Entered as second class matter at 
the postoffice at Rockport, Indiana, 
nrider the Act of Congress, March 3, 
1879 . 
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One Year * ^ X ' 25 
EDITORIAL 
ERA OF TWELVE YEARS AGO 
In his keynote address at th' 
Democratic national convention th 
other day, Senator Barkley of Ken 
tacky, temporary chairman of th. 
convention, reminded us that “twelv 
years ago we were drawing to th 
close of a great era The era re 
f erred to was, of course, the grea 
World War with, as the keynoter re 
minded us, “humanity’s greatest ex 
expenditure of accumulated trea 
sure.” 
There can be no gainsaying th< 
fact that it was one of the world’ 
greatest eras so far as its effect oi 
the course of the world was concern 
ed. We were told at the time that i 
was the era in which would be com 
p'leted the war which was to end wai 
for all time to come, that the titani 
struggle would * 'make the woild saf 
for democracy.” 
Just how true those slogans were 
the country is now well aware. Sine 
the close of the war democracy 1 
many instances has been eliminated 
Three great dictators have arisen 
Mussolini in Italy, Stalin in Sovie 
Russia, and Pilsudski in Poland, anc 
there have been a number of lesse 
ones. And if we can read the sign 
aright, more dictatorships are to fol- 
low in the near future, the most irn 
portant one, imminent perhaps, ir 
Germany . 
Nor did the war to end all war 
succeed in its purpose. We have had 
continual strife, both of a military 
and political nature, since the treaty 
of peace was signed. There have 
been revolutions on every hand, and 
the great nations of the world are 
mow more heavily armed than at any 
time in their history. 
Twelve years after the close of the 
era to which the Democratic key- 
noter referred we find the nations of 
the world in the grip of the greatest 
depression of the century, a depres- 
sion due directly to the inflation 
which had its seeds in the era which 
saw “humanity’s greatest expend! 
tore of accumulated treasure.” 
We see now the great nations of 
Europe represented at Lausanne de- 
manding on the one hand the can- 
cellation of reparations growing out 
of the war, and on the other demand- 
ing that Uncle Sam forgive the debts 
of the allied nations. And we hear 
in America the cry go up from the 
overburdened taxpayers that it is un 
fair to cancel these European debt* 
and so add further to the troubles o 
the American citizenry. 
Despite Senator Barkley’s refer 
eri.ee to the great era which ende 
with the closing days of the Wilso 
administration it is not likely tha 
this era will be made an issue in th 
coming campaign. Doubtless th 
Republicans, remembering the result 
of the election of 1920 would wel 
come such an issue. It would giv 
them the opportunity of remindin 
'ters that the seeds of the de 
