and the more it costs, the better for
the private company. Here again the public pays.

"State Enterprise has wrecked the people's self-reliance and initiative.
As soon as a man gets out of work now his first aim is to demand that
the State make him a billet. This, of course, the State cannot do, and
the rejected job-seekers, who are growing in numbers daily, are like a
lot of hornets round the ears of Ministers.

"There is one way out of the difficulty, and that is, the abandonment of
the whole system of State Socialism and the re-establishment of private
enterprise. If that policy were to be endorsed to-morrow, plenty of
capital would be found for many schemes that are held up at present, and
Ministers would be relieved of all worry and responsibilities. But
they're not game, they're just hanging on--hanging on, and, I tell you,
something is going to snap somewhere, sometime.

"From a military point of view there is no reason to worry. We have a
big army in Egypt on the road to back you up, with more to follow. I
must not say much on that matter. The censor will chop it out, but we're
coming to the point that every man who doesn't go to the front must
learn how to shoot straight. Let's hope he'll also learn that he can do
a good deal to help fellows like yourself that are keeping the flag
flying abroad, by keeping up confidence and the flag flying at home."

I read the letter to Nap.

"There are two points in that letter," he said. "The funk at home and
the readiness to enlist. We've also got that funk-bee, sure. Why, when I
left U.S.A. a ten million dollar war tax was launched, unemployed were
swarming into the cities, factories were closing down because of the
falling-off of exports, and the situation was getting so desperate that
the Wilson-Bryan crowd were talking of forcing the British blockade of
Germany with ships of contraband stuff. But there's no readiness to
enlist, Jefson, not on your life. I'm sorry to say the physically worst
are offering themselves for their country's service, and only ten per
cent. of those offering are accepted; and though they advertise 'bowling
alleys,' 'free trips round the world,' and other stunts as inducements,
the response is so flat that when I passed through Chicago last August
to come here, the recruiting stations had a notice up 'colored men
wanted for infantry!' You know there's a sure prejudice against the
nigger, we grudge giving him a vote, but when it comes to fig