Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 94, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1918 — A FEW EDITORIAL THOUGHTS [ARTICLE]

A FEW EDITORIAL THOUGHTS

In the working out of the farm problems the coming season the country is up against some stubborn facts. It is useless to blind our eyes to the situation—we are short of farm workers, and that at a time when even more are needed than at any time heretofore. Tire working of the selective draft may give some relief, but cannot entirely remedy matters. Even without the loss of the thousands of young men recently called, the farms, have been s/hort-handed for several years. In this connection we would call attention to some facts that should interest us. It has been noted for some time that many farmers, after

years of effective work on their farms, have left them and moved to the towns, leaving their lands in the care of tenants. This has been bad for the farms in many ways, particularly in that 'it deprived the lands of the care of men of experience and superior judgment, both so vitally necessary at this time. These men are still in the towns, hundreds of them, thousands of them. While they may be a substantial factor of the town tforce, their presence is at this time most urgently demanded on the farms. Every farm in the land is crying out for the guiding hand and brain of its owner—the one person who should have the deepest interest in its success. In this crisis of the nation’s life, every owner of a farm who has left it- —wherever possible without too great sacrifice- —should return to the soil and give it his best labor and thought. It is not merely the matter of his daily labors, though these would count largely in results. There is the more important factor of his experience and- broader knowledge of farm problems. His hand at the helm would be an inspiration to the entire farm force and would count powerfully in the final results. There could be no finer exhibition of patriotism than for the exfarmers of the country, wherever and however situated, to return to the soil at least through the period of the war, when they could be of such untold aid to their country.

Conservative citizens everywhere will deplore the attempt on the part of some of our misguided statesmen to reopen the party fights that have been our custom in years past. Nothing at this time could be worse for the country than a bitter political fight throughout the land. Every interest of the country demands unity of sentiment and action. Republican politicians could not hope for advantage except at the expense of great harm to their country, and such action on the part of Democrats could be nothing but suicidal.

Doubtless there have been mistakes made and blunders committed —what administration has been free from thefri? But these mistakes have not been such as to call for a political upheaval. We are not ready to admit to our enemy that our leaders have been unequal to the task required of them. If the will lay aside personal ambitions and put their shoulders • to the wheel in an honest endeavor to achieve the preat task before us, I they will find their ambitions much surer of attainment than by insti- ' gating a fight that could have no | other effect than to embarrass the administration. If Republican leaders will take ex-Secretary Root’s advice and forget that they have any political bias,

and if the administration will remember that the patriotism of Republicans is just as deep and fervid as their own, we will win through to a glorious victory. Nothing could give our enemy more comfort at this time than for Americans tb revive old political contests" and reopen old political sores. Just a few questions for the man*

whose "conscience” will not permit him to fight: Suppose Jesus Christ had been walking in Belgium when the Hun army broke across the border, and had seen soldiers plunge their bayonets through innocent children ; had seen. women and young girls treated as only beasts are capable of treating them; had seen the aged and infirm shot down without mercy and without provocation; had seen soldiers captured in what they supposed to be honorable warfare, crucified by their captors; had seen aviators deliberately search out hospitals and nurses’ ' quarters for bombing—had he seen all this would he have stood by unmoved and refused to lift his hand to right these dastardly wrongs? If that is your conception of Christ, you are right in your refusal to fight, Ifor if he were what you picture him he would be as poor a specimen of humanity as yourself—and you are 4he limit.

What a great old world this would be i: all the expressed sentiments of humanity were real, genuine, sure-enough what they profess to be. But satan originated the art of deception back there in the infancy of the racC.and he and his hanions have industriously perpetuated it. His amazing success is due to his ability to, as the small boy would put it. "appear what lie ain't.” We now call it camouflage.

Of all the various brands of human counterfeit, the demagogue camouflaged as a patriot is the most contemptible. Patriotism is a fine thing, a sacred thing, but a counterfeit patriotism is unspeakably disgusting. Yet we see it all about us. It mistakes noise for action and words for sentiment. Its omniscience is equal to solving the most knotty problems of the war. Its self-sacrifice is capable of any devotion—if the salary is sufficient. Its renunciation is beautiful until it is discovered that there is nothing to renounce. Its devotion to duty is sublime until it is known that the person stands to gain much and lose not at all. Every worthy cause of the human race is cursed with these flagrant imitation men and women. They ride every attempted reform to a disastrous fall if it is. in their power. Reforms now in their infancy would be ancient history were it not for their baneful influence. In the old American game of poker there is one practice known as bluffing which returns good results if successfully put over. There is, however, a counter practice of "calling the bluff” that sometimes give amazing returns. When you meet with one of these blatant patriots who only wants an opportunity to end the war, "call his hand.’’