The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, January 18, 1919, Image 4
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and is manifestly the best advertising j
medium in Sumter._
FRIENDLY NAVIES.
An interesting British view of the
American plan for a larger navy isi
that of the London Morning Post, j
? which says:
"The proposal of the United States
govtrnment as announced by Secre
tary Daniels to build a more power
ful navy should be entirely welcome
to this country.
"When Secretary Daniels talks of a
supreme American navy being neces
sary if the peace conference fails toj
agree on the limitation of armament, j
he is quite right. We would go fur- !
ther and say that if America will j
stand the expense, she would be wellj
advised to keep a strong navy in any
case. For the United States navy,
like the British navy, never has been
used and, we are assured, never will
be used, for purposes of aggression.
"This country would be glad to see
America relieving Great Britain of j
part of the heavy cost of insuring the
safety of sea communications for thej
world; and whether that relief is af
forded by the general limitation of I
armaments or the increased naval j
power of the western republic is com
paratively immaterial. With our ex
perience of the cordial and vigorous
help of the United States during the
war, we feel that its increased
strength would provide the most pow
erful guarantee of peace."
This frank and friendly utterance j
puts British sea power in quite a new j
light from that in which most Amer- J
icans have been wont to regard it in
the past. It appears that Britain- has
really been maintaining her naval
supremacy not from pride, and not
merely for self-protection even, but as .
a sort of "white man's burden," in
behalf of civilization. This, Ameri
cans now generally admit, has at
least been the result of her naval su
premacy in recent decades, whether
so intended or not. And now there is
an unusual appeal to American self- f
respect and American ideals in this
encouragement oi a plan which would!
abolish the supremacy of the British ?
fleet by making ours its equal or su- j
perior?on condition that we share
its responsibilities. . '
It is urgently to be hoped that the
peace conference will end in a uni- ?
versa! agreement to limit armament
?which will make unnecessary the end
less spending of vast sums on com
petitive navies. In that case we
might well bring our navy to equal- 1
ity'with Britain's, in order to entjr
i <
the international league and take up
the job of policing the seas on equal1
terms. If such a consummation
fails, it might still be possible, by
friendly agreement with Britain, to
have two equal navies cooperating in
peace as they have in war for the
safety of the world.
SOCIALIST 'PRINCIPLES.'*
Victor Berger. former congressman
from Milwaukee, convicted of violat
ing the federal espionage act through
conspiracy to obstruct the govern
ment's war program, declared hi
court:
"I have done no wrong. I have
been living up to these principles for
37 years?those principles the jury
has seen fit to condemn. I cannot
account for the verdict."
Here we have another evidence,
more striking than usual, of the
strange blindness which seems to have
come over so many Socialist leaders
during the war.
?.fr. Berger has repeatedly defend- j
ed the sinking of the Lusitania. He
regarded it as quite justifiable, ap- j
parently, for Germany not only to
take up arms against her neighbors,
but to assassinate helpless noncom-j
batants when the German govern
ment happened to consider them as
standing in the way of accomplish- i
ing its military purpose. And yet he i
has insisted that it was wrong for the
United States to raise an army to de-,
fend itself against such German at-1
tacks on American property, rights:
and lives.
The absurd conflict of logic in such
an attitude is evident. The curious
thing about it is that Socialists, of
all men. should have thus champion
ed German aggression and violence.
Needless to say. neither Victor Ber
ger nor any other Socialist of any
repute preached for a generation be
fore the war, the right and justice of
such acts as the invasion of Belgium
and the sinking of the Lusitania.
Socialism^made headway precisely
because it preached a gospel of broth
erhood, justice, peace and good will to
men. It is one of the strangest facts
in political history that such a move
ment, in theory so idealistic, should
have oeen suddenly perverted, in this
and various other countries, to a
practical championship of a German'
sv: em of political and military ag- j
gre~sion which is the diametrical op- <!
posite of what Socialism had always
professed to represent.
Socialism as a theoretical plan forj
reconstructing society still exists, and j
commands support among many!
thinking men as one posible solution
for political and economic problems.
But any intelligent non-Socialist must
wonder how men holding such views
as those of Victor Berger and other
like-minded Americans can still call
themselves Socialists.
THE CONQUERING PENNY
The American people consumed,
last year, 307,014,000 pennies. That
is the number minted and thrown into J
circulation, to add to the quantity al
ready circulating. The total, if there
were any way of finding it out, would
certainly be an imposing figure, inas
much as no less than 1,000,000,000
pennies had been minted in the pre
vious ten years, and most of them are
probably still in use.
The fact that last year's production
is three times the previous ten-year
average shows what an important
place the one-cent piece occupies in
our present coinage. If the humble j
copper was scorned in pre-war years,
and in the early years of the war, it
is scorned no longer. Mounting prices
have only increased the demand for
it.
The principal cause of the great
ly accelerated demand of late may
have been the payment of the many j
small war taxes running into odd j
cents; but a still stronger influence
has been the growing spirit of thrift,
revealed in the fixing of odd prices for
commodities and in the claiming of
small change by many who used to
scorn anything less than a nickel.
Even on the -Pacific Slope the penny
has won recognition at last.
i
I ? !
. j
"The Soviet form of government is|
the ideal form, only men have to be
angels to work it successfully." says
one political economist. At the rate
at which they are killing one to
other off in Russia there soon shouhi
be angels enough to turn the trick.
* * *
"The attitude of Germany toward
the war," says one writer, "reminds
us of the small boy who puts a tack j,
on his grandfather's chair and then,
when reprimanded for the result.".,
says with an air of innocence and af
fection, 'Tack ? What tack V "
* # *
There are not so many fat Germans
as formerly, according to scme_ re-. ^
ports. Well, we understood that the
course of exercise prescribed by the
Allies in the last four years had
thinned them a little.
* * *
The principal New York crops are
so commonly supposed to be chorus
*irls and lobster palaces, it comes as
something^ of a shock to hear that
Dver $800,000,000 worth of farm pro
duce was raised in New York last
rear.
* * *
"Don't spoil a good meal with a bad
stomach," says an ad. That is all
right: but it's better to get back to
first principles, thus: '?Don't spoil a
good stomach with a bad meal."
* * *
Uncle Sam will soon be singing
that good old song, "How dry I ami"
And nobody Will know how dry he is.
because it will be beyond the power
of human comprehension.
-.S-?\\
THE V. M. C. A. I,
To the great mass of thinking peo
ple in this country, the attacks upon
the service of the Y. M. C. A. abroad
will be a matter of indignation and
regret. That the Y. M. C. A. both
here and overseas rendered a tre
mendous service to our boys is un
questionable, jj
Of course there were mistakes, and ?
since the undertaking whs a colossal ^
one. the mistakes may loom up with *
proportionate lugness. But like everyj?
otin-r institution in this country. itj,
entered war service without oppor-jj
tunity for preparation, it had to learn ?
us it worked and learn in many cases |.
by its mistakes. The same thing isj]
true of every other institution and in- '
dividual in this country from presi-ji
dent to plumber. \'
rndoubtodly the men in the armyy
who suffered from Y. M. C. A. blund-'<
I ers were guilty of blunders them-r
I selves before they fully learned their'
[soldier business. Yet who would:
[judge our army by anything but itsj
; high standards and the success of j
1 . . . i
jits great majority in maintaining;
j them?
liefere the Y. M. C. A. is adjudged j
guilty it is entitled to a fair hearing.;
;o ibe testimony of all the thousands,
I of boys who found home in its huts, j
[help in its diversions, who have stories'
to tei] that would thrill the heart of
'the courtesy, the bravery and the gen- i
j erosity of the Y. M. C. A. men with
? whom they came in contact.
I The confession of Bill Smith, whose!
I feet it deterred from straying, should i
be heard, as well as the indignant
avowal of Bob Jones, that ho needed
no watching.
The real character of its problems,
personal and financial, should be un
derstood before decisions are made.
PRINCIPLES OF BOLSHEVISM.
Peopie who have been trying,
without much success, to learn pre
cisely what Bolshevism stands for,j
may derive enlightenment from the!
statement of Dr. Oudendijik. Dutch |
i ' i
minister in Petrograd. As interview
ed by the London Times, he says:
"Translated into practice, the five
points of Bolshevism really come to
this: (1) High wages; (2) don't
work: (?.) take other people's prop- }
erty; (4) no punishment: ) no tax
ation." '
He. speaks from long acquaintance j
and careful observation of the old
regime and the now. He has known
Russia for 30 years. And as a result
of more than a year of Bolshevism,
"never have the working classes of
Russia suffered as they are suffering j
at the present moment. I have never/
seen or creamed of the possibility of
such corruption, tyranny and the ab
sence of all semblance of freedom as j
there are in Russia at the present
moment."
He concludes that the future of
Russia, is hopeless. But surely there !
is hope even in the extremity of stich j
an evil situation. A social and po-j
litical disease when it becomes bad j
enough tends to cure itself. Surely}
the Russian masses will understand, j
sooner or later, the origin of the evils!
they suffer, and repudiate the svstem !
which is responsible before they!
i
themselves are utterly destroyed. If j
not, we are tempted to lose our faith j
riot merely in human nature but in
that common sense which is supposed
to be the heritage of all races.
ROYS AND REVOLVERS.
A bill has been introduced in con
gress to prohibit the shipment of ex
plosives and firearms to minors. It is
meant primarily to prevent the pur- j
:hase of revolver:: from mail-order j
louses by lads likely to misuse them.
This is a step in the right direction, j
^uch legislation, if it proves legal j
Uid practicable, should be stipple-j
nented by State and'municipal lawsj
calculated :o keep certain types of I
firearms out of the hands of minors!
md also of adults who have no busi
ness with them.
Rifles and shotguns for legitimate J
lunting or target-shooting are one
:hing: revolvers are Quite another j
thing. It may be granted that even j
>oys, especially in rural districts, may]
properly possess the former if they j
lave skill and sense enough to use
hem properly. But the time h^Si'
>assed, in almost every American :
iommunity. when it is necessary for1
inybody. young or old. with the ex
:eption of police authorities, to carrv
>r own pocket firearms.
Most of the crimes of violence now
idays are perpetrated by youths with j
evolvers. Most of the cases of ac- j
Mental shooting are due to having |
oaded revolvers in the house. It is
ine to class revolvers with whiskey
md deadly drugs, and restrict their
listriution.
GOOD GTVXXG.
Congress is mostly reported bv ad- i
i
'erse criticism, and justly so, yet oc- j
?sionally something gets done which jj
;an be approved by the American j
a'tizen without reference to party or
unities.
Of this nature is the Vocational
irbilitation Act. by which the care of I {
mr maimed and disabled soldiers be-'i
j j
>omes a federal undertaking. A fed-.'
?ral board is given charge of the de-jj
ails, with a fund of S2.OfiO.oor? audjj
power to cooperate with the Army and jj
I
A
xu
A
* *
We GriTjd I^enses. examine the *^ i
?> <?11
't eyes scientifically and tit eye- * \
g glasses perfectly. Let u? work *;
* for you. f'\
We havp ali prescriptions
?
? on tile. Broken lenses replao
?*. ed promptly. Graduate Opto
a
^ metf ist and Optician in charge
I W. A. Thompson, $
J KWET.E ? OPTOM3ETRIST.
-m ? * ?- j ??- > ^ ?--?--?iJf.A.Ti.Ti-*--*-*?1
*l r I Vxl rVVV1I i rVTvTrYTTTVr'? ?
mm m fertilize! wmm
c.
If you have cotton to sell, see us, it will pay you.
If you have fertilizer or fertilizer materials to buy it will pay
vou to see us before you buy, Cash or approved collateral.
9 West Liberty Street
Navy in getting- men restored to ac
tivity and placed in jobs which they
can swing.
As Collier's Weekly says: "It is a
good law and a glorious work. And
section 7 gives all the rest of us a
chance to help." '
Section 7 says: ?"The board is here-1
by authorized to receive such gifts
a nd donations from either oublie or i
i
private sources as may be offered un
conditionally. All moneys received as;
gifts or donations shall be paid into
the Treasury of the United States and
shall constitute a permanent fund to j
be called the "Special Fund for Vo- j
cational Rehabilitation.' "
The hoard is to direct the disburse- j
nient of the fund, and report annual-1
ly to congress.
When the casualty lists are finally:
completed, it is going to be unhap-j
pily .evident that there was great!
need of this legislation, and that the
field for donations will be* a large;
i
one. The suggestion is made that1
1
people who profited greatlv in war:
j
work may well contribute largely, but I
the donations should not be limited
to this clas alone. Any patriotic ?
American who has something to give!
should be glad to give part of it to this;
work of restoring to usefulness the i
.?tan who gave his physical perfeo-1
tionr for his country.
1
Ii 11 111 1 il? hi ? mi ii im 1111 ?i 1 11 ??
PASSENGER PIGEONS AGAIN. |
j
Apparently authentic reports are |
coming to public notice that pas-;
senger pigeons have been seen re- j
cently in flight, or roosting sufficient-}
!y near for the observers to determine j
without o.ucstion that they were speci- j
mens of what loner has been mourned I
?; a vanished race.
The annihilation of the passenger!
pigeon is one- of the blots Upen ourj
?a^*?^?l>M^lff^^rl?i^aea^o?lJ^^?l^, omMmccaiemmamKBmmmm mm j
? history. It ranks wich the destruc
| tion of our white pine forest in the
j early lumbering days as one of the
! colossal blunders rooted in ignorance
and fostered by greed, with which the
history of new lands is too often
! stained.
The folly of their destruction was
recognized too late for the tardy game
laws to do any good. Attempts were
then made to breed the birds in cap
tivity, bv. they are essentially chil
dren of tite open and perished almost
as swiftly under man's nature as un
der his gun fire, the last known pair
dying in 1914.
Rewards offered since then for the
discovery of passenger pigeons have
gone unearned, and until this latest
news revived it. hope that they still
existed had been abandoned.
Perhaps they have indeed been
breeding in some secret haunt, as
has been claimed, and now are ven-j
Turing forth, tempted by whispers of j
world disarmament ' or stirrerf byi
jealousy lest man with his new found |
wings shall wrest from them their ?
records for long and speedy flight, j
Perhaps the laws destined for their !
protection were not in^vain after all. j
and continued safety has bred return
ing confidence.
In nay event their reappearance will :
be. hailed with delight by a nation :
coming, though slowiy. to an appra-'
cir.tion of the value of its bird citizens, |
and their protection now will be as j
)
great a maUer of public concern as.
their former destruction was of pub- j
lie neglect.
Xo Action by Committtoe.
YV^shinsrton. Jan. 16.?The house j
merchant marine committee unani-i
mously voted today to attempt no ac- j
tion this session on the administra- j
tlvo measure proposing government j
acquisition of nil wireless stations.
Cotton Market
LOCAL.
P. 0. bowman. Cottoa Buyer.
(Corrected Daily at 12 o'clock Noon).
Good Middling. 25 1-2.
Strict .Middling, 25 1-4.
Middling. 25.
Strict Low Middling, 23 1-2.
NEW YORK COTTON MARKET.
Yesfdys
Open High Low Close Close
Men * .24.90 25.46 24.75 25.23 24.58
May . 23.30 23.96 23.27 23.78 23.12
July . .22.4 3 22.95 22.25 22.65 22.10
D. II. TOMPKIXS DEAD.*
Former Secretary of State Passes
Away.
Columbia, Jan. 16.?Daniel Holland
Tompkins of Ninety-Six, former sec
retary of State and private secretary
of Gov. Tillman, died at the Colum
bia Hospital yesterday morning at
9.MO o'clock.
NORTH GERMAN REPUBLIC.
Brunswick Takes the Lead to Form
New State.
Copenhagen, Jan. 15.?The govern
ment of Brunswick has issued a proc
iamation proposing the formation ct
central ' North German Federal Re
public," with preliminary constitutions
resembling Switzerland.
The combination of speculators,
financiers and cotton manufacturers
has succeeded in beating down the
price of cotton in the face of the
shortest crop in years. What has oeen
done to cotton shows the power of co
operation and money and should
teach the farmers a lesson, Thsy
could win the fight by cooperation in
holding the cotton that a naked world
needs and that the mills must havt
to run until the next crop is made. .
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