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Show JS- -i 'ft - i K'f "1 ? f 1 . ) ,1 ' BECTTOtf THREE THE DESERET NEWS, SATURDAY, JULY IS7 2, J932. By Gen. John J. Pershing; Awe4 If iwniiiUM i'Tfej-is-- V WHi rfi f tto Imu UuwtMttc the Tirtn 9. ffrtitaf rttn Ua hr imU li (nmi ! the racketeer m4 Ue allied rhH mm4 rewrtag real t!tWafci ta ' the la the trthh pdaut here the iwwri idth fmhat Jhtth, Oraeral , N mm4 eeklWrty fnllw la ' , t )- V ferth hie ? Fourteen years ago an army of two million American citizens was gathering jn France. They r had left their homes and families and businesses; they bad traveled three thousand miles across submarine-infested seas; and now they were ready to lay down their livea, if need be. for their' country. Millions more, in America, were prepared to follow them and do likewise. , Today the nation faces another crisis, in which the enemies allied against us are more insidious r but not lest dangerous. Pervasive and corruption, which the chosen officers of the taw seem powerless to suppress; the sinister growth of the underworld whose tentacles reach out to touch us all; the extravagance of government; an4 the mysterious paralysis of our economic system these are the enemies which now confront us. They have been allowed to encroach upon us largely through our own carelessuess and neglect of duty as citizens, In Uie battle against them the average citizen is at a disadvantage because be is unprepared; he is willing enough, hut he is bewildered. He doesnt yet realize 'that be Himself is primarily to blame, hence he is taking no serious part in the conflict. By average citizen I mean a great many-m- en to whom we should look for leadership, as well as (toe larger number who possess no qualifications for It. In fact, loo often -do citizens of all classes assume that politics, and crime, and even f economies, are no business of r:7 ' 'f. V A-- - r 'i; .' t HP" t ' salesman. Whil I am away you .. must take care of the family and. manage the farm. During the next three year my brother aod 1 ran the farm. We plowed, sowed, and reaped. We took our produce to market. Those days awere not so different from these .for the farmer. I remember we had a field of timothy bay which was particularly fine. I baled i. it up, a carload of it, and sent it L Louis, hoping to by rail to " receive a top price, but it did not bring enough to cover- the " ' ; T freight charges. During those years my atten- 1 i. A.. I 7 gr i J W. i v etralhte pet j v 'i pCXM ' y? - i- 7 v, ' ' 4 r G self-seeki- ng Zhejrs. that sJqejjiot occur iflTbem I they are. every one, individually, responsible. Why So Different? Why is it that patriotism burns so brightly in times of war, so dimly in times of peace? It is just as necessary in meet- -- -- ing- ttar-conroi- er obligations of --- Siluj way,-reaiar- when our government was founded, our forefathers did not let unknowns represent them. 0 IS r GEflKAIi 90HK 1. PERSHXIIG. i 1 , ' through the apathy of the their abridges be- Many burned time-wastin- g.. hind them. Then-th- e advance was halted and the recession be-g- aj. It eBnot be said that they d voters, they are often chosen by other politicians. .This change is due to - our changing socialpartly hie. Many rnfusdoTiot even Itnowour next- door neighbors. But it is a manifestation of a deeper and more simster change the tendency of -the average citizen to let somebody else do hit thinking for him. That tendency threaten the very foundation of demomraov. "Let someone else ao the thinking." That easy doctrine is injuring us not only in politics but In other fields. Under it crime flourishes and business languishes. : j: Some Careless. Some international bankers, since the war. have been careless in lending other people's money on foreign securities.- - Other have been charged with something worse than carelessness. But the citizens who, against sound business principles, pul up the money were not without blame. In their eagerness for gain, thev too often refused to think for themselves. They preferred to delegate that task to -- someone else. It was well known to all who read the newspapers that certain government nad already defaulted on debt to their own people. Greedy investors did not balk because of that, but cheerfully put up billions to loan to states, municipalities, and industries of those same governments. They are learning now fe tbs penalties of accepting were to blame for that recession, for apparently our puny human minds have 'not yet solved the ' riddle of the business cycle. They were to blame for having made no plans to keep the retreat from turning into a rout. Businas might profitablywrite that mill- -' tary axiom into it books for the year to comt Other Blunders. , We have made two other.niili- - . tarv blunders. We began by the strength of the enemy, and progressed from that to overestimating it. The cry, "We are just turning the corner of 1929-3- 0. was the equivalent of We will have tha out of the trenches by boys Christmas" of 1914-1- 5. And our This country is going to the dogs," of 19321s the equivalent of The Central Powers are in- -. vincible" of March. 1918. I have heard leading men. given over to fear, prats of national and Bolshevism. Tliis is no lime for craven cringing. Looking out of my window, I see the shaft of the monument to Washington. I think of Valley Forge, and wonder how those who now lament and wring their Hands would have enjoyed that winter. This is Washington's bicentennial. It is time for a new "reckoning, a new responsibility, a ' stimating failure,-bankrup- tcy, new courage. During the winter past many a good man. willing and able to work, has gone through a hell of J 'Similar to 1873. I am npt a stranger to depressions. Economists tell us that the panic of 1873 waa tha closest analogy which history furnishe to our present- - trouble. My business man father, a well-to-and farmer in Missouri, was caught in that general disaster. I was Just 13 years old. One day my father told me the whole do . Story. John," he sajd, everything I own has been swept away except ;the farm, which is covered by a W finally heavy mortgage.- 'lost it.) I must try to make, some money by traveling as a ' m. - - . ' ' mag--nitu- - -- . - ' tuous law-abidi- ng cilitena over- night. Mny will turn to other forms of illegitimate activity," Corrupt officials.- - deprived of bootleg tribute, will seek new sources of grift. Our frontier ancestors, when the criminal element got out of control, formed themselves into vlgilsnce nommiUees. rounded up criminals, and strung them up on the nearest tree. Every man. when he reads of the criminal activities of our -- rjn iUbiiiiWiiiiMiiwtuiuitu tha home folks of tarlede, Mo., his Methplace. The fcaa begun a movement la eetabllali a memorial park tat hie honor. The little hoaaa in Laclede waa wn below, bow Is sbn the general anneal revelling here la abaww among - 1 j lo 7.128.000.-0Tbs budget of on of pur cities. New York, for 1932, is greater than ths expenditure of the entire national government 1903. - Borne of these . lor unquestionably, - hive been necessary for exptnsion and Tor coping with ths more complex problems of today. But an alarming portion of them have been with an eye to jobs for th poiiticlon friends. Unnecessary Jn-J9- t3 But peltfief the repeal nor lie " modifieslion of the prohibition law will altogether abolib-crim- e. The estimated nne mil- Hon or more men. accustomed to Ihe easy monev nf tbe bootleg and speak-eas- y husfness and with : an utter contempt for law, cannot be thu converted Into vir- red-bloo- tailed into complacency by prosperity our citizens paashely I eeptrd this poisonous growth with small concern. the ng ' - aions. IT ' - for-acti- ve , unemployment and uncertainty. Remembering that, we may also find that some good, along with the evil, comes out of alLdepres- - sub-atitu- thinkers., This is not an essay ooi econom-T- J I lcs. I am not an economist. did not foresee the depression, nor do I know when it is going to end. though past experience teaches me the upturn is bound to coma, perhaps slowly, perhaps suddenly when we least expect it. But my military experience ' teaches mo certain basons which our business men have neglected. "No matter how sure you are of victory, never fail to make full provision for a reverse." is axiomatic with-eve- ry This ml capable military leader, hut ' It was ignored by most of opr business leader duzing the boom any- thing except triumphant advance from one objective .to another. he ' year. .Few made plan for - nslur. tawW - on They made it theii business to, know all about the character and' -- men of-tachievement they Then elected to public office. the outstanding men in the coun- - try took part in politics, add most of the high position .werc,.-helby Them. Political leaders,, then, were chosen by the voters.' - uxMuiizw IndlviduaL and community neighborhood committees, so that the gang will find itself confronted with an or- - gamzed body of men larger and stronger, than itself? -- The more his important position in th community, the greater the obligation of the citizen to join the - committee. Such committees, made up of substantial citizens, who regard citizenship aj paramount obtU galion, could force action. Suppose a neighbor of yours gets a kidnaping threat, or a merchant is visited by a gangster who tries to extort tribute from him, or a section of the town experiences a series of holdups. If the individual citizen goes to the police - t. The life of a military man fur Station or city hall and faila to nishes another example valuable get satisfaction, possibly because in times like the present In -- - of an alliance between official every army career there come and the underworld, be is pow"occasional time of dullness. The" erless. But if the neighborhood com. officer, stationed jt some remote . mittee stands ready, at the very army post has bis routine duties to perforin. When these are first threat of gangster activity within its borders, to take com-m"completed be finds the templa- lion almost overwhelming to give action against the invasion, over hie leisure to cards, light. the picture changes. The threat- reading.; social ' evenings, pain- ened man immediately summons les all his trusted friends, who ad, It ,i& the of ficer who resists. that temptavise with the neighborhood committee. tion, who spends hard hours each Representing Jha mill. -- taut day etudymg the latest advances' citizenship of its community, in artillery technic, in transport, it could demand positive action in tactics it is this officer who by the police and by the city aureceives recognition when the thorities. Committees of this kind would service opportunity comes. be vigilance committees, not in Bo it is in business. the old sense, but in the sense In this time of extreme dullness, many thst they would be ever vigilant in the protection of 'Tight "and ; have sunk back into a 'kind of the performance of civio duties.-- 1 lethargy. But the wise business man, like the conscientious offiwould consider it an honor to serve op such a committee my- cer, is using his present leisure to prepare for the battles to self. come. He is devising new econoThese committees would serve mies of production and distribu- many other purposes beyond the lion. Ha is studying the problem of racketeering." suppression of how his product may be varied They would present a united or made more attractive. He is front against the grafting of officials. They could hold weekly getting ready to take advantage of the upturn when it comes. He .or monthly meetings to discuss i not accepting gloomy defeat-18the problem of . government. He Is thinking for bimself. Such meetings would serve to I have touched at some length bring out amLrfevelop, as no inon the depression because it has stitution w now possess does, o glaringly shown us the folly new leaders, especially among of- our the young citizens. In every com- carelessly delegating thinking to others. muoily. It has also thrown a bright cold No Identification. .. light on the flaws in our political One great aid to crime in Amermethods and on our crime probica is the veil of anonymity which lem. During the years of proscovers the individual. In any perity following the war an unarmy, every man is accounted derworld of gangsters and rackfor. His name, rank, regiment, eteers unparalleled in any other -and whereabout are known. If civilized nation, grew up and be is wanted, we know where to flourished in our cities. The find him. frr America we have criminals who manned this un. no identification. Men can move derworld were of a new-ty- pe. from city to eity, changing their Hie masked-an- d They were-no- t names as they would their Coats. shabby pluguglies who filled the They can register as they please jail in earlier years. They wer at any hotel, with no questions expensively dressed: they owned asked. It is a pleasant, easy-goimachine guns, high powered car. custom, but it puts an insuperand speed boats: they had money able barrier in the waj; of the In the bank.- - With this money police in the detection of crime.. were relo able establish a The time has come when we - they lation with corrupt officials and must abandon ihe right to an- police which seemed - to ipak Euroenymily, as enlightened them immune from prosecution; pean countries have done. Lulled - int 'wnplaceiiry by Every resident pf our couhtry prosperity, our citizens passively should have an identification this accepted poisonous growth card, a small passport with phowith small concern. tograph attached. Change of Gone. Complacency residence should be reported to Now that our complacency is the police. The card should b w gone, begin to study this foul , shown, if necessary, upon regmore phenomenon istration at any hotel, or on any carefully. We tee it eating mors and mors other occasion when demanded our innational into deeply life, by the police. The penaltier for fecting politics, extorting tribute forging a card or disregarding from business, threatening our regulations concerning it should very homes. From my own st idy. be heavy. as an individual, I am convinced Justss the depression has finthat prohibition has largely fin- - -do ally opened our eyes lo the anced this new postwar underof our crime problem, so world of ours. Vast profits have -bat it brought home to us tha drawn multitudes into the bootvery extravagant activities of unlegging business, and. once out- wise politicians during our pros- aide the pals of the law. they do perity orgy. While the citizen not hesitsto to turn to racketeer-to- g hase neglected their public du- -and other form of" crime." Ues.VDie polilkians have quietly - Thus s criminal army hag heen but enormously increased the built up which defies tha very cost of government, locally and government itself. nationally. Expenditures of the e fHo-fle- t iuetion-thstnrert? fratmnarwvprhmehl IrTISI were of the prohibitionists, nor their approximately . 700,000,000. ex nobility of purpose. Yet Ihe inclusive of in(eret pavments on ability to enforce the lawln this public debt, Jn 1931 they had Jhe increased o approximately respect has resulted jn such lrag- io consequences that-believe exclusive .of interest the lime has come to face this on the public debt and question squarely and to work, expenses incident to the World together Inward some other solu.war. The cost of administration tion which lakes mors account of local governments throughout of the inevitable traits of human the country increased from 1 Now. peace, but these obligations do not stir the imagination like the primitive emotions of war; 'Tha -average citizen feels that, somehow. the problems of peace will be solved for him, and faila to realize the possibility that calamity may result from his own in- - ' difference. W have m much reason now as w- - hid 14 year ago to feel proud of our eouutry and to love JL We believe, with some justice, that it is the greatest republic jn the history of the world. Under no flag in the world does a people enjoy more freedom or find greater happiness. Wa boast of publto education, .universal suffrage, liberty of speech and the press. We enjoy rights undreamed-of in ancient Greece and Rome. even with the sounder principles upon which to base the hope of permanence of our institutions, we too may some day go down, as did these older republics. unless we recognize and live up to our ervio obligations. im- -" It cannot be pressed upon every citizen in a democracy that it is bis duty to help actively help in the task of government The other day I waa talking to a substantial business roan from New York. We were discussing an issue of increased taxation then up before the House pf Repra- -. senlatives. lathtf the representative from your district? ; He grinned sheepishly. rrzrr I dont know, he said. My friend pays h goodly share of taxes to support the government and yet he doesnt know who voles for him on the tax question. He relies on a substitute and doesn't even know' who the substitute is! This is something of a retrogression rom an earlier period is, The ability of the underworld to terrorize society lies m tha fact that it is thoroughly organized, while society u not- -. At present it la more the gang , against the individual than otherwise. Why should we not form ' ever-increas- ' Gang dance a school was limited and I had to do the best 4 could to keep up with my classes by -studying at bight. Those were Yet, bardtimes. sweet certainly .. ara. the uses. of adversity,. and tit was the best thing that ever bappehed to me. It taught me more, gava me , greater eonf- idence and a keener sense of responsibility than anything else could have done. 1 cite my own experience mere- ty to showlidw mea and women actually gain a new strength and courage when thrown upon their and responsibility .v own resources in time of crisis. They find in J themselves powers which they' never suspected. - Use Time Well v modern racketeer and of their apparent- - immunity from capture end prosecution, feels natural impulse to go out and organize a vigilance committee. But action can be taken, under the law, only through the constituted authorities. Any other course would lead to abuses greater than those it might correct. . in 1929. offices, hoards, have, been plied. - commissions, profligately mult- i- ' -- Reducing Expense. And now. when our national 1 revenues shrink, there is little done toward applying the logical remedy of reducing expenses. Instead. legislators resort to the vinous policy of Increasing taxes, both direct and indirect. Thui ; citizen finds himself burdened with the staggering load. But can he,' with clear conscience, complain? He cannot. He elected these legislators, he saw them pile up lavish appropriations-- . aniThe elected them again. During the boom days the cit!7en -. pro-fesst- an roo-rro- nts and cast hi vote, which h an old story to him, but bv iKelf it will not remedy the situation. for too ofteitthet:audrdai each party are incompetent or corrupt. There Is a greahjleal more lo political.ilulv.than going lo the .polls to vote. A bov of uninformed citizens flocking to the polls, prompted only by good in- ienlioBS; is tboufc an army mads up of untrained men marching to battle. Year after year, under universal suffrage, there has grown a wider divergence between Ihe-o- ry office. . Even this is not enough, up less there it some organization of citizens to work with united force. Here again the neighborhood committees which I suggested earlier would have their uses. Such committees could compel the respect of the political leader and bold him t.0 -- an, aiH'OJiuling- They you !J hold meetings and ask candidates to appear before them, address them, and submit to questioning. Moreover, they could and should Veep track of the political and financial administration of local and national affairs. . One of our problem ie to attract men of higher caliber into on public life. Certainly the of gnvernmenL Is a as any calling in Our nation. Yet it is not even taught in our schools and college.- - W teach political science, yes, but that is a far cry from practical politics. There is no alternative for the politicians but to learn aspiring their high art and pro. fession at the knee of the cl is lriM leader or' ward captain to" ofteirwitb undesirable results. Busmess men say that politic i service in the trenches'unpleasant, but our citizens do not shirk it when duty calls. Constitutions and laws do not of themselves guarantee either the efficiency or the permanence of government. In a government by the people the responsibility of the individual must be conscientiously. fulfilled, or failure be the result. Make no mistake about it; Our nalion is confronted fcy a ensi as serious as th crisis of th war. We are at war against depression and crime. And. just as to that earlier crisis, we come Unprepared, Our unprrpared nese in the war cost us untold billions jn money and the live of soms of our finest men. Our for this battle of unpreparedness es an was too busy in speculation-linn-self to worry about debt or the local debL So with municipal affairs. During prosperity the citizen cheerfully looked on while the politicians multiplied unnecessary offices, gave extravagant contracts to their friends foy public improvements, passed laws favoring special interests, and loaded tbo public with invisible taxes in the form of graft. Now many of our great cities with insolvency. Their depreciating securities imperil the aolvency of banks where the citizen has his money. The citizen again discovers that he is the victim. But i he not the victim of his own neglect of the plainest duties of citizenship? eituetion- - that now hrm. the eitizen is groptng: What can he do now? hat practical action can he take? and practice in our political economy To perform his civic duties effectively it is no longer enough Tor the eitizen to understand the He must tudv .theory of polities its practice- .- That mesnr time,' trouble, and hard work. He must study ths political forces'strwort-i- n his own neighborhood, his own ward, his own district. He must go to political meetings, associate with politicians, find . out who ara the political leaders behind the scenes, drop in .at the political clubs, look into the records and alliancof candidates Joe i -- - peace-h- also cost us der. But m the war, one we were' arousedr wnnade an effort which astonished the world. Just w today the Amencatr once he ia aroused to the citizen, Jhat menace hie country,dangers will, t devoutly hope, and believe, lv redeem his Indifference of the pasL ' (Copyright 1932, by The Belt , i Syndicate, IncJ. . glow-lous- t r i I --1 |