_ PALMER ALASKA__ CARL RASMUSSEN,.ED1TOR._
Published £v.ery Friday, at Palmer,Alaska, by the Matarmskn Vallsv
Farmers Cooper'ting Association, for the purpose'of giving nows* of the
associations work, problems & accomplishments. Local and- goner 1 news.
Subscription by mr.ll ? 1.75, yearly. Eox . 1.00. Single Coi.y 10 j.
VOL. 6. ; . . olio. 44.
WHAT DOES ARMISTICE DAY MEAN TO YOU? .
Twentyfivn years ago yestrdny,; Novell , whistles were blowing, crowds
gathered in- the steets shouting a,no ;ch Spring and unrestrained joy took
the place of herd serious, workj rich end .poor alike, celabretedp cruse
of the Announcement that -an Armistice had hern signed by the Nations
that had b rn at war for m'my long months. Parents could now look for
ward to the day when thhir sons would return home and would net h* v. to
worry about the hazards of battle. Wives and sweethearts coul*1 now look
•for-.;* rd to the return of their loved ones and to the ex cut ion of plans
already prparod. for the return to r normal civil life. Cbildr n nrepr red
to £,r‘et fathers and some f: thers looked forward to the sight of child
ren who had been born while they wore away. Yes it was a joyful f• ling
and that depi?'-ssiv'e burden on the body and mind was suddenly thrown off
and a n-'\v life came into view.
But while the people at large were enjoying themselves thor \/ r. some
who were just ns joyful but who kept their feelings cone a lor1, they were
pi' nlng the way to keep the riches that-had been poured into their coff . '
as a r .suit of th demand for th« materials of war, end to annex the'
.lesser amounts that -had been earned by the workers and small 1> ir’nnss m
who had also profit'd by the boom in war material production* The..only
one who had nothing to loose was the Soldier, bj ilor or 11* rin who had
done the fighting .and who hid only gotten food, clothing i n'd ; ;i.6Q.OO
Bonus when the release from active duty was secured.
It is' true thf t ns a whole there were very few. service, men \ 1 o were
complaining, b cause they were so glad to bo turned loos, from the duty
that bad been So hard to bear. The return to civilian life, w; s such a.
chang that not much < lse was thought of. limy., probably most r.f the men
were not compl-ining because they were proud to serve, their country, for
the accomplishment of th high ideals that had been preached +• th ,m,
" rrking the World safe for Eemocracy'1 nc1 oth r catchy phr s • had
convinced them that they were fighting to free the world of r- n;7 of the
Ills that had promoted the wt r in the first plr co. Oh yes it' ;ould never
be the same rg'in, civilization would perish if the Worl trend contin
u'd the s me rut, ? nd now Free **cn would he 1 lowed * to assemble .every
where ; nd choose governments • nd men to ■ dminstr;to these governments
in accord'nee with the best interests of the p. ople concerned.
..'ell bow did it torn out? Sure you know and we know, so whs t good did
it do, wus the effort vrafifl'o in vain? Perhaps not but it was so.ro an
awful letdown from the high promises made. row whet did Armistice Day
me ' n to you then and what docs it moan to us now? This is sorr. thing to
think about end are wo going to allow the some thing to happen r6ain?
Will powerful selfish, greedy leaders cf the big Nations i-gtin bo per
mitted, to insta ll a. system that will cvontue.ly -lead to another war,or
have we learned lesson that will enable us to prevent' it? Will the
Boys who are doing such t. good job: on the bar Front s - be compelled to
sell Applies to make enough to live on when the "Return to* Normalcy"
policy is r»vivfd. Will War Bonds have to be sold at a tremendous loss
when emplymont becomes sc rce, and will Farmers have to sacrifice their
farms when the Bankers get cold feet and money gets scarce ag in?