Montana labor news., 1947-02-20
OPINIONS OF
READERS
Butte. Mont, Feb. T.. 1917


Editor. Montana Labor News
Dear Sir:
recently returned from active serv-
ice with the First Marine Corps d.
vision in the Pacific and was pleas
antly surprised to learn that the boys
and girls of Butte high school had
been remembered by beautiful mem
orial plaque. 1t proved to me that
though Butte may be lacking in ma
tural beauty the spirit of its citizens
can not be surpassed in this great
world of ours. | was proud Of that
plaque, almost as proud as ! am OF
the names on that plaque that signl-
fled the individuals that aided to
make up our armed forces Each and
every one of those names had duty
to perform and they fitted in to make
the world aware of Americas might
With such feeling you can ina
CINE how disgusting and revolving it
was to learn that petty thieves had
stolen some of the lighting fixtures.
How wonderful it would have been
could those names come to life and
deal with such jackals who have not
the necessary fortitude to take some
thing worth while, but must satisfy
their kleptomaniac tendencies by
stealing and destroying something
beautiful as though taking a seeing
eye dog from his blind master. 1t
was not an act that would please a
professional thief but mean, sneaky,
contemplate, insignificant act that
marks the perpetrators for what they
know they are. | believe that every
name on that plaque represents q
Butte family. brother, husband,
father friend or sweetheart and each
! and every one Of us must be true TO
that name and make the safety OF that
plaque and what it signifies sacred to
each and every home in Butte. II we
do not it is certain that in the future
more and more of the decorations and
in fact the name plates themselves
will be stolen and desecrated by such
sneaks as took the lighting fixtures.
True it is but starter but if the citi-
zens and veterans OF this city do not
keep that trust with these young men
and women who gave SO unselfishlv
And if these young men and women
who have returned home do not main
tain the same unity as we did in the
service against a common enemy then
the first and only beautiful memorial
in this city that | can see cOmmem-
Grating World War II will rapidly dis
integrate into oblivion.
Only by education, by vigilance and
by word Of mouth can we spread the
fear of Justice to such petty vandals.
II is the first gesture to creating parks
and Fairgrounds and other necessary
civic enterprises in this community
and it is certain that if the decent
citizens see such depredatons they
can not wholeheartedly support future
Identification programs. Butte is too
fine city and its citizens too fine Il
people to let such petty and malicious
acts prohibit a civic program that will
be a benefit to the youth and the
community as whole Some one
somewhere in this community has
knowledge of the parties destroying
such projects and it is their duty to
report it to the proper authorities
, Who do you owe your allegiance to
the boys and girls who served YOU So
; we'll or the mean. contemplate maur
J aders who take or destroy everything
that is not too hot or too heavy OF
under lock and key or protected by
! high board fences and police ! am
! sick to think that such acts 20 By
! unnoticed by the great majority oi
our citizens, I've seen and been
through lot saw my buddies wound
ed and destroyed on the field of battle
: by a ruthless enemy but sincerely
2 trust that we do not come home to be
hurt by unthinking persons who hurt
themselves and the fair name Of their
2 community and its homes by destroy
: ing memorials that typify the great
respect the majority of the citizens
have for their sons and daughters
neighbors and friends who gave THEN
all to make this a happy and healthy
community in which to raise our fam
ilies.-A L. s. MARINE.