The Northman., May 13, 1920, Page 10, Image 10

THE NORTHMAN
10
Published every Thursday by
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H. J. LANGOE, Managing Editor
H. S. SWENSON, Editor
Portland, Oregon, Thursday, May 13, 1920
I. W. W. OUTDONE.
NEVER supported Americanism while I was in
Congress and I have no apology to make, and
I take no stock in this latter-day Americanism.
The Irish people will compel Congress to
recognize the political independence of Ireland,
and if the President should oppose such a resolu­
tion, we will compel the government to pass it
over his veto.
This country belongs to the Irish by right of
discovery. They are the backbone of the nation
and will yet rule it. After we shall have secured
the freedom of Ireland we will take care of
England.—William Flynn, in a speech at a meet­
ing of The Friends of Irish Freedom, New York
City,—quoted by the Citizen Sentinel, Denver.
I
When the Honorable William Flynn
comes to the fore and speaks, the I. W. W.,
patriotically loyal in comparison, meekly
seeks a seat far in the rear. No I. W. W.
dare utter in public the words of this ex­
congressman. Well he knows that he
would be hauled up and sentenced to penal
servitude for years, if not for the re­
mainder of his natural life. So he sits
back and sees this bold champion carry the
red flag up on the ramparts and hurl un-
American, of not downright treasonable
utterance into the very teeth of law and
the upholders of the principles of democ­
racy.
Flynn and his like do not represent the
Irish, but carry forward the banner of
I. W. W.-ism with seeming impunity.
Justice is indeed blind and her scales
sadly out of balance when she sends
lumberjacks to prison for seditious utter­
ances and is deaf to the violent oratory of
ex-congressmen—even the Honorable Wil­
liam Flynn.
Mrs. Guernsey, retiring president of the
Daughters of the American Revolution,
was right when she declared that the
hearts of many men in this country of
Irish birth were too full of love for “ould
Ireland”, and hatred for England to have
any room left for sentiment for Uncle Sam.
NORWAY NOT GOING SOVIET.
TJ AL O’FLAHERTY, European corres­
pondent for an American news ser­
vice, in a long letter published by the
c aily press makes it appear that Norway
is about to adopt the soviet system. He
quotes Martin Tranmael to the extent of
several hundred words as authority for
the assertion, and Tranmael bases his ex­
pectations on the union movement between
the Socialist political party and the trades
unions.
If the daily press of this country was
posted in the premises it would give little
space to the raving Tranmael. He is a
visionary and agitator tolerated in Nor­
way, but not taken over-seriously. Nor­
way is among the most progressive
democracies of the world, and the people
are of a conservative nature, not much
given to rapid revolutions. Being a small
country progressive ideas may be worked
out more rapidly than in this country, but
the complete overturning of the present
system with the soviet in the saddle and
Martin Tranmæl at the head is not likely
to take place next June, or in a month of
Junes.
POLITICAL AND PRACTICAL
CONSERVATION.
XVHILE politicians wrangle regarding
” who is the true and who is the false
conservationist of the natural resources
of the country; the forests have burned,
and timber valued at many millions of
dollars destroyed. Following the fires
come charges and counter-charges re­
garding the responsibility, but as a matter
of fact the policy of removing settlers
and creating forest reserves is responsible
in about the same degree as the skimp ap­
propriation for forest rangers, either of
which may answer as political causes, but
dwindle into insignificance in the face of
facts. Sections occupied by settlers
burned quite as rapidly as seci ions paroled
by . forest rangers, and more rangers and
more settlers, or less rangers and less
settlers, would probably not have made
much difference under the existing con­
ditions.
A number of years ago an Indian agent
attempted to secure permission from the
Interior Department to dispose of tha
largest standing and all down timber on
the reservation for the benefit of the
Indians, who had little or nothing on
which to subsist. He showed that this
would enable- him to clear up the ground
and greatly diminish the danger of forest
fires. The Interior Department was “con­
serving” or “preserving” the timber for
the Indians, many of whom have since
died, and the timber has, at one time or
another, been all destroyed by fire.
The problem in the Northwest is to pre­
vent destruction rather than conservation
in the accepted meaning of that term. Ef­
forts must be directed toward creating
conditions unfavorable to the sweep of
fires, which may be supplemented by
patrol during the season of greatest
danger. Regulations must be enforced on
private Jioldings as well as on the public
reserves for the latter constitute but an
insignificant part of the forest wealth of
the West. The greater part of the timber
is in the hands of the big milling com­
panies, who are well aware of the practi­
cal steps necessary. This is nothing more
or less than to keep the dead and down
timber and underbrush cleared up, ade­
quate patrol during the danger season, and
adopt stringent regulations with heavy
penalties for their violation, and liability
for damages incurred.
The first and foremost problem, as be­
fore stated, is that of preservation of the
forests, and this is surely not a political
question.
AMERICAN FOR FOUNDATION.
A FEW YEARS AGO Governor Eber-
hardt, of Minnesota, delivered an ad­
dress before a conference of the Swedish
Lutheran Augustana Synod, and again At
an assembly of legislators in St. Paul, in
which he urged churchmen, laymen and
legislators to lay the foundation and bul­
wark of their schools and churches upon
the American language. He said he be­
May 13, 1920
lieved that the church should break away
from the mother tongue and give the com­
ing generation more instruction in Ameri­
can.
The policy has too long been to hold to
old customs,-forms and language, and ig­
noring the American so far as possible,
particularly in what may be called a
church education. To arrive at an under­
standing that progress is not made by
flocking unto themselves is far on the
road'toward the wide vision of tolerance.
More instruction in American does not
mean less in the mother tongue. In this
country education in the American lan­
guage should come first. After this may
come the demand, justly and properly for
the lore ahd the culture of the lands of
our fathers, and then the world in general.
American first shows the proper spirit of
patriotism toward the country which
prospers us and a seemly regard and
courtesy to neighbor and fellow citizen.
The learning of the Fatherlands must
come through the land in which we live
in order to command the deference and
respect which is its due. The true course
of scholarship relating to any foreign
country first runs through creditable at­
tainments in the educational institutions
of our own. So obtained, the greater the
attainments the greater the favor with
which it is looked upon. Not so obtained,
a little instruction is regarded with con­
tempt.
To those who are engaged in giving
spiritual instruction to a class who under­
stand American but indifferently, all
honor, aid and encouragement, but to
build up and maintain foreign language
speaking religious denominations or any
other institutions for the youth of today,
and tomorrow, and the generations to
come, is not only un-American but mis­
guided zeal, which must give way before
the light of reason and a higher concep­
tion of American citizenship.
THE OBJECTORS.
The objectors to the better citizenship
movement are many but they give no rea­
sons. They object to methods, but they
offer nothing better. They assume things
not intended on which to base argument,
but always evade the issue.
LIFE’S GREAT BLUNDERS.
Boys and girls will be interested in a
few of the “blunders” written down by
five hundred men, as contributing to
failure:
“Reading worthless books.”
“Did not stick to my trade.”
“Did not stick to anything.” •
“Did not take care of my money.”
“Beating someone out of money.”
“Careless about my religious duties.”
“When I left my church and mother.”
“Not saving money when I was young.”
“Rufused a steady position with a good
firm.”
“The greatest blunder of my life was
gambling.”
“Was to fool away my time when I was
at school.”
“Thinking that my boss could not do
without me.”
“Would not harken to the advice of
older people.”
“Not keeping my position, but grew
slack with my work.”
“When I left school before I was past
the fourth grade.”