Evening public ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, June 12, 1917, Final, Page 10, Image 10

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MIBLIC LEDGER COMPANY ,
emus it K. ctnvns, ruiiDxitr
rlea M. Ludlnaton. Vlea IVeataentt Jfthn
ertln. Secratarr and Treaurri PhUto 8
ln, John I). vvilllaraa, John J. Bpurireon,
. wnuer Directors.
EDITORIAL COAItDt
Craci II. K. Cratu, Chairman.
T. K 'mtAl.EY Editor
JOHN C. MARTIH. .General Iroalntaa lUmnr
rubllnhed dally at rcsuo Linois Bulldlnc
Independence Square, l'hiladlphla.
rMi CrTait,,,, Broad and Chutnut Street!
ATUKTIO CIII Prets-Vnion Dulldlnc
; mr.
www Toie.... 200 Mttrorolltan Tower
skxsoit, . . . . ...,.,,s..,403 Kord JlulMIng
a?.
. Leon. ...lOoa, Fullerton nulldlnc
, CHI040O
, izuz irxount uuiiains-
news bureaud:
l toK Sduh.' ".'.". .".Th Times tlulldlnc
'.T1M1AM . nl. n..M4tM
iro uiuiDi no FTiedrlchmaM
iNDON DD111D.... ... .Marronl Hmii. fllrand
MJUI Demo..... 32 Ruo Loula 1 Orand
SUBSCRIPTION TEIIMS
. The Ensixo Linaga ! aerved to eubeertbere
In Philadelphia, and aurroundlnc towna at th
tat of twelve (12) centa par week, payable
9 the carrier.
Br mall to point" outtlds of Philadelphia. In
to LmilM state, canaaa or unitrn. states poa
easlona, postage
month. Biz (161
frea. fifty (DO) centa ter
dollar! per Tear, payable In
advance.
To all foralrn countries ona (11) dollar per
teonth.
, Noticb Subscriber wlthlnr addreea chanced
coat sirs old aa well aa new addreaa.
BELL. MOO VALMIT KEYSTONE. MAW .000
Rf Address alt communications fo Evening
oVer, fmJrpendVnce flat,ore, I'Mladetphlo,
Sottimd at Tna tninpiLrnii. rosTorrics as
ECOSD-CLAM MAIL MATTCR.
rnn average net taid daily CIR
CULATION OP THE EVENINO LEDGER
FOB MAY WAS 101,110
rhlliJ.Ipl.li, Tcxidir, June 12. 1917
Tell your children why you have
not bought a bond.
Young America will gather shells
by tho seashore this summer Just tho
same as over and a naval coast defenso
Trill see that they do not coma from Ger
man guns.
The bitterness of politics does not
extend to tho battlefield. An Ulster am
bulance did not hesitate to carry William
Redmond, home rulo leader, back from
the front where ho lay dying.
Washington's seismograph has re
corded another earthquake, unconnected
with the Salvadorean upheaval and 3500
miles away. It Is significant that Bel
glum lies approximately that far off.
Von HIndonburg has unintention
al given the Liberty Bond campaign
ers a great argument. Ho han declared
that Germany will soon bo able to dic
tate her own peaco terms to tho world.
Every bond bought is a voto cast to
prove that Von HIndenburg Is wrong.
Eating moro vegetables In propor
tion to meat and bread than formerly, In
accordance with Mr. Hoover's recommen
dation, will not merely savo products of
which thero is a shortage. It is also on
excellent practlco for thoso who would
keep In good health in tho summer
months.
"I am a Revolutionary Socialist,"
ays a slacker in explaining why he Is
going to Jail for a year for not register
ing. By this ho means that he Is on the
side of tho Kaiser against tho American
Revolution and tho present world revo
lution which is going to malts Kalserlstlc
Socialism a thing of tho past.
Why, In splto of Senator Harding,
is the dethronement of tho Hohenzollerns
a prerequisite to pence? Ono reason Is
that forty years of preparation to sub
jugate tho world would bo entirely Im
possible under a dcmocratlo form of gov
ernment. Democracies do not look that
far ahead, and nro not "very good at In
trigue. While other things become scarce,
the supply of dirt Is Increasing. As the
street cleaners aro evidently opposed to
cleaning, overy householder should get a
broom and assemblo the dirt immediately
fronting his own homo. Perhaps this
would convince tho contractors, who say
tho cjtjr jp clean, that they aro suffering
from defective vision.
M. Vlvlanl, Minister of Justice in
the French Cabinet, believes that women
should have equal rights with men. That
attitude means moro In a country ruled
by the Napoleonic code than a similar
demand means In this country, since for
ages the civil law has classed women
with idiots and children. But M. Vlvlanl
Is merely a statesman, while the ward
bosses of Philadelphia are ward bosses.
The billion dollars which It is said
the Administration will ask for the
equipment and training of a great air
fleet would be money well invested, as
aeroplanes are life savers. They are tho
'eyes of an army to ferret out enemy bat
teries and direct shell fire to destroy
them. In the battle of Mcsslnes the
British losses were under 10,000, a saving
of men that would have been impossible
had It not been for the information sup
plied by airmen.
Hero Is one British mistake which
we should learn not1 to make before It
Is too late: A Parliamentary committee
has found that munition-workers were
allowed to fall into lowered health and
reduced efficiency because of suddenly
Increased output, and that as mud) and
better work could havo been accom
plished with more-attention paid to dally
and weekly rests. Probably tho many
strikes which have hampered England
were the result of this lack of foresight.
Ill-digested facts can tell weird
tales. Belligerent Indians resisting reg
istration, dedication at Gettysburg of a
jnbnument to Lee, leader of the great re
bellion; the adoption of conscription, with
an alleged Implication of a lack of volun
teering spirit; the campaigning pressure
Invoked to obtain the Liberty Loan, tho
abstention from formal alliance with the
Entente all these truths. If unexplained,
wight vti)y five Germany the notion
'MARINE- RECRUmNGWLXK
i t.
that America was going to the dogs. But
right hero It Is necoseary to go back of
the return, something that modern Qer.
many seldom does. Indeed, her avci
slon to this sort of unpalatable analysis
was largely responsible for tho war. The
superficial facts showed her Britain In
turmoil, Belgium hopelessly commer
cialized, Franco In decay. Having in
digested the true meaning of European
civilization, sho resolved to smite It. Her
relations with America, betray tho same
lack pf sufficient mastication.
A DAY FOR PRAYER
JTUHS Is not a year for playful celebra
tion of Independence Day. As tho na
tion throws itself Into tho strugglo for
tho untvcrsallzatlon of democracy and
lends Its aid to tho firm fixing through
out tho world of tho principles of liberty
and freedom, first proclaimed In this city
on tho Fourth of July, 1776, it behooves
this people, In commemoration of that
occasion and In conscious appreciation
of tho great burden now devolving upon
them, to meet In their houses of wor
ship and petition God for pcaco and
democracy.
Tho power of prayer Is a mighty power,
greater ultimately than tho force
of arms, and the supplications of tho
wholo nation, addressed to tho Supremo
Being, should bo tho solemn recording
of our spiritual aspirations In this era
of turmoil.
"I HAVE NOT SUBSCRIBED"
THERE wero men, "reasonable" men,
who could see no necessity for lighting
In 1776. Patrick Henry and tho rest wero'
Just "maniacs nnd troublo makora." In
circumstances somewhat similar to thoso
existing now many New EnKlandcrs
could see no reason for going to war lit
1812. Thero wero strenuous advocates
In 1S61 of a program to "let tho erring
sisters go" rather than havo bloodshed.
No wonder then that men In this era put
padlocks on their pockct3 and will not
help.
They say wo could havo kept out of
tho war. So wo could: but wo would
havo been growing pigtails within another
decade.
Thero Is scarcely a man walking tho
streets today who cannot buy at least
one fifty-dollar bond If ho wants to. It Is
a llttlo better than money, for n ten-dollar
note Is merely tho Government's prornlso
to pay that amount of coin on demand,
while a bond Is tho Government's prornlso
to pay a specified amount with Intcroat.
Shamo hangs In tho consciousness of
every man who does not subscribe You
seo no slackers wearing buttons saying,
"I have not subscribed." Oh, no! They
aro in a despicable position nnd they
know It, but they won't como ncross.
Why not organtzo a Blockers parade,
terminating In a mighty demonstration?
But let It not be In Independence Square!
LET'S IIAVE AN ANSWER
rpHERE are thousands of Phlladclphlans
who havo ono question they would
Uko to havo answered by Mayor Smith
and Director Twining: Is tho Frank
ford elevated to bo rushed to completion
or aro further contracts for that Im
portant undertaking to bo held up pend
ing tho writing of a Ieaso proposal and
action on It by Councils next winter?
IDEALISTIC WAR AIMS
rpitE profession of unselfish purposes
J- made by tho American Government in
entering tho war, which Is repeated and
strengthened In theioto to Russia, Is
already showing results in tho changed
attltudo of Allied Governments. Eng
land Informs Petrograd that "tho Brit
ish Government heartily Joins with their
Russian nllles In their ncceptanco and
approval of tho principles laid down by
President Wilson In Ills historic messago
to tho American Congress. Theso aro
tho alms for which tho British peoples
aro fighting." French statesmen have
also "toned down" tho note of rovengo
and are now defining their demand for
Alsaco-lyorralno as tho demand of sim
ple Justice and not of tho vlndlctlvencss
of prospective conquerors.
In this country thoro has been soma
criticism of Mr. Wilson's statement of
our alms on tho ground that it Is too
idealistic. But It must never bo forgot
ten that every sentence In such stato
documents Is read nnd reread in every
country in tho world by men who nro on
tho lookout for any scrap of argument to
prove that Allied purposes are commer
cial. What Joy would a Russian pacifist
feel If he could find In ono of Mr. Wil
son's utterances the traco of a revengeful
or Imperialistic spirit! Tho ono sentence
"Wo nro the slncero friends of tho Ger
man people," has done moro than any
thing else to tako the wind out of the
sails of those stanch friends of the Kaiser,
the pacifists, in every neutral nnd bel
ligerent country.
Idealistic war alms are In tho long run
tho most practical war alms. They uro a
constant challenge to every belligerent
Government to define and clarify its pur
pose. SPEED UP FOOD CONTROL
Throughout tho Inst three years two
words have been written across the pages
of English hlutory "Too late," Unless
the Lever bills are passed Immediately,
before the grain Is harvested, "too late"
Mill be written In our own history Her
bert C. Hoover
THE provisions of the second and
most Important food-control bill, that
which will control distribution and price,
have been agreed upon by committee and
immediate report to the House is author
ized. Chairman Lever expects it to pass
after two weeks of debate. But there is
a note of weary fatalism In such predic
tions.. What Mr. Lever evidently means
to say Is that It will take fully two weeks
for everybody to talk for the sake of talk
ing, to put himself on record as having
taken this or that stand on some detail
of Interest to his constituents. It matters
not to some Congressmen that the grain
is soon to be harvested.
It will be unpardonable If the working
majority In Congress permits long-winded
speechifying 'on this bill without making
a protest that will be heard from one end
of the country to the other. Constructive
criticism Is desirable, but purposeless de
laying of this measure will be Inexcusable,
ilfVEBfiSi' "XEDBR-PHtLADELPHIA, TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 1917
PAN-AMERICA'S
ROLL OF HONOR
Santo Domingo Joins Growing
List of Republics Thnt Have
Broken With Berlin
AMID so much news that Is tragic and
. terrible, the announcement that Santo
Domingo has broken relations with Berlin
Injects, at first blush, a piquant note of
gayety. Considered by Itself the situation
seem almost to savor of comld opera.
What does a Dominican rebuke of Berlin
signify? How can It affect, save for pur
poses of amusement, the stupendous world
drama now being enacted?
"Not at all," would be the natural answer,
did wo confino ourselves solely to this
ruction between tho great Teutonlo em
pire and tho little Caribbean republic. As
regards Santo Domingo alone, we may rest
assured that Germany would act entirely
on tho principle enunciated by her own
ruthless philosopher, Max Stlrnor, whose
crded was "My right Is tho right." But
happily Santo Domingo Is no Island Quixote
voicing its disapproval of tho maddest mili
tary Power tho world has ever seen Tho
gallant West Indian democracy not only
ranges Itself beside embattled civilization,
but clasps hands with sister nationalities
of tho westorn world, most of them weak
In themselves, but qulto capable of altering
tho courso of history when Joined In a
common purpose
One Latln-Amcrlcan land after another
has preceded Santo Domingo In the course
sho has taken. The Importanco of Brazil's
repudiation of tho Hun was Immediately
plain. I'an-Amcrlcanism was supremely
glorified by her net, but the conduct of tho
other American Republics has to be con
sidered en masso to n&tiumo Its rightful
meaning The situation, as It stands today,
Is absolutely unprecedented In world his
tory. No great nation taking up arms was
ever so seconded by an outpouring of diplo
matic empathy as the United States has
been. As a tribute to the blncerlty of
American Ideals tho situation Is not only
touching, but It Is fraught with the deepest
significance for tho future reconstruction
of tho world.
The Roll of Honor
Behold tho Latin-American honor roll
Guatemala, Ilolhla, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Haiti nnd Santo Dpmlngo havo severed re
lations with Berlin. Cuba has declared war.
Brazil has broken Teuton bonds, seized In
terned ships nnd abrogated her neutrality
with respect to tho United States. Costa
Itlca has granted our navy tho use of her
coasts. Panama has permitted us to take
whatever steps may bo necessary for the
protection of the Canal And all theso mag
nificent Indorsements of our alms cmnnato
from that part of tho globo whero Germany
has Intrigued for years to Implant tho seeds
of nnlmoslty toward us ; from lands on
which her colonizing eyo gleamed with avid
ity; from lands supposedly caught In her
great commercial web, tapped by her steam
ship lines, campaigned by her Indcfatlgablo
polyglot salesmen.
Beforo such n ppcctaclo tho spirit of
comic opera swiftly vanishes. Neglectful as
tho United States has been of her opportu
nities In the "other Americas." It Is her
Ideals that have conquered Wo know this
must bo so, for, desplto the propaganda for
Pan-American trade, tho magnltudo of Teu
ton endeavor along this lino vastly tran
scended ours. For yenrs great modern
Hamburg-American freight and passenger
steamships piled between West Indian and
South American Atlantlo ports and tho
Fatherland. Tho Teuton Kbsmos line took
caro of affairs on the west coast. The Ger
man trader almost Invariably spoke tho
tonguo of tho Latin republics.
Our commercial envoys usually struggled
vainly to make headway with English, and
It Is even said that many of them were sur
prised on learning that the language of
Brazil was not Spanish at all, but Portu
guese Since tho old United States and Brazil
line went out of cxlstenco no regular pas
senger sorvlco under tho Stars and Stripes
has been maintained between our ports and
nny South American point below Panama
on tho west nnd La Oualra on tho cast. Of
lato years tho American-owned Graco lino
carried on Homo cargo trade with Latin
America, but even then a number of tho
ships employed wero under British registry.
In 1909 tho consular records of the great
Brazilian coffco port of Santos showed thJt
but ono American vessel had entered that
capacious harbor during tb year. And that
was a tramp "windjammer." whose crew
had needed medical aid because of beri
beri. Teuton Trade Shattered
Theso facts nro not ndduced to support
our most reprehensible Indifference to
South American trade development, but as
suredly they do emphasize the fact that the
codo of democracy and the example of a
great democratic experiment havo tri
umphed In lands where all Germany's mar.
elously organized business energies failed
Shattered, perhaps for generations, Is that
carefully woven fabric of Teuton trade In
the ten Latin-American nations that havo
rebuked Berlin. What will sho have to say
on this score on that tremendous day when
peaco terms are made?
Backed by tho might of the United States,
surely theso ten valiant lands will have sig
nificant words to utter on the re-establlsh-ment
of commercial relations. There lands
are rich In certain raw materials, Ger
many needs Just such articles. It Is clear
that those portions of Latin-America which
have spurned the Teuton need by no means
be negligible In the final settlement. Yves
Guyot, tho noted French economist, has re
cently pictured Just such a scene.
Savo for these nations to the south of
us, Liberia and China are the only other
countries that have dismissed Berlin's Min
isters without actually entering the fray.
At present tho Pekln Government Is too un
stable to permit of any prophecy as to Its
ultimate Influence on the cause of civiliza
tion. But Liberia hv indorsed our policy
from motives partly akin to those of our
South American friends. The little African
republic, once virtually an American col
onyr U altogether powerless In a military
sense, but she produces valuable articles,
moslly coffee, which Germany would like to
buy. It Is odd, too, that In Liberia Ger
man trade was extremely active, as In
South America, while American commerce
was virtually dormant, -The Woermann line
had carried on a brisk trade with Monro
via for some time previous to 19H. All
that it gone now, because a lustrous Airier
lean Ideal of freedom was wafted across
the broad Atlantlo to tropic African shores
So while we may smile at the curious
ecene of tiny Santo Domlnfco scorning as
sociation, with the mighty German empire,
let condescension be no part of our ex
pression. We cannot afford to be so frivo
lously indifferent to the spectacle of one
more nation, however small, voluntarily
clasping our hand because she knows that
It Is clean, v
Tom Daly's Column
Tim BOND OF LIBERTY
Xo lUkcn cord it this, for puppet's grace;
Steel sinewed, rather, uAth an inlred
power, '
Iron muscle knotted for tho crucial
hour,
When brothers fight the beast to gain a
place
For liberty to dwell; count no disgrace
E'en half so keen as this, to cringe
and cower
Beneath a tyrant's rod. This bond's
a tower
Of strength for freedom and her con
quering race.
Oh. Land of Liberty, thy meat and drink
Must form the fabric of this bond of
truth.
Thy rich and poor alike must now
respond ,
With what they have and arc; nor
weakly think
Of sacrifice. The mingled blood of youth
Afield and age at home perfects the
bond.
WILLIAM IIIRAM FOVLKEB.
The Conscript
He's dead now, but ho left those be
hind who may care; so we'll call him
Jacob Howlo, which Is nothing like his
real name, for this Is a true story.
Jacob, who ownod a small, stony farm
up In tho Monroo County hills, whero
ho lived with nn nged sister and his
granddaughter, seldom showed himself In
society. If ho had been able to make his
land produce tobacco, and ho had tried,
ho would havo had no occasion w hat
over to como down out of tho hill places.
Ho walked Into Shoemaker's general
storo at tho crossroads on a lato after
noon in April, 189S, and laid a dollar on
tho counter.
"Just a minute, Jacob," said tho mer
chant. "Wo was nil out of vour brand
and I was nfeard you'd bo coming in,
so I asked Mllo to fetch somo up on to
day's stage. Ho's a-comlng now."
Tho old man lounged across the counter
nnd waited. Over by tho stovo a half
dozen young men wero listening to a
traveling salesman distribute all tho latest
misinformation from tho outsldo world.
"When I was down at tho county seat
Just now," ho was saying, "I heard a lot
of talk about conscripting troops to fight
Spain, and I wouldn't bo surprised if it
was put through; and it'll bo a mistake.
A man ought to fight willingly, I say,
or not at all. And whllo I was waiting
to tako this stage nn old fellow I got to
talking with told mo about a case he
saw with his own eyes In tho Civil War.
It was a man full grown, ho said, that
was drafted Into his regiment nnd that
was thnt set In his ways ho Just wouldn't
fight at all. Said ho'd bo damned first.
So tho man's captain got mad nt him
In tho argument and ho took nnd slapped
him ncross the faco with tho flat of his
sword. Tho fellow bit his lip and got
whlto except whero tho welt on his
cheek was, but ho wouldn't fight. Next
day up como n battlo nnd tho captain
was leading his men through a bit of
woods when they fell Into nn ambush
and had to run for It. Tho captain and
tho fellow that wouldn't fight nnd ono
other man wero sneaking through a
wheat field, and tho fellow said to tho
other soldier, 'You go tell that hound he
can havo ono shot nt mo with your gun,
then I'm going to kill him.' So tho fel
low stood thero and let the captain shoot
at him, nnd ho missed, and tho fellow
put a bullet through tho Captain's head.
And tho old man who told mo about it
said ho knew It was truo, becauso ho was
tho third party himself."
Old man Howlo, with his supply of
tobacco under his arm, waited to hear
tho end of tho story. Then ho asked tho
storekeeper for a sheet of paper nnd an
envelope, nnd with much labor ho con
trived a note which In duo courso reached
tho "third party" at the county seat.
It read:
"You talk to much and you lye
annyhow. I could of killed him but 1
only laffcd when ho mist nnd you kno it.
You talk to much. "J. HOWIE."
Although tho mcadowland was calling
to him to plow It, old Jacob Howie sat
among tho scrub oaks on tho ridge with
his gun ncross his knees. For two days
ho had dono tho samo thing. His grand
daughter had been away for several days,
gono to help a woman over Shawnee way,
who kept a summer boarding house nnd
with whom sho often worked In tho sea
son. Jacob's sister was queer and
taciturn, nnd so thero was no ono to re
mark upon his strnngo behavior.
It was now close to sunset. A light
buggy turned in from tho plko nnd began
to climb tho ridge. Tho driver was a
young man in tho bjuo uniform of tho
national guardsman of tho '90s. Near
Ing tho crest, the youth Jumped out to
lead tho horse over tho rough road.
"Hult!" roared tho old man, leveling
the gun at him. "Git right out o' here!."
Some one ran lightly up tho slope be
hind Jacob. Ho recognized his grand
daughter's step and never turned his
head. Tho boy stood open-mouthed.
"Conscript officer, ain't ye?" demanded
the old man.
The girl stopped forward nnd said:
"Grandpop, It's Rob Scarlett. Him and
me kept company last summer when I
was workln' at Whiteside's."
"Yes," put In tho young man, "and I
been workln' In Easton nnd now I've
Joined the guard, and beforo I go I
want to get married, and If you got no
objections "
"Thefs what I have got," said the
old man. "We don't want no man
killers In the family. We hain't nny too
good as 'tis. Turn yer horso 'round and
git out!"
"Bertha," tho young man called out,
"do you want I should marry you?"
"I bin countln on it, Rob,"
"Come down hero closer and say it
again." '
"Now. then, grandpop," he continued,
"this girl is mine and she's goln' away
with me. It's too bad you don't believe
in man klllinV because that's the only
way you can stop us. You got one shot
In that old gun. Take a crack at us.
Jump -in, Bertha,"
Old Jacob's face, which had gone very
white, began suddenly to take back its
color; It broke Into many new and un
used wrinkles. He leaned upon his gun
and laughed, which was a most unusnal
exercise with him; at least before his
great-grtndchlldren began, to arrive.
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U.S. MARINE CORPS
RECRUITING
j-zsmJO
THE VOICE OF
THE PEOPLE
The Eagle's Errand Food Spec
ulators High Prices and
Building
TMa Department (s trtt to all reader who
with to ttvreas thtir opinions on eubecta of
current interest. It is an open Jorvm and the
Evening Ledger assumra no responsibility or
tho views of its correspondents. Letters must
be signed by the name and address of the
uriter, not necessarily for publication, but as a
guarantee of good faith.
THE EAGLE'S ERRAND
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir Tho white-crested eagle sits on his
lofty perch secure In his nerle, which ho
has founded on tho sacred principles of
life, liberty nnd freedom.
Across tho broad Atlantic we seo Bel
glum annihilated, fair Franco Invaded nnd,
In spite of her heroic defense, tottering
before tho massive strength of tho hostile
Teuton. Britain, exceeding her contract,
sends her gallant first 100.000, bucks the
lino and saves France. From every cor
ner of her glorious empire flow men,
money and provender, which sho conveys
safely to her brave allies fighting for their
life, liberty and freedom, nnd still the
conflict waxes stronger and fiercer and
faint ripples begin to reach the shoro that
bounds the nerio on tho Inaccessible crag.
Little children, lovely women, noble
men are murderod on tho high seas. "Let
them stay at home," says the selfish alien.
The ships of tho freest country In tho
world can only sail with a convict's stripe
"Let them stay at home, we can live," says
tho selfish alien. Choice portions of the
land of life, liberty nnd freedom nro to be
awarded to an accommodating neighbor,
"Let them como and try It," says the
selfish alien
Tho eagle's crest Is bowed, his feathers
are dragging near the mire. Across the
broad Atlantic comes a mighty roar with
a note of pain It is the call of blood,
stronger than life, love or friendship. The
eagle hears. Up goes his royal crest,
spread are his glistening, snowy pinions.
"I am coming!" he screams In clarion
notes that resound from peak to peak.
"The sky Is my limit'"
Too proud to fight the nation that
Washington made?
Too steeped In selfish luxury the union
that Lincoln saved?
Too engrossed In amassing filthy lucre
the nation that Wilson governs? Ten
thousand times NO!
And when tho white-crested eagle files
back to his lofty perch, unttred and un
ruffled, life, liberty and freedom for the
entire universe will be his reward.
Philadelphia, June 11 G. W. S
"HIGH PRICES"
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir It is with keen regret and considera
ble disappointment that the writer notes
a tendency In certain quarters to curtail
building operations at tho present time be
cause of what are termed "high prices "
Our regret Is partly selfish. Our dis
appointment lies in the narrow-gauged
vision which must necessarily be tho father
of this tendency wherever It exists.
We are In the most prosperous condition
we have ever been. We havo entered Into
a struggle for defense which will brine
Into circulation billions of dollars which
otherwise would not have been expended
We will also eliminate from our laboring
classes anywhere from one to five million
of its most useful workers, thus automati
cally causing the two economic factors
which determine the fluctuation In prices
t(l,Bu0W.,.furihr part ln tnat direction
which will obviously cause prices to rise
namely, the demand (billions of dollars of"
new expenditures) will Increase, the supply
(a large proportion of the available labor)
will decrease. '
We are constantly reading the opinions of
men of, large affairs regarding the probable
duration of the war. These estimates vary
anywhere from three months to five years
Let us stop to analyze the probable effect
upon the business conditions of the coun.
tryii a BHUB?Je.1,Btln for th" extreme
periods. Should it last only three months
by the end of that time a considerable
amount of the billions of dollars' worth
of orders whlch-the Government must r7ee.il
mjlr totribut, will havT.lr2.0y bS
"IP YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ACTION-
.
NATIONAL
WEEK.
io
der way to such an extent as to make can
cellation Impossible. Should tho strugglo
last for thrco or five years, theso vast
expenditures will bo constantly Increasing
and tho labor supply will bo decreasing
simultaneously. And then, when It Is over,
whether It bo at tho end of three months or
thrcfl years, our friends nnd enemies on tho
other sldo will nlso hnvo fought for threo
yenrs or six cars correspondingly The dam
age that they will havo wrought upon each
others' buildings, bridges nnd farms and
other utilitarian objects will have to bo re
paired Their labor supply will havo been
considerably curtailed, due to tho tremen
dous loss of llfp nnd limb among their joung
men, their laboring class There will bo nn
unprecedented amount of building to bo
dono which will necessarily require nil the
nvnllablo labor and materials that nre to
bo had. it is nlso nlmost certain that the
termination of tho war will seo such Im
provements In tho economic condition of
somo of the belligerents as to mako their
emigration not nearly so attractive aa it
had been beforo the war, nnd very unprofita
ble It Is highly probablo that at tho termi
nation of tho war, instead of tho usual In
flux of foreigners Into this country, latgo
numbers of them will bo attracted by tho
Improved labor and social conditions In
their own mother countries nnd return to
them.
Under tho nbovo conditions what possible
chance Is thero for prices, especially in tho
building world, to drop for a considerable
period of tlmo? Yv'ha possible reason enn
thero bo for believing thnt prices will
drop? How can tho building investor Jus
tify himself In holding off nt tho present
time, with tho certain Increases In cost that
aro to como staring him In tho face?
Wo nro in a highly prosperous condition
todny. Our prosperity Is grenter than It
hns ever been heretofore, but this un
precedented prosperity will s,eem picayune
to thnt which is In store for us imme
diately and for years after this struggle
Is over.
Wako up, yo Investors, to tho posslblll
ties which llo beforo jou! Tako ndvan
tngo of present "low prices," for they
surely will bo low compared with what
you may have to pay for your materials and
labor later on Get tho pessimism out of
our sjstem, for It is nt least as harmful to
you ns to those with whom you come in
contact. Arise from tho rut you nro get
ting Into, so that in years hepce you will
not be forced Into the unpleasant position
of the person reciting the old, old story
of what "might havo been, if "
t B. J. SIGMUND.
Philadelphia, Juno 7.
FOOD SPECULATION
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir It was verv irrntlfvlnr- lnAAj
to
seo how the young blood of tho United States
cejiuiiucu io mo rre8iueni's call for regis
tratlon It was also pleasant to soo this
stupendous task accomplished with so little
trouble and within one day The latter fact
was due, no doubt, to the fact that Congress
was severe In Its punishment of offenders
of tho registration law.
i,It.C0IVgre.fs was,urt ns evere In making
laws on food speculation ns It was In making
aws for violation of registration, no doubt
r,rnJUiL ,would be tne Bame a have been
proved ln this case
The act which Congress Is now trying to
pass calls for a fine of 500 or one year's
Imprisonment for food speculation wliv
doesn t Congress change this act so it would
read Instead-UOO fine AND one yeart Im.
prlsonment for food speculation? Thlsmlcht
possibly help a llttlo. DAVP i
Philadelphia. June 9. AN J"
"WE," NOT "THEY"
Why is it that so many Americans persist
In referring to the government and the na-
tlon as "they"? Whenever taxes are high
"they" did it; when the nation Is forced by
"thM8.?"81" t0 a dec'aratlon of war,
they' did it; whenever there is anything
hBnC.r '?le ?hey:' .are rPnslbleny Per.
haps it is Just an Inherited habit j probably
t Is or product of misunderstanding or
though lessness. But It has no place In the
vocabulary of a free people like ourselves
In b democrats government it la "XI
not "they." who .decide and do nine. w
may intrust question., of the moment to
chosen representatlves-but they are an
countable to us. m the last analysis l V.
always "we" who are responsible fnV.i!
position and acts of the gomnment. ""
As we are responsible, so we should hi
99
;
j
What Do You Know?
QUIZ
1. What l nn nfttronntnlrat unit?
2. Vlliut I the difference lietneen marUtli
nml ImlriMlilnrlc acid.'
3. Mho Is IHhmitcnU?
4. Uhrn la the next etllpo that will be vlflblf.
In rhlludelplilar
5. VUw i Invoked In the eielamatlon "Great
Sfotti"? (
0. Uliat Is the lilthrnt bulldlni In rhlladelDlila
next to Ity llnlir
7. Of what treat muMnrrc la this the nnnlrer-
8. How many republics are there In the Weil
indies
0. Mint It n bayou"?
10. Mho were the "Know-Nothings"?
Answers to Yesterday's Quiz
1 Men Jonion wan born June 11, 1873,
3. In 187? K. Ju,)rUBe mnde Mrf rf
Plintucruplm of n lioroo In motion,
3. Till N the SWili jenr of the Japanese era
und the fllh of the period of lofiho.
4. The approximate co,t of the 1'ananm Caul
nan X31.l,ium,000
"' n,,V''lI,e'"ler edited the flrt college paser,
the Dartmouth Cazette, 1800.
' '""i1!0 ,Vmli:ht JolIar" U lift found la
MutdiliiKton Irvlnic's "Creole Ullage."
7. Gliiaeiine r.nrlhnull I lovingly referred ta U
the red-hhlrt hero.'
8. Tho Amazon killed their male children.
8. Amen l derived from tlm Hebrew word of
njkrrtlon rnulielrnt to "c." or "Trulj."
It hna bren ndoptnl In Christian sal
.'uiiuiiiinrii in Moranip.
v,.m'1; et thoro" la the legal term Is
i catlnc Hint a husband nnd vrlfe are
divorced, hut the huthand Is still liable
for lilt fe' support.
10.
The Value of Strategy '
Of nil tho single factors that have actU;
nlly nnd directly made the history, of ,tS$
world, tho most Important has been strat
egy. Tho elficlcncy of a navy or an armyj
oxactly what tha strategic avstem raaku
It About 10.000 Greeks under Mlltlades. il
highly efficient and thoroughly trained. o
feated ten times that many Persians 'at
Marathon. A Greek fleet under Themli
tccles defeated and almost destroyed
much larger Persian fleet at Salamls. StraU f
egy accomplished what numbers could
not do.
With an army of little more than 30.009
men, trained by Philip of Macedon M
generaled by the greatest military genial
the world has ever seen, Alexander. tM
Great ln twelve years connuered ten. of 'til
most wealthy and populous countries ft f
me worm. -
Caesar, Alarlc. Attila. Charlemanne ana
all the great military men from ancient j
i.iuco uun iij ioaay nave trained ana or
ganized bodies of soldiers nnd sailors under
systems suited to tho times, and have then
waged successsful war on peoples less mill
tarily efficient. Cortez conquered Mexico ,
with n handful of men; Plzarro subdued
minions witn his band of seasoned ngntera,
The British. French and Snaniards con
quered the Indians of North America, (
mrgeiy uy strategy, and during tne laust
half nf thA nln.to.nll. .Ant, ii npnrlv all
the land In the world not formerly occupied 1
by Europeans or Americans was taken Ift f
possession by the various Powers Invariably f
uy email Domes of trained soldiers "
fully led against whole populations, who ill
not know enough about military matters Vr
make use of the strateglo opportunities of
their own countries for defense
These results were brought about altno
wholly by the exercise of military fores,
and of this force physical courage was not
a determining element, because It was J
as evident in the conquered as in tne w
ouerors. Th rtAt.rmlnlnc plement vrll
strategy Even In the present war of dead'
iocks. wnicn modern machines nave n"
well-nigh unbreakable on some front
strategy has played Its part against 0Ye
whelming numbers. Joffre was apparently
hopelessly outnumbered In the carnpalf?.
that ended at the Marne, the German fore"
being able to threaten a flanking and .ensj
circling movement all the way to tne '
nf Pari Tlit K, V.IU 1,1a 41m ihA FTenC!
general was at last able to find the wej
spot in the enemy line and pierce ""
Germans outnumbered the Allied force
eisni is to nve. i
If mere brutal force could have W
querea, the war would have ended in t"
tember, 19H. Brute force will not &
wnen America's full strength u w
y-eRstX i
imw 'i& 1
Sf
fighting line.
1