Show r f 1 We Are re at a War ar I By GENERAL JOHN J PERSHING I C t t yr C 4 t t tHere's ti i Heres Here's a stirring call to arms that summons the spirit of those half forgotten days of resolute marching men Article ArticIe I 1 years ago an army of two million mimon Amer- Amer American ican American ican citizens was gathering in France They had left their homes and families and businesses they hadI had traveled three thousand miles across submarine in I I seas and now they were ready to lay down downS I 4 their lives if need be for their country Millions S more in America were prepared to follow them and and- andI I do likewise Today the nation faces another crisis in which I buti I J a j the enemies enemies allied against us are arc more insidious but i yi- yi r not less dangerous Pervasive self-seeking self and cor- cor the chosen officers of the law seem powerless to suppress the sinister growth of the underworld whose tentacles ten- ten teni tentacles acles reach out to touch us all the increasing ever-increasing extravagance extra extravagance va- va i gance of government and the mysterious paralysis of our eco eco- economic economic economic r system these system these are arc the enemies which now confront us through They have been allowed to encroach upon us largely through pur our own carelessness and neglect of duty as citizens In the battle against them the average citizen is ata at a dis- dis disadvantage disadvantage dis disadvantage advantage because he is unprepared he is willing enough but butI but buthe I he is bewildered He doesn't yet realize that he be himself is primarily primarily primarily marily to blame hence he is taking no serious part in the con con- conflict conflict conflict By average citizen I mean a great many men to whom we should look for leadership as well vell as the larger number who possess no qualifications for tor It lt In Intact tact tact too often do citizens of ot all H classes assume that politics and crIme and even economics are no business of or th theus theu's rs It docs does not oe- oe occur oc occur cur to them that they are every everyone ono Individually responsible Why Is It that patriotism burns so 10 brightly In times of or war so BO dim dim- dimly ly Jy In times of ot peace It Is Just as necessary In meeting tho complex obligations of ot peace but these ob ob- obligations obligations I do not stir the Imagination Imagination tion like the tho primitive emotions ot of war The average citizen feels that somehow the problems of peace will be solved for tor him and andI I falls to realize the possibility that I calamity may result from hIs bis own Indifference I Still Can Be Proud We have as a much reason now DOW as wo we had bad fourteen years ago to feel teel proud of ot our country and to love loveit loveIt it We believe with some somo justice that It Is the greatest republic In Inthe inthe Inthe the history of the world Under lender no flag In the world does a p people en- en en loy en-loy oy more moro freedom or find gre greeter ter happiness We boast of ot public edu edu- education edu- edu education education cation universal suffrage liberty Dr Df speech and the press We enjoy rIghts undreamed of or In ancIent Greece and Rome nome Yet even wIth the e sounder Bounder principles upon whIch to baso base the tho hope bope of ot permanence ot of our ear Institutions wo we too may some flay dlly go down down as did these older r re- re republics re republics publics unless we recognize and live ure up to our civic obligations It Cannot bo be too strongly Impressed upon upon every citizen In a democracy that It Is his duty to help actively help help In In the tho task of ot government The otner day I 1 was talking to a substantial business man from New NewYork NewYork NewYork York We were discussing an is- is issue ruo sue roe of ot Increased taxation then up before the house of ot representatives By Dy the way I said Bald 1 who Is the representative from your district 7 He De grinned sheepishly I I dont don't know he saId Bald My ly friend pays pars a goodly share of taxes to support the government and nd yet ret he doesn't know who votes tor him on the tax question He relies n a substitute and r doesn't doesn't w who the tho substitute Ise IseT Is Ia I IT T s 8 something of ot a slon alon Ion from an earlier period When I Dur government was founded our forefathers did not let unknowns i represent th them m They made It theIr business lne s to know all about the character and achievements of ot the themen themen themen men they elected to public office Then rhen the outstanding men In the country took part In politics and most of ot the high positions were held by them Political leaders then were chosen by the voters Now through the tho apathy of ot the tho voters they are often otten chosen by other politicians Changing Social Life This change Is partly due to our changing social life lle Many of ot us do not even know our next next door neighbors But It Is a manifesta manifesta- manifestation manifestation tion of or a deeper and more sInister the change the tendency of ot the I aver aver- average averI average average I age citizen to let somebody else dohis do doI dohis I hIs thinking for him That ten ten- tendency tendency dency threatens the very foundations foundations foundations of or democracy Let Lct some somo one else do the think thInk- thInkIng thinks thinking ing s That easy doctrine Is Injuring us not only In politics but In other fields Under It crime and business languishes Some International bankers sInce the war have been careless In lend lending ing other p peoples people's ples money on for for- foreign foreign eign securities Others have been charged with something worse worst than carelessness But nut the citizens who agaInst sound business prInciples put up the money were not without blame In their eagerness for gain they too often otten refused to think for Cor themselves They preferred to delegate that task to some one else It was well known to all who read the tho newspapers that certaIn governments had already default default- defaulted defaulted ed ej on debts to their own people Greedy Investors did not balk be- be because because be because cause of that that but cheerfully put up billions to loan to states mu- mu mu municipalities and Industries of ot those same governments This Is not an essay essny on econom econom- economIcs economics ics I am not an economist I dId not foresee the depression nor do doI doI doI I know when It Is going to end though past experience teaches me methe methe methe the upturn Is bound to come per per- perhaps perhaps haps hags slowly perhaps suddenly when we least expect It No matter how sure you are of vIctory never tall tail to make full pro pro- provision provision vision for tor a n reverse This rule Is axiomatic wIth every capable military leader but It was Ignored by most of ot our busi busl business busl- busl ness leaders lenders during durin the boom years Few made plans for any any- anything anything thing except triumphant advance from one objective to another Many burned their bridges behind them Then the advance was halt halted ed and the recession b began gan It can can- cannot cannot not be said that they were to blame for tor or that recession for ap- ap apparently apparently ap apparently our puny human minds d M r i n S nC t A t c pt ptY i Y Lulled Into Complacency by Pros Pros- Prosperity Our CItizens Passively Ac Ac This Poisonous Growth With Small Concern have o not yet solved the riddle ot of the business cycle They were to blame for tor havIng made no plans to keep the retreat from turnIng Into a rout Business might profitably write that milItary axiom Into Its books for tor the years to come We have haro made two other mill mill- mIlItary tary blunders We began by un- un underestimating the strength ot of the enemy and progressed from that thatto thatto to overestimating It The cry We We Weare are just turnIng tile the corner ot of ID O was the equivalent of We have the boys out ot of the trenches by ot of l IDU-l This Is And our country going to the dogs of ot 1032 li Is the equivalent of The Central Powers are Invincible ble of or March 1918 I have heard leading men given over to fear prate of ot national failure bankrupt bankruptcy cy and Bolshevism This Is notime no notime notime time for craven cringing Looking out of or my window I see ce the shaft of the monument to Washington I thInk of ot Valley Forge and wonder how those who now lament and wring their hands would have en- en enjoyed en enjoyed joyed toyed that winter This Is Wash Wash- WashIngton's Washington Ington's ington bicentennial It Is time for tor a new reckoning a new resson responsibility responsibility a new courage During Daring the winter past many a good man willing and able to work has gone through a hell of ot unemployment unemployment and uncertainty Remembering Re- Re Remembering Re-j Re that that we wo may also find that some good along with the evil comes out of all depressions I am not a stranger to depres depres- depressions depressions Economists tell us os that the tho panic of or 1873 was the closest anal anal- analo analogy o ogy osy y which history furnishes to our present troubles My father to do a well well-to-do business and farm farm- man er In Missouri MIssourI was caught In that general disaster I was just thirteen thir thIr- thirteen thIrteen teen years old One day my fa father fa- fa father ther told me the whole story John he said everything I Iown Iown Iown own has bas been r swept away except the farm fann which Is JS is covered by a heavy mortgage We finally lost It I must try to make mako some money by traveling as a salesman While I am away you must take care of ot the family and mana manage e the tho farm During the next nett three years my brother and I ran the farm We plowed sowed and reaped We took our produce to market Those days dars were not so different lerent from these for the farmer I re- re re remember member r we had a field of ot timothy hay which was particularly fine I baled It up n a carload of ot It and sent It by rail to St Louis hopIng to receive a top price but It dId not bring enough to cover corer the freIght charges During those years my attend attend- attendance attendance ance at school was limited and I had to do the best I could to keep up with my classes by studying at night Those were certainly hard hardtimes hardtimes tImes Yet Yet Tet sweet are the uses ot of adversity ad and It was the best thIng that ever happened to me It taught me more more gave me greater confidence and a keener sense ot of responsIbility than anything else could have done Unsuspected Powers I cite my own experience merely to show how men and women actually ac ae actually gain a new strength and courage when thrown upon their own resources and responsibility In tImes of ot crisis They find In them themselves selves powers power's they never sus sus- The life lite of ot a military man fur fur- furnishes furnIshes furnishes another example valuable In times Umes like the present In every army career there come occasional times of ot dullness The officer sta sta- stationed stationed stationed at some remote army post has his routine duties to perform When these are completed he finds the temptation almost overwhelm overwhelming ing tag to give gl over his leisure to cards light reading rending social eve eve- evenIngs evenings evenings painless wasting time-wasting It Is the officer who resists that temptation temptation temptation tion who spends hard hours each day studying the latest advances In artillery In transport In tactics tactics-it It Is this officer who re re- receIves receives receives recognition when the opportunity for active service ice comes So It Is In business In this time ot of extreme dullness many have sunk back Into a kind of ot lethargy nut But the wise business man like the I conscientious officer Is using hIs present leisure to prepare for the battles to come He ne Is devIsIng new economies economics of ot production and distrIbution ne He Is studying the problem of ot how bow his product may be varIed or made more moro attractive He Is getting ready to take advantage advantage tage of ot the upturn when It comes He Is not accepting gloomy defeat defeat- defeatism defeatism ism He nc Is thinking for tor himself I have touched at some length on the depression because It has so glarIngly shown us the folly of care care- carelessly lessly delegating our thinking to others It has also thrown a n bright cold eold light on the flaws In our political methods and on our crimo crime problem During the years of ot prosperity fol fol- followIng following following lowing the tho war an underworld ot of gangsters and anI racketeers unparalleled unparalleled unparalleled In any other civilized nation grew up and flourished In our cities The criminals who manned this un underworld underworld were of or a n new type They The were not the masked and shabby plug who vho filled the jails In earlier years They were expensive expensive- expensively ly Jy dressed they owned machine guns powered high-powered cars and speed speedboats speedboats speedboats boats they had money In the tho bank With this money they were able to establish a relation with corrupt officials and police pollee which seemed to make them Immune from prose prose- prosecution prosecution prosecution cution eo C Hit Dell B ll Syndicate To Do Be D Concluded Next Nut Week |