HOWE
@, Bell syndicate.-wNU Service.

thirty years. lou may SaS " V have more sense than that now. l am not so sure of it. The last war was conducted on so magniti- cent scale that the world became bankrupt in four years, and we had to quit whereas 1t is related Fred erick the Great paid for his wars as he went along. When he quit, he didn't owe penny, and had no pen sioners to move on his capital, and threaten to take it. Boys coming on soon supplied Frederick with more farmers; food was produced again in year. But a war debt constantly increasing and draw ing interest, will ruin anybody.
 
 l have noted that many people who annoy me occasionally turn out to have d good deal of sense. One man sent me pamphlets daily for weeks, but finally the pamphlets were made into a book called To ward Liquor Control" I have read the book. It was written by num- Der of rather notable men employed by the Rockefeller foundation to look thoroughly into the problem of liquor control, and make a report about it.
 The book is one of the best writ ten, most sensible, and important n D view of our general American shift lessness in public affairs, and which has finally almost bankrupted us morally as well as financially. l recommend the book to everyone who believes a little in common sense and decency, and In presery- ing the little civilization we have managed to achieve.
 The book is a plea for temperance not only as to intoxicating liquors, but in everything else. We are very Incorporate In our eating, in sex matters; in all phases of public af- fairs. In education, religion we must become ashamed of our intem- perance, or We shall be humiliated before the world more than we have been lately.
 Not less than SS per cent of our industrial workers are hampered by improper diet; of all money spent by their families on food, IS per cent is mlsspent, either on impro- per or too costly or otherwise un- economic dietaries. This disgrace ful percentage holds in everything else we do.
 Americans became so rich we reached the Coal oil Johnny stage in extravaganza and shiftlessness, and we must do better. as Coal Oil Johnny died in the poorhouse.
 Although he said poorhouse diet would kill him, after living so long on terrapin and turkey, 1t actu- ally resulted in better health; actu- ally assisted In restoring him to sanity and industry.
 When I was a boy and my ia ther farmed and preached the old gospel, we occasionally had hor- TOT. Once a farmer drove into Pole creek after rain. and was drowned. His horses drowned with him.
 It was terrible, but we didn't have excitement often. once a man had nose-bleed for days, and constantly grew weaker, as nothing could be done to stop 1t. We all went over to look at him; everyone was ex- cited. Once man was bitten on the thumb by rattlesnake. He had cut down hickory tree, to get the nuts, and the accident happened while he was picking them up. The man put his thumb in his mouth, and sucked the poison out We talked about that for days. An other time a farmer came home from town drunk, and everybody ran over to his house to suggest a remedy. One woman suggested that
 
 lived in town In Indiana, where we all came from, and know about such things; and the man got well.
 The Civil war was going on then, and an occasional soldier came home on furlough with tall tales to tell, but We had DO such terrors as I hear of every morning and evening now, when I get the Xapers. Some where the other day the members of a family were eating supper, when an airplane fell on their house. The house and seven per sons were burned up, with the neighbors looking on; all they could do was to save the house next door.
 We were poor people, but always had plenty. Now farmers say they are starving. Millions of them actu- ally have starved in Russia, because town men take what the farmers raise. In my boyhood we hardly ever saw town man; especially they didn't come out carrying guns, and tell us what part of our corn we could keep, and what part they wanted to support the governments N. A. B. D., which means new and better deal.
 L..