New-York tribune. [volume], August 01, 1917, Page 6, Image 6

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First to Last the Truth: Newa-Edltoriala?
Advertisements
\ -er of tha Audlt Bureau of Clmi'.atlona.
ttM'MMUY, AIT.rST 1. 1917
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r th? advart'.aar doaa not. _
Another Anniversary
Thrce years tfO to-day Germany de-1
olared war upon Russia and by this dec?
laration unchaincd the whirlwind which
has ever since, with steadily growinp; t'ury,
heaten upon the world.
And now as the fourth year of the
atrujrplc opcns, despite all the chanp-es
certain thinps remain as they were. The,
ifsue that was joined on that day hetween
the German people and mankind rcmains
exactly what it was in that hour.
In the three yenrs that have passed the i
sjfcek depth and breadth of the German
spirit has heen disclosed. The nation that
affirmed there was no law but its own law,
no right but that which was established
by its own nrms and founded upon its self
ifh interest?, has marched from crime to
crime lopically, inexorably, until "German"
has hecome a term of reproach all over the
world nnd those of German nationality
are descrtbed and regarded as Huns and
as Boches.
A gu!f has opened between the German
people and the rest of the world that we
ourselves are only beginning to be con
scious of; a gulf which will remain for
ycars. brinpinp the weight of shame, of
loathing, of detestation long after the
guilty have passed from the scene.
And to-day the indictment is worth re
vicwing tot those who would answer the
question of why the United States is at
war with the German people and why it
must continue at war until all that the
German people to-day represent is crushed
utterly and unmistakably.
When German troops invaded Belgium
they attacked the whole body of interna
tional law, which was the safeguard of
the weak apainst the strong?the slow gain
of civilization in centuries of strife. If this
German act could stand, then an end
would have been made to all law except
that which recognizes only strength and
crowns the brute master of all.
But the invasion of Belgium was only
an impersonal act. When to the invasion
of the frontiers there was added the hor
ror of the German march?when women
were raped, children murdered, innocent
old men slauchtered?not for deeds com
mitted in defence of home or honor, but
tolely that the agony of the few mipht ter
tify the many and fear conquer where the
tword could not reach?there was added a
?upreme crime to the list of those few
ternble deeds which live aa landmarks in
human infamy. And after the invasion of
Belgium, afttr the shambles of Louvaln,
there were added the crimes in Northem
France. Nothing that the wild Indian had
done in a forest, nothing that the savage
of the African jungle had done as the
oxpression of his innate :>arbari?m, was
Jeft undone by German ofleojl ar.d roldiers;
and there were other dee ' which hitherto
were only believed possible for the beasts
themselvea.
But th:s was only a beginning. There
?fter we had the German airship mas
aacrinjr the women and children in re
inote and undefended Enplish towns. We
bad the poison fraa launched by the troopa
?arho had failed to conquer with all the
learalixed weapona of war.
And then came the Lusitania, with ita
hundrods of women and children of neu
tral and belHjrerent nationality?Ameri
, can women and children amona; them?
tent to their frraves by Geraian officera
and aailors. No crime of which modern
1 hiatory privea us a record rompares with
i tbia in essential brutality, yet it waa but
a loev*l exU-nsion of the German idea,
* applauHcd by Germans of every rank, sta
tion, aex.
Sinct that timo ws have had a full
meaaure of horrora. The Beljrian people
wh^> had sjrvived the terrors of the in
vasion were driven into bondage aa Afri
?an slave raidera once drove their caravana
ef unfortunatea. For neither sex, condi
tion, aire waa there pity in the German
S hoart or merry in the German nature.
And, at last, we, too, in America are
at war with tbia German thinjr-with thia
:an p^ri1 whirh m*nare1' wr in",itu
ti',r,a, trur livea, the honor crf our women,
the safety of cnr civilization. We are at j
war with it because not to fight it ia to he j
killed by it?not to resiat it is to permit it
to extend its foul and fatal dominion over
all the world and to repeat in America the
crimes of Belgium and France.
And on this, the opening of the fourth
year of the struggle, it is for us, for all of
us, as Americans, as the inheritors of a I
noble tradition and a hrave past, to dedi
cate ourselves to the cause which is our
cause?the cause of all men who lov lib?
erty, humanity, the law. It is for us to
dedicate ourselves to the great service of:
mankind, which is the destruction of this
German threat.
For if it is established in fact that the
German can murder, rape, mass\cre in
Tlelgium and France with impunity, then
there is no safety elsewhere in the world
from German violence. There are no fron
tiers, boundaries, races, when one people
proclaims it as its own right to kill, plun
der, conquer whenever it has a weapon in
its hands and a lust in its heart.
It is idle to talk of peace, to argue about
provinres, frontiers, colonies, while the
German maintains his right to seize what
he desires?to kill whom and when he
pleases ard to abrogate every law, human
or divine, which in'-rferes with his appe
tite or his lust.
And since this is true, let us recognize
the fact?let us give of our lives and of
f ur treasure, as we must, recognizing that
we fight simply and singly that German
spirit, which is essential barbarism, that
German idea which is nothing more norless
than the assertion of force as the supreme
will and law in human existence.
If we knew defeat were certain, yet we
could not choose but to fight this German
thing?for while it prevailed lifo would be
without value. But to-day, as the fourth
year of the struggle opens, we see clearly
we have but to persist to win, endure to
have done for all time, for our own time
pnd our children's time, with the spirit
which is responsible for the destruction of
Belgium, for the Lusitania Massacre, with
the spirit which has turned half Europe
into a desert, and now, while Belgian slave
gangs are still driven under the lash and
German shells are falling upon Rheims
Cathedral, seeks to bargain with the civil
ized world for a portion of what it has won
by defying every law of civilization and of
humanity.
The German has openly, loudly, widely
proclaimed that Corsica has conquered
Gallilee?that the doctrine of Napoleon
has prevailed over that of Christ. This ls
ihe German spirit, this is the German idea.
and its works have been written in blood
for all men to see and to know. With this
doctrine we Americans cannot compro
misc. While the Germans hold it the war
must go on.
Food Control at Albany
The chief task of the extra session of
1 the Leg.slature is to pass a helpful food
control bill. We are soon to have a Fed
eral food control law. Under that law the
Federal government will try to suppress
food speculation and artificial price fixing
. by the great monopolies which now domi
nate the food market. It will proceed
against so-called boards of trade, which
are little else than agencies of extortion,
created for tho purpose of manipulating
food quotations. It will seek to hold ln
hand the great diftributers, who have
reased to be middlemen in the true eco
nomic sense and have become plunderers of
both the producer and the consumer.
A man like Herbert C. Hoover may do
wonders in the national field, where he has
the opportunity to apply the knife to the
talsa economic growths which have de
stroyed normal relations between the pro?
ducer ind the consumer and have made
the middleman, properly their agent and
servant, mBSter of both. But there is still
a field of food control left to tho states.
The Federal government will deal chiefiy
ffttl the big agencies operating in inter
atate commerce. The state must supple
ment that work by ngulating intrastate
distnbution and diaciplining retail dealers
who, in imitation of the wholesalers, have
wandered far from the true theory of their
calling.
Many of the little dealers are as bold in
their conscienceless profitcerinp as the big
ories are. Governor Edge's rccent report
on retail food prices in New Jersey showed
that retailers are not above trying to col
lect 100, 200 and 300 per cent profits on
a quick turn in perishable foods. And ln
' most atates the local machinery of distri
bution has broken down far enough to
ailow such rapacity to go almost unnoticed.
Our local problem is to put the retailers
back in their place as uscful go-between.?.
If that ia impossible, meana must be taken
to aupplant thpse unworthy servants.
The power of the state is about the only
, power in aight atrong enough to break
monopolistic control in food distribuHnn.
| Take tho milk aituation, for instance.
j There is no competition in this business,
' and the sole jud?e of the righteousness of
j a milk prire is the distributing monopoly.
I Up to within a year it fixed pricea for the
1 farmer aa well as for the city buyer. Sell
!ng prices have been raiaed repeatedly ln
reoent yeara. But the rompanies them
?elvea admit that until this year they never
thought it worth while to eliminate the
enormoua losa due to non-return of bottles.
On? eor.ctm reported a loss in lr?l<5 from
thia aource of $500,000. How ls such an
r.ppreasive monopoly to be amashed except
by state interference?
The I.fgislatur* ia always slow t/i lireak
with old economic notiona. But the neres
aitiea of war have made ?uch a break in
evitable. The Federal government has
takcn over plenary power to regulate pro
duction and distribution. The state must
take over similar power. There should be
no prof'teering in food while the war lasts.
If there is no other way out, the state and
the city must become distributers of food.
displacinp the greedy middlemen.
Will the Lepislature measure up to its
opportunity and duty? Who are poing to
be the Reeds, Gores and Hardwicks in the
situation at Albany?
Men's Summer Clothes
Two or three days like yesterday make
many converts to the sub-tropical theory
of clothes. The fewer the better?an an
gelic or semi-angelic apparition of white-!
ness without and only a clear conscience!
within?that is a programme which re
joices the hcart of the city man when the
mercury stands at 07 dogrees at the bot-1
tom of his steamir sunless canyons.
But is it foasibl .' Will Wt ever come
to it? The navy oDkcn have oboHthod the ;
starched attadiable collars. Many ordi-l
r.ary mortals have taken to soft collars and
sofl raffa, Mool of ns would like to dis
eard eoats in the dog days, just as the ]
Scandinavian pentleman who walks Fifth
Avenue discards his coat even in the teeth i
of winter's hlasis. Why do we lack the;
courage to he coinfortable? Maybe we
tfaink we don't lack it. But then we re-!
member the dismnl failure of the once j
famous Mshiftwaists for men" crusade.
Men are still slaves to convention. They
tchiovt freedom slowly. The New Yorker
of thirty years apo wore a waistcoat all j
summer?a white or fancy colofod waist
coat. He also wore a stitT-bosomed white
shirt. Outdoor life has cured ut of those1
abominations. But for the majority the \
revolution has stovpod short at a neplige j
shirt and a belt.
Will we ever become really suMropical
in our dogday apparel? It is doubtful.
We can change our clothes to some extent |
while Bifioi sizzles. But we cannotchanpe
OVf climate. Any minute an east wind ,
may sct in, brinpinp a chill from off tho
Newfoundland Banks. Then the Palm
Beach suit and the Filipino plad raps p>it
as down-hearted as a friendless wayfaior
three thousand miles from home. We ht ? e j
taupht ourselves to believe that in the long ?
mn New York is a peerless summer resort.
Wt stick to our faith, even thouph we
suffer for it. Perhaps that is really why
we shall never be willinp to barter away
that satisfying convictiort for the casual
comforts of the suh-tropical wardrobe.
"In Justice to Humanity"
The president of the Non-Smokers' Pro-;
tective League of America has been slow
to wake up to the dangers that threaten
rur troops abroad. Perhaps he thoupht li
hopeless to arpue with the army or to at
tcmpt to persuade Conpress of the neces
sity of prohibitinp the use of tobacco; but
really by now the habit has made so much
headway among the soldiers that it is to j
be feared his patriotic petition to the Pres
ident comes too late.
It is a very eloquent and le.irne 1 peti?
tion, showinp that "the afety of the indi
vidual and the victorious culmination of a j
miphty strupple for the supremr.cy of
vital principles demand the abolition of
a practice that lessens muscular strengih
44 per cent (Lombard); lessens mental
pctivity 13 per cent (Bush); exerts a spe
cially tieleterious influence on the heart.
. . . not infrequently causinp sudden
dcath (Davis)," and i? productive of sun
dry other dreadful evils unsuspected by
the ordinary man who smokes.
But the really interestinp part of Dr.
Peasc's appeal it his plan for reclniming
the lands laid waste by the tobacco grow
ers, who, he thinks, should be treated as
invaders and presumably driven out at the
point of the bayonet. Dr. Pease WOODt
like anything to see such -juantities of
weed, "which constitutes as serious a loss
Of foodstuffs as thouph a like quantity
? were destroyed hy an alien enemy, and in ,
justice to humanity, no distinction should
be made."
Incidentally, he has extended his activi
' ties to the climination of other evils. "The
American Red Cross," he complains, "is
sending out tobacco in the comfort kits.
Also a package of chocolate is included,
whlcfa I refer to, in that the Kaiser pro
Mbtted the further use of chocolate and !
cocoa in the German army because of the
harm resulting therefrom." In this, bow-l
' ever, Dr. Pease takes the Kaiser too se- \
riously. It must not be forgotten that the
, fox in ^Esop rejected the grapes because
of the harm resulting therefrom.
But though his appeal will probably fall
! cn deaf ears, we are deeply indebted to Dr.
Pease for what is duly certified as "a true
: copy of the oripinal." Had it been offered
without the certiftcate it would undoubt
i edly have been rejected at once on ac
' count of the chocolate clause as a palpahle
forgery by that impudent deceiver An
nette Hazelton.
The Over-Advertised Colonial
(From The London J/ornlip Poaf)
Coming along a dusty French road in n
j motor car I was delighterf to give a Cana
: ditn offlcer a llft. He had been in most of
I the "shows," had Etarted as a private ind
WOt now a captain. He was of the ripht
mettlc, full of cournge and determinatior. to
1 drive the Boche back to his lair. I comrdi
i mented him on the gallantry which he anl
his countrymen had shown during the wnr.
|".Sir," he said to me. much to my surprigp,
"why will you always treat us as children*
! Wc have done well. I don't deny It, but
jeverybody has done well. Your Tommy is
I tho flnest rightcr on God's earth. Ian't he
golng to gct any of the credit? Fm sick to
death of the praise that is plastered all
over us. We have done our duty to the be?t
of our ability. but we don't deserve one
word more of praise than your fine fiirhtlng
men." This sentiment, on in'iuiry. I fo'ir 1
to be, cornmon to all th?> colonial forees. One
diftjnguishcd Austrulian offtrer said that he
had come to hate the word "Any.ar." "We
fdme into the war of our own aecord to hrat
the (Jermnn. We don't wm.t to he tffttod
ns though we shoul.l givr up the fight un! si
we were mjntioned every day." ^
"Let My People Go"
Appeal for the Freedom of Sundry
Races Under German Control
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Two strong motives, one of duty
and one of self-preservation, impel ua and
every other democratic and hence peace
loving nation to iBOiki on the freeing of ;
the subject races, Slavs and Latins. from'
Teutonie and Magyar domination, aa, one of
the essential conditions of peace.
The history of Chriatian evolution ia the
hiRtory of the liberation of the weak from J
e>:ploitation and gpoliation by the strong. j
To hold a people under the oppression of an |
alien and unsympathetic race is unworthy ;
of to-day's civilization. But to hold it un- .
der tho hecl.s of thoae as cruel, as brutal :
and as treacherous as the Prui^ianized j
Teutons prove trumsclves is a crime that i
eries out to Heaven for redress. We IB- ,
joiced when Greece freed herself from the
Turk, and some of us even shed our bloocl j
to help her. We would fain see Armenia ;
free. In what respec; have the Teutons in :
Belgium akoWB Uioauolvoa better bond
naatara than the Turks? How much less (
cruol have they been, how much le.ss brutal,
|l opprOflOrVB, less unscrupulous in sac
rificing every right of the victim to the
plcBgurc, the prolit, aye, the lust of the:
victor?
At the green table we shall have a chance ?
to insist that the thirty-thr'e mill'.on cor- j
quered aliens in Alsace, I.orraine, Poland, i
Bohemia, Transylvania and tha BalkBB S'.av
?tatoi shall be freed. To us as a Christian,
a civilized, yes, even a decent country it j
Will be a duty to use this chance, all the
more because the evident asccndancy of
Germany over Aaatria-HaBgary iItoo ororj
rOBOOa to fenr that such slight elemenry
as the BaBOBBrfa have ahown thoil con
quered alien peoples will be rep'.aced by a
brutal hondagc such as Germany has always i
OXOTClatd OTOI the Poles. If hivmg tho !
power to cauae the freeing of thoao bound ?
peoples we fail to OXOli it, WO consint with
the bondmasters and sharo thoil dlaffrBCB.
This liberation is no less clearly to our ]
interest, for only through it can we hope to
prevent Germany from l.mnc'.ing ? BOW avid :
far more terrible war at her convenience,
and meanwhil* keeping the reRt of the ,
world bowed under an intolerable burden in
preparing for it. What mado Gcrmany's
chance of conquering the EatOBtO great
enough to warrant ri-king tho poaaJty of
failurc was her control, dircctly and through
Aus*ria-Hungary, of these IhlrtJT-throo nnll
ion aliens, of whom she could add tho hest
to her army and use the rest so aa to fn e
a vast number of Teutons for military pur
poses, thus grratly iBetBBtiBg her strength.
To leave these peoples unfreed la U perpet- (
uate this increment and the resultant Teuton
peril. Because most of them liate their op- ,
ptrotaora unquenchably, to free them and to
protect them during their devrlopment would
bo to add them to the strength of their
natural allies, the Entente.
Thus the Iosb of this atolen strength
would so far weaken Germany relativoly to
the Entente that it would prohably detor
her from attcmptlng world COBOJBOOt again,
and would certainly lighten enorrnously
mankind's burden of military preparation
against her. To retain these old tkofta, BTOO
were all the land and goods stolcn in the
present war returned, would put Germany Ia
a po>ition to continue the predatory enre-r
of quick conquest and assimilation by which
Praaaia has riaoa ao marveiiously, to ropoat
this war with better chance of winning for
miracles like the Marne do not repeat them
selvcs. That continuation would BOOfl giv?
her such strength that the rest of the worh
would be impotent, so that she could seiz l
what she wanted and levy on the rest such
tax*ia as she ploaood, What hcyond German
imrcy would then stand between us and
such treatment M Belgium, Poland, Serbia,
and Armenia have received? As the richest, .
why should not we te the most attractive
next victim?
Thus the freeing of the subject races of
the Central Empires ia the only po-sibl>
meuns of restraining Germany. Mere break
up of her alliance with Austria-Hungary
counts for nauglit, because it can be renewed
at v.ill. As we" ask a band of assassins to
disband.
Even the democratization of Germany and
the dethronement of the Hohenzollcrns would
be no safeguard, for however foreign to the
true nature of the Teutona their pres. nt
savagery, faithlooaBOflB, and lust for world
rule may be, however fully it may be profof
able to tho atroclous Prussianized education
which they have received, these are the
present Teaton qualities with w!i:ch this
generation will have to deal. The Hohen
zollerna have inoculated all Teutonia with
their hideous qualities, and it is with tho
infected Teuton people and not alone with
the Hohenzollcrns that the rest of the world
must deal, at least until some antitoxin has ,
made them aound.
We cannot begin too soon to impress on ;
all the allied beoples this necessary part of
any "adequate safeguards" against o recur
rence of this war. Here self-preservation
and our moral duty to our enthralled broth
ers join ln bidding us lift up the cry of the
Lord, "Let my people go."
HENRY MARION HOWE.
Bedford Hills, N. Y., July 23. 1917.
Street Gambling
T,o the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Having read of the unfortunate killing
of a boy who had only been a witness to a
crap game, the thought was brought force
fully to my mind that the streets of the me
tropolis must be cleared of gamblers.
For the boys we have the crap game nnd
for the men we have the racetrack. We per
mit our strceta to be used for gambling pur- i
poses under the observing eyes of the police.
From a social standpoint the crap game is
h powerful force for evil. The racing game,
aa played by lltith Street and I.enox Avenue ;
"bookies" and other street ganblers. BJUlhoa
for a weakening of our social stratum.
Now, why don't the police clear the ,-treet*
of these gamlder-? The boys are youi;
unused to discipline; let them have disci
pline. The "bookies" are used to discipline? !
discipline tney received in prisons. Scnd
them back and rid our New York streets of
these gamblers. SYDNEY IRVING.
New York, July 86, 1917.
Not All Flag Makera at Fault
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: I have just read with interest your
article entitled "l'atriotism by the Yard." It
seems to me that it would have been more
' fair for you to have been a little less awoop
ing in your criticism. I feel gure that there
are some flag manufacturers as well as our?
selves who have not charged exorbitant prices
during the recent rugh. The regponsibility for
high pricea lies largely with certain retail
eatablishments, particularly one whose ad- I
vertising you do not carry, which was rharg
j ing $1S for a flag that we were selling for 16,
Why uot have your Ad-Visor departmin*
inve?t!(jate some of the flag manufacturer',
beginning, if you like, with us? We also re
sent the alloajatlon "PaaailiBritj i-n-.i- c-n
tempt." We feel Bure that every one em
ployed in this pl.ice tak?s a decided inter?
est and pride in the faet that he is en
gaged in making the I'nited S'ateg ensign.
H. P. GRF.ENF,
Pregident Betgy Rosa Flag Company.
Newburgh, N. Y., July 30, 1917.
Red Cross Autocracy
By Dr. Morton Prince
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Mri As Judge Lovett. of the Red Cross
Committee on Cooperation, has given in an
ir.terview with the press the side of the Kea
Crosa in the controversy which haa ariaen
botwooa that organization and tha seventy
four Allied WOf Relief Charitiaa, I would;
isk. as ona of the Federal Council of the lat
ter, the privilege of presenting what I be
lieve to be our aide.
The issues are simpla and clear. They have
been befogged by extraneous details and j
catch-phrases like "efficiency," "duplication j
rf erTort," etc. In the last ar?' ir the is-;
sues are moral, of right and ' ng, *nd no j
amount of appeals to efflcier can do away j
with what is right and what 'S wrong. The |
autocratic power of Germany made for efn-,
ciency. but the world has not been will.ng i
on this ground to deny the rights of thtl
smaller nations. "Big business" undertook ,
some years ago to override the rights of lit
tlt business on grounds of efficiency, but:
public opinion rose and put an end to its ,
methods, and now "big business" men, for-1
getting the lesson, have ytepped into the
l?ld of charity and havo applied the same,
discrcdited methods. But even the claim |
for efficiency can bo successfully challenged. |
The American Relief Clearing House of
Paris and the War Relief Clearing House of
New York have, sinee their formation early
in the war, been the agencies by which sup
plies have been aent to France and else- j
where by the various relief organizations In
this country. They have actcd in this re
spect as exprois companies. For instance,
ambulances sent by the American Field An
bulance were delivered to that organization
in France, and ambulances sent by a Serbian
oro-anizatinn to Salonica, supplies sent by
the American Fund for the French Wound
cd were delivered to such hospitals or other
depota as directed.
Now, although the two "express compa?
nies," the New York house and the Paris
house, were technieally Independent organi
fations. independent of each other and of the
various relief organizations, yet they formed,
with the different war charities, one func
tioning codperative whole.
Public Scrvlce Corporations
The two clearing houses beeame in prln
ciple public service corporations, and owed
obligation and service to the public, which
was the war charities and the hundreds of
thousands of persons who were engaged in
or contributed funds to tho work.
By this system the war charities saved
duplication of effort and expense. Free trans
portation was provided by the New York
clearing house for all (including the Red
Pross) by arrangement with the French gov?
ernment.
Now comes along the Red Cross, and by
arrangements made in Paris takes over the
Pafil receiving und distributing house, or,
to put it in a different way and in the lan
puag" of "bit; business." the Paris house
"sells out" to the Red Cross without agrec
ment of or even consultntion with its allies
in the I'nited States.
If this were all it might not have been
of much practical moment. But (and this is
the nub of the whole question) the Red Cross
then orders that after Siptember 1 no sup?
plies shall be received by the Paris house
fxcept on the condition that the Red Cross
shall be the sole Judge of how and where
they shall be distributed, and shall, in fact,
distribute them wherever it sees fit, regard
less of the wi-hes of the relief workers in
the I'nited States, who gave their time and
energy to make them, or of the organizations
which solicit funds from the public to pur
chase them, and rogBfdlttS of the wishes of
tha public, which subscribes tho money.
Hitherto all have given with the understand
ing that what they gave Rhall go to help the
particulur charity in which each is interested.
This order of the Red Cross had not b<-cn
disclosed for nearly a month. MeanwMle,
tho Red Cross mnde overtures to the several
war relief organizations to become affiliated
as subsidlaries to itself.
It must not be forgotten that many of
those rtliof organizations have been doing
herculean work during the last three years,
have become highly experienced in war re?
lief and have earned the gratitude of all
tha Allied nations; while the Red Cross, in
nearly all the fielda of its endeavor, has
failtd to asoasara up to the obligations which
it now seeks to assume.
"Power of the Trust"
Now, whilo negotiations were in progress
It transpired that the Red Cro?s had already
al orbod the Paris terminal, that is, the re?
ceiving and distributing house, without con
sulting with. notiflcation to, much less assent
of, the American organizations mentioncd
above. The power of the trust was now held
over us. for we were made to understand that
BBltta we yielded to the terms of the Red
Cross we should have no meana of distrib?
uting our supplies in France, or, for that
rr.atter, to any country, like Serbia, for which
supplies would have to go through France.
More than this, we were made to understand
that we should have no meana of transport
ing supplies across the ocean to France, for
it was evident that the New York clearing
hou=e which has free transportation by Mie
French lines could not forward supplies, not
havmg :iny agent to receive and distrlbut.
them. and would also therefore have to go
over to and be abs=orbed by the Red Cross. In
fact, this the New York house is on the point
of doing.
The Red Cro?s has thus by its coup dlttt
got all the relief organizations in a position
How to Handle a Newspaper
To the Editor of The Tribunc.
Sir: Referring to Mr. George Peerbower's
letter published on pnfcp eight of your issue
of even date, permit m<- to suggest that there
should not be any difftculty in manipulating
the present full sheet newspapers in crowded
o.uarters if one is willing to exert a amall
degree of common sonse. Only those indi
vidunls w!.o are awkwird in everythlng they
do tind the handling of a newspaper in a
rrowded street car a trial to themselves and
those about them.
Some years ago I sat across the aisle from
one of our groat financiers, whose intelligence
and efficiency are marked in his every word
and action, and watrhed him reading and
turring the pages of his paper with ease and
comfort, in spite of the throng that pressed
him on three sides.
He merely folded the paper lengthwise in
two and laid back one half sheet at a time.
Starting at the first column, he read right
through in a thorough, gystematic way, at no
time allowing his hands to be more than ten
laehoa apart. And I am willing to gamble
that no insigr.ifieant news item, classified ad
aaatat or rartnon escaped his notice.
Indeed. It is interesting to note how eare
ful, thorough and effleient a "big man" it in
such little matters likt handling a newspaper
in a crowded car to the best advantages of
himself and those .iround him.
COU1TLAMD SHAW, JR.
New York, July 30, 1917.
where, unless the Red Cross rescinda ita rb>
tocratic order, they have cot to yield or go
out of business. The situation is exactly
analogous to what would ba the case if the
Pennsylvania Railroad ahould buy up the
Giand Central Terminal and then aay to the
N'tw York Central and the other railroada
using that terminal, "Conaign all your paa
sengers and freight to us and amliata with
us. for if you don't we shall not receive at
the terminal any of y r business."
The method of the Red Cross is the method
that used to be e-mployed by the great trusts
and "big business." And now the "big buai
ness" men who have been invited into the
Red Crosa have brought into the chanties
this old methed discredited in business
We hold that it waa a breach of faith on
the part of the Paris clearing house in
"selling out." It will be a breach of faith
on the part of the New York clearing house
if it Mtll out. We shall not be Red Crossorf,
but double-crossed. We hold that the Red
Cross has used this most arbitrary. auto
cratic method in attempting to accomplish its
purpose. Ar.d we hold that the Red Cross
has not the right to dictate whom we shall
help. nor has it had the expe<-ience or knowl
idffO <n justify its arrogating to itself this
function.
Red CroBB iSfficlency"
Ita action is defended on the ground of ln
creased "efliciency." and the issue has hoen
tefogged by bringing in the question of con
gegtion and limitation of transportation facil
ities. This latter is a matter that can be
solved independently. The former may or
may not be tho case. Many of thosa most ex
perienred in war relief think not, for even if
efliciency of distribution abroad be increased.
efliciency production at this end will be dl
minished by the discouragement of those who
create the supplies and wi-h to designate the
chanties to which they contribute.
But efficiency cannot be the decid'ng prin
ciplo in this case. It is a question of right
and wrong. The great trusts, like the Stand
ard Oil, justitied their methods on grounds
of "efficiency," but public opinion wojld not
accept this excuse.
It is not the business of the Red Cross to
regulate tho efliciency of the many war re?
lief associat'ons. That is the business of
the public. The Red Cross should look after
its own efliciency, but in doing so should see
i to it that it do?a not employ intolerable
| methoda. We are not nntagonisCe to the
I Red Cross, but shall be glad to work with it
I and under it. All we aak for is that we shall
! be allowed to designate the distribution of
the supplies we send over, ,?ay where and to
j whom they shall go. Those who labor and
I give have the right to say for whom they
labor and to whom they ahall give. We hold
! only in trust for the givers and cannot divest
I ourselves of that trust. Under the demand
! of the Red Cross, if we, after an exhaustive
j investigation, such as we have made, aend
I relief supplies to the Serbian prison campa
in Austria, the Red Croaa may divert those
supplies to Salonica, or even to Belgian pris?
oners. if it sees flt; or it may divert to French
! relief ambulances bought by Serbian sympa
jthizera and ghipped to Salonica. This exum
? ple of what can onlv be called larccny has
, already been perpetrated, although I am not
at present prepared to adjudge the exact re
? sponsibility between the Patis clearing house
and the Ti< >'. r'ross.
Disintegrating Consequences
I must believe that the "big business"men,
the financiers, the manut'acturers and others,
I who have been called in at the last moment
, to rehabilitate the Red Cross. do not realize.
owiag ti the lack of experier.ee in the field of
charity work, what will be the diaintegrating
I consequences of their actions. In making
? terms with the large and powerful organiza
; tiona aeparately, as the Red Cross is bent
! upon doing, and leaving the weaker ones to
, shit't for themselves or bend to the will of
I the Red ( ross, it nn.y succeed in obtaining a
temporary settlement, but the question at
i issue will never be permanently settled until
it is settled right.
In <:onclusion I may be permitted a word of
explanation to show that the orjranization
j which I specially represent the Serbian Dis
| tress Fund?ia in no way antagonistic to the
i Red Crogs, as might be inferred, but, on the
I contrary, for the last two years or more has
I eought in every way to help and codperate
with it. 'ihe Red Cross has repeatedly in
, emergencies appealcd to ua for help. On
' every occaslon we have immediately and glad
ly responded with oifers of money and sup
' plies. !n one emergency we appropriated
$6,000 for special sanitation work, etc, in an
? o.her $10,000 to be us,ed in its discretion, In
i.nother $10,000 toward pure!i?sing a $60,000
j cirgo of food, in another $25,000 for wheat to
? relieve distress in Belgrade; on two other
j occasions we obtained cargo space and sent to
ita agenta at Salonica shipmenta of food to
I the value (including freight) of $18,973. when
j the Red Cross itself was powerless to get
J tranaportation, and only recently we voted, in
; response to its request, $10,000 to purchase
| food, or $80,000 in all. We agreed to act
I through its agenta in Serbia, to save dupbea
' tion of machinery, and as further evidence of
j our cooperative spirit we gdvo to the New
i York and Paris clearing houses $28,500 to
' purchase ambulances and other supplies at
i their diacretion. We hr.ve never failed, so
j far as our resources permitted, when appcaled
: to. On the other hand, candor compels me to
i say that in return we have not been met w;th
? that spirit of cooperatior. or receved that
assistance the Red Croaa was in a position to
! give and which we, in the interest of uufTering
peoples, had a right fo expect; nor have we
J found that efliciency which has been so loudly
extolled, but the contrary. In saying thia I
I am not referring to the old Red Cross, but to
the new Red Cross BBcltf its present officialj.
MORTON PRINCE,
Chairman Serbian Distress Fund.
Boston. Maas., July 30, 1917.
Doesn't Like "Sammies"
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Why do you refer to our soldiers as
"Sammies"? They do not like it, and call
themselves "Teddies." As one of them said
I to me: "Why not call us 'Ikeys' nnd l?
' done with it?"
But there is a better reaaon for not ao
| miscalling our boys. In rural England a
"Sammie" is a fool, one easily imposed upon;
! it ia synonymous with our word "sucker."
Think how the "Tommies" will "josh" thoaal
Supposing things were reversed and an Eng
llloh army was being sent to America. nndth>
, Londoners, being ignorant of American slang,
should elect to call the soldiers "suckers"'
V.'ouldn't we roar at a dispatch saying that
"Twenty-five thousand suckers landed aome
where in America"! Can that "Sammie"
;?tuff! H. c. GREENINO.
Eaat Orange, N. J., July 28, 1917.
A Deplorable Headline
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: As an American citiien who loves his
j country, I wish to protest agninst "The New
i York American's" large headline in thia
;morning's issue, "France In Secret Intrlg"o "
! A merc unproved assertion of the German
| Chancellor is given tho asport of a great and
| true discovery. Some persons. esperially
; those of little education, may be easily misied
I into a dangerous mood of prejudice. Two
j words, "Chancellor Claima." preftxad. would
have made it tolerable. What kind of an
| American is reaponaible for that aort of jour
nallam? H. L. L'NDERWOOD.
New York, July 30. 1917.
Mosquitoes at Yaphank
They Should Have Been Suppreased
by Forehanded Sanitation
To the Kditor of The Tribune.
Sir: ?he following in relat.on to an'
gineering and insects is pcrtinent and pre
sumably of generul interest to your readcrtt
The abundance of mosquitoes at tho Yap?
hank Camp repoited in your issue of tha
29th inst. is a contingeney which could have
been foreaeen, though hardly prevented cn f
short notice. The devclopments of the laat
fifteen yo-ra have been noteworthy because
of the demonstrated possibility of controllinf
mosquitoes even in reskiential areas nearly
and closely surrounded by large mosquito
breeding salt marshes. In other erordo, tha
apparently impossible has been demonstrated
as the entirely practicable.
It is very probable that much of th* Yap?
hank trouble is due to salt marah mosquitoes,
because they are known to drift with breezee
some forty miies from any possihle breeding
place. This habit makes tho problem of
more that local imrortance. It concerna
at lcast sevcral towrs in the connty, and ln
ita broadcr apr'ication all of Long ItUsjii
The high laad values of that seotion nbun
(latitly justify a comprehensive rolution of
the problem and the prae-.ical elinnnation
of the mosquito pest alonj; the entire coast
line of the atatO. This might woll ba done
ny eofforatloo on the part of both oaaaty
and state. and under present c BdltlOBS pos
pibly with assistanco from the national BJOOa
ernment. The work in New Jersey during
the last docade has strikin^ly tOSSOBStratta]
the feasibility of any such undertakinir. and
it would be compara'ivoly OBty to . xtend
the work bcgun by Now York City arlthhj
ita borders to include all of Long Island.
The Leason of Panama
The delay and loss in tSBOitBCJ i>r>nrted
in connection with the sotaMlobBSOBt i i
camp. are likely to occur I I
such contingcncies ate anticp.v d [I I
ibe remembered that the osatfol
! sanitary or entorr.ological eagiaetriBf ?aa
! a prerequisite to the stt -? | ' tha
: Panama Canal. There is . o sjaostttO that
: this phe.se of applied BCttBOa is all SSt (tOa
quently OVOrlooktd, and II kvtW
opments regarded as "arts ol Cod" and,
therefore, entirely tzeottblo, arbtfOSS they
I are preventahle through tht 'i sf
well Bttabllshod knowledgo.
Neirlect of the insect pnhlem in tl e es
' tablishment of large camps, iadattftal plitnta
i ar.d the like means not only rtdattd efaV imry
i due to annoyance and loss of rest, bi:. may
frequently invohe widespread aiehatSf :?
! not death. It la only t.ooossary to rrrull
! that "during the CtVil War Ofl the Ui loa llde
'93,369 soldiers were killed and UMII dtsl
1 from disetse. . . . A remarkable example of
mortality from dlooaoa nnd Itw ioatl ra'e
from wound* ia shown in figures from tha
French expedition to ilaJtOJOOftf '
29 being killed and 7,000 dyi.ig fmm i
' In the Ipoaith'Asaorieao War only <M Ameri.
rars were killed und s\lT7 die.l from i
mostly typhoid ftvtf c.n.-ied by house flies."
The issu'es are too large, the stake too v.tal
I to take chances, and we IBtfOfOft ".us*
! strongly urge the importance of thia
j of engineering upon all rosponsible for tha
i execution of large tTOJttta especially thosa
? involving the I ;it of temporiry
camps or industrial settlements.
The entomologist. with hig intimate BJSWWta
edge of insect life, its potentialities and
limitations, can render a gieat aervice to hia
country in ndvisirig nnd, if necessary. SBBOfa
'? vising the control and elimination of ir.'eet
pesta affecting both man and animul;. With
tht above in mind, tht WfftOf went on rOCOrd
I some months ago in favor of an SBtOBI I
| with an adequate militnry staadiag
| attached to every large camp and 1.
eentre. The military organization. ? I
autocratic control. is admlrobly tda] j
I the enforcement of compulsory sanitati- n.
It is BBivtrsall* admittcd that we nr? en
fagtd in S gigantic Stragfflt in which asseta
of many kinds play Bfl important part. Two
of these, llfa and htolth, are BOftOt
fected and not laffOqatatly destroyed through
tho activities of insect pests. wrpeh causo
great annoyance and enormous lossea in spite
of the best that can be done, and yet it la
our obvious duty to eliminate, so far aa
praeticabK any such drain upon our re?
sources. The flyless camp merns an i I I
? brigitde, and in tl [it for tht BSBla
ttaaa :e of our BBttoaal lift we eaaaot sffoti
to ignore insects, with their baneful poten?
' tialitics. P- P- WLT,
State BBtooaolofwh
Albany, N. Y., July W, 1917.
"Patriotism by the Yard"
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: This morning's editorial, ?'Patriotlsrtt
by the Yard,*' is most interesting. In timeS
tl war many thfagl are nccessarily home?
1 made which arwayt before had been boughl
I from dealers or manufact.irers, and where tht
' material is BOBfOS or high priceil. home in?
genuity BBS crcumvented that fact.
It ?t"iri!i to be my pnrticular war time *er
' vice to teach women of the country, without
charge, to make thtif own flags for the home,
i and I have printed directious for certa ? *
; of the twelve BOthOftOtd m their OlOfOftitOl
by exeeut.vo order of PrenJent W.lson on
May tt, Itlf, nnd also fof the exct ptional
size, 4 feet 4 inches by I feet 6 htobti fl
carried by troops. The latter is tSOBll] I
of silk, the others of bunting. either aiffh* ?
inrhes or a VBld wid.-; but I teach N >? <t. a
flag ?"? by '.<'.? foot, aaadt of sabttitata
torials, Torkty red and nnb!ea<
j beautiful, eorroet and sutliciently durabie, at
i a cost of leaa tirin 12.
The war ia dtiag ;i< pood in mr.r.y wivs,
i and even the aoididBOOS mentioned in tha
aditorial arill lose its -t:ng and re.ict upon
itself when o'tr women make tl sir o?
j It is not hteaasa of tha sl
Iprimarily, that I bl DM ' i SSOth BBg
| at home | aiatt I um iBOtbttd to three flag*
I making tirms for much courtesy\ but because
'even in normnl times it is les? expensive than
; to buy th" aabloaa rttdy SStds. ?.nd because
| the inspiration Bl
' rived ffoaa ( - Old Glory with one's
own hands ar>- no* SOOaHtd by any otl-.r ttr
vice open to atOSSBB. It brings an hvh'.
j too, whiel leads ? Porssa ai itlp'al*
ne.> to the country ar- | \
If it would bjossb tt r?t that log aaakiag st
home ia an BJdBBp I'.r.r l.ranch of r
service, BjIoOOS ftSBOSSbOf that (1a(ts. onca
made, are sure tt ht dltplaytd, ?nd that arhtO
they fly from BSBBy hoSBtt they must httract
the attentiou and tetOfyy the thotight of tha
siackers and tht dilatory. Alimg m the
thought, Old GlOfy oatOtl the heart. Thla
fttaltt in talittSBtatS ?nd other form* ?
operation whieh. earfttd saCkisatly fsr, a ill
txttnalaatt Prastttaltai
The instructions are free. My work dur?
ing 'our yaara of public aorviea teaeaiasj
veneration for the flnir has been without atSS"
pensation. lnquirers inclose pajotOSJOi atiJ,ne
printing has been given me without eharga
by three newspaper*.
MRS. C ?. NFI.CAMP,
Ohio State Chairman D, A. K Committee to
Prevent Desecration of the Flag.
Brooklyn, July 30, 1917.