New-York tribune. [volume], February 21, 1918, Page 8, Image 8

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First to Last?the Truth: New??Editorials?
Advertisements
Meniler ?r ?ho Audit liurpnu <t Circulations
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1918
OmuiM ar.tl published dully by Tbo Tribu v
N"?w Yort Corporation. Og.len RoUl, I'realdeuti if *??
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The "Requiem" of Private Rail
road Ownership
The Honorable Hiram Johnson. Senator
from California, comes from a state
which, for long years, suffered grievously
from "railroad domination.'' Those -were
the days of high buccaneering in the rail?
road " jrld, and especially in the con?
struction of the Pacific transcontinental.
This latter work was no child's play;
it brought forth a brood of resolute and
dominating men, who were not slow to
seize all the fruits of their pioneering. '.
When they had amassed great fortunes it
was a natural part that they should uti?
lize their power and wealth to elect them
selves Governors and Senators and to re?
gard politics as their especial private
game. This inevitably resulted in a great
following of itching palms and a general
reign of corruption.
The people of California are slow to
forget these evil days, and their hatred of
"railroad rule'' survives much of the
abuses from which they suffered. Because
of these memories they gave their then
Governor u majority of 1275,000 for the
Senator ship, where Mr, Hughes could gain
no majority at all.
It is very natural that Senator Johnson
should project the sentiment of his own
constituents into an image of the whole
country. "We, believe in this he is very
seriously mistaken, ?\fter its experience
with1 the fuel administration, we do not
believe the country at large is hungering
?lecply for a vast extension of govern?
mental powers or a huge addition to the
number of Federal employes.
There are now nearly 1.700.0100 railway
^employes. Js Senator Johnson ready to
add this great force to our political life,
compactly interested in bargaining politi?
cally for shorter hours of work and more
pay'.' Or would he disfranchise the rail?
way vote? And, if so, would lie disfran
hisu every government employe or official?
This is a vital question. But there are
larger issues. In his grand way Senator
Johnson denounces the return on their
capital which the railways will receive
Anile under government control as ex?
orbitant. Fifty per cent, of railway shares,
he declares, are simply watered stock.
That is four or five billions! Does the
Senator from California really believe
this? We ?lo not Know of any sane rail?
way economist v.ho does.
If we arc to have government owner?
ship this stock must cither be paid for or
confiscated. Does Senator Johnson advo?
cate confiscation'.'
This is a large order.
In the same vein the California Sena?
tor gives new voice to the cry that the
railroads of the country in the last few
months "have broken down.'' This is an
easy and sweeping accusation. If the Sen?
ator really believes this is true, we invite
his attention to a brief r?sum? which we
reprint in an adjacent column from the
current issue of "Collier's Weekly."
KV On 75 per cent of the trackage of the
pF country there has been no "break-down,"
no congestion. The entire freight tie-up
came on a relatively small amount of
trackage, ever which was pouring all the
huge volume of freight destined for for?
eign shipments or for the war industries
plants. And even here there was no tie-up
until priority orders from the government
had disrupted the whole traffic movement.
Up to this time?that is, for the first
six months after our declaration of war?
the railroads were carrying a volume of
merchandise estimated at more than one
third greater than in any year prior to
?01?. This was a tremendous increase.
Its like has probably never been known
in the last fortyjj/ears of railway develop
mc tit in this country.
It is a libel upon a great achievement to
call this a "break-down."
? Uut of the present urgencies of the na?
tion may come a larger order and a better
system for the conduct of our transporta?
tion machine. But it is well to remembei
that that system as it stands is still the
finest in the world. The freight move?
ment in America, cither for volume or
cheapness, has no parallel in any other
nation. In the minds of many it is even
too great and too cheap, and because of'
t ii is tempts the nation to an actual Waste
of largo dimensions.
This system is an achievement ?f pri- ?
to enterprise. With all the defects in?
herent in ;i competitive regime, wo doubt
. if the people of the country are yet ready
to bring this huge machine under tho
domination of politicians, bending the
knee to a vast brotherhood of railway em?
ployes.
Clearance by Suspicion
Lei us look back live days and rend the
letter to the Attorney General with which
the President startled the country hist
Friday, calling for an investigation into
affairs at Hog Island, with a view to "in
I ?stituting criminal process" it: ease the
facts justify it. We reprint the letter be?
llow, with italics of our own:
The White House. Washington, D. C,
February 13, 1913.
My Diai- Mr, Attorney General:
Mr. Hurley, of the Shipping Hoard.
has called my attention to some very
serious facts which have recently been
developed with regard to contracta
tunde in connection with i lie shipbuild?
ing programme with the company oper?
ating at Hog Island. They are so seri?
ous, indeed, that 1 do not think we can
lei them be taken care of merely by
public disclosure and discussion. T
would be very much obliged it" you
would have some trustworthy person in
tour department get into consultation
with Mr. Hurley about the whole mat
?? te1-, with o view to instituting criminal
process in case lite facts justify it.
Cordially and sincerely yours,
WOODROW WILSON,
Hon. T. W. Gregory,
The Attorney General.-*
Consider the astonishing language of
this note, and then reflect:
Mr. Hurley stated yesterday to The
Tribuno that he luid no anticipation that.
anything crooked would be developed by
tho investigation of the Department of
?lust ice.
When had he no such anticipation? Be?
fore he urged the President to take this
step or now? Apparently before, for
when asked as to why he suggested that
the President order the inquiry he replied
that he considered it a necessary step in
order to keep his records clear.
This is the rest: The "company oper?
ating at Hog Island'' is the American In?
ternational Corporation, through its sub?
sidiary. On its board are men of high
standing in the financial world. "Lue pub?
lic, through the newspapers, is advised by
Mr. Hurley and the President thai "facts
so serious" have come to light as to de?
mand investigation with a view to a
"criminal process."
A "criminal" process:
Mr. Hurley knew, ami the President
must have known, that the officers of tiie
Shipping Board, Mr. Hurley's board, had
approved every contract, every purchase,
made at Hoy Island, either by the Ameri?
can International or any of the sub-con?
tractors.
And Admiral Boules had already been
sent to Hog Island to review the whole
work, and now reports that he has found
no graft.
i Mr. Hurley sitting tight in the boat?
Food for Confidence
11 ?:? declaration of war was precipitated
by Germany's announcement of a ruthless
campaign with its submarines. Even at
that time the submarin? had inflicted
rather severe damage on transatlantic
shipping. The sinking of the Lusitania
goes back to May, 1915. It was well
known last April that there was an acute
shortage of ships, that our most vital an?'
imminent need was tonnage.
It was with feelings that grew from
misgivings to dismay that; the country
watched mynth niter month the quarrels
and changes which characterized the
working out" o I' our shipbuilding pro?
gramme. It was -a miserable fiasco that
; t the bead of the Shipping Board should
have been placed a San Francisco lawyer
with as little experience wilh shipbuilding
as, let us say. Dr. Garfield's experience
\\ ?th the coal industry. Then came the
un fortunate controversy with General
Goethals and the peremptory dismissal of
both; next the appointment of Admiral
Lapps, his failure- and resignation; then
the advent of Mr. Hurley and Mr. Pic.
Meanwhile the country had enlisted half
a million men: it had drafted a million
more. And it read with dismay when the
December revelations came that there was
very little prospect of getting anything
like this number of men to France this
year. In a word, we could not send men,
we could not send food, we could not send
munitions and aeroplanes and trucks?all
fur the lack of ships, ships, ships.
No one could read day after day, wit!)
agreeable feelings, how the plans and pur
noses of this gi'eat nation were being
balked and brought to naught largely
through this single, lack. Even the most
hopeful could hardly watch with com?
posure all the endless delays. Wc are
thankful that, if we look far enough ahead,
there is a brighter side to Lie picture.
OuTveffective entry into the war will be
slow. It will probably be delayed many
months from what it might, have been if
our whole programme could have been
planned with that engineering ability
which as a nation of engineers we might
reasonably have expected. But it seems
certain now that by the fall at least wc
shall be launching ships ?at a rate which
will astonish the world.
We spoke yesterday of the enormotw
dimensions of the shipyards at Hog Isl?
and. We did not speak of their capacity.
The present estimate of the engineers is
that on each of the fifty ways a-new steel
ship can be completed, launched and a new
one begun in a. hundred days. Allowing
for delays, this is at least three ships for
each way per year, or 150 ships for the
whole yard. If the projected force of
35,000 men could be employed at full time,
twenty-four hours in the day, this mini?
mum might be considerably exceeded.
Here. then, is a definite prospect that in
a few weeks we shall have completed a
single yard able to supply somewhere in
the neighborhood of a million tons a year.
It should be working at full pressure by
the early fall. ?Six months ago it was a
deserted mud flat.
Consider what this means: almost half
i tho tonnage now being sunk by German
! submarines replaced by n single yard!
I And if we take the number of ships at
present contracted for as a guide, the
| capacity of tho shipyards of tho whole
: country when they get under way will In
; perhaps six or seven times that of Hog
Island. It is not at all impossible that if
tho labor problem can be solved wo might
bo able to turn out. next, year seven or
j eight million tons of new shipping?pos
i sibly more.
That would be equal to one-half of Eng?
land's ofTective oceanic shipping at the
' outbreak of the war.
We shall need it all. for already it ap
piVirs that production in many lines of
war munitions is exceeding all prospective
cargo space. We are now making or shall
very soon bo making far more a?roplanes
1 than space can be found for to semi
! abroad. Locomotives, railway cars, track
! age, trucks and no end are already wait?
ing at the ?locks for their turn. We shall
. be slow. We have not organized for the
? war with characteristic American speed.
A political machine cannot be quickly con
' verted into a vast commercial enterprise.
j But it is being converted, and there now
i seems reasonable promise that by next
'?? year we shall be able to give our allies
; the support which we have promised and
! from which they have hoped so much.
Open Strategy
There is optical camouflage, and then
there is mental camouflage. For several
weeks the war correspondents have been
talking of an imminent German offensive
on the Western front. .Almost, any news?
paper reader could mark an X on the very
spot where the blow will fall. Nov.' Sec?
retary Baker goes further. In his weekly
review he forecasts the technique of the
impending offensive. Large number.-; of
men lately withdrawn from the fn'st line
trenches, he says, are being intensively
trained as "shock battalions," with which
the German commanders hope at last to
break the line. If we positively knew all
of these things to be true would it be good
strategy to expose our information to the
Germans? Would it not be better to let
them think they were going to surprise
us? These are obvious questions, but they
rise from absolute assumptions. Modern
war is not all physical. It has its rare
and baffling subtleties. Here is where
mental camouflage begins. The Secretary
cf WY.r is playing a game with the enemy
The point of it is to pretend that we are
deceived. ? Open strategy is almost as
fascinating as open diplomacy.
For Lenroot
If the Legislature of Wisconsin do? no!
give to Governor Philipp t)\c power to ap?
point a Senator to till the vacancy caused
by the death, of Senator llusting it will be
because Senator La Follette does not want
to have an American as his colleague in
Washington and is able, not overtly, to
have his way. Governor Philipp has done
well in promising to name Representative
Irvine L. Lenroot to till the vacancy if the
Legislature authorizes him to do so.
Mr. Lenroot has many qualifications for!
the Senatorship. He comes nearer to being
a statesman than any one else in Wisconsin.
He comes as near to being a statesman as
almost any one in the Senate to-day. He is
an American without compromise. He is
a Progressive?sad to relate, almost the
only Progressive in Wisconsin who is not ?
tainted with the La Follette heresy, with I
pacifism or pro-Germanism.
If appointed he could be elected when
action on the vacancy comCs before the
people at the polls, and thus the country!
would be assured of one- loyal member of
the Senate from Wisconsin during the re-|
mainder of the war. He could be elected ?
because he is a Progressive. In addition.!
La Fpllettc cannot openly oppose him. He j
was once La Follette's right-hand man and
' is invulnerable in Wisconsin on tho rail?
roads and big business and all the other
strictly La Follette issues. And the issue
of having supported the ?Administration in
' the war even the senior Senator from Wis?
consin will not dare to raise against him.
Thus, his choice is at once patriotism ami
good politics.
That is its immediate aspect. A longer
: view of it is that it would lend character
and strength to the Progressive element in
: the Senate, and Progressivism in the Sen
? ate needs an infusion of character and
strength and leadership?above a.[l leader-1
ship.
What Is a Luxury?
It-is very easy to jeer at the lady who'
, wanted a private ear ?a which to go 1o
Spartanburg?a private car, when our
allies are distressed for hick of food rail
bound in the West and we ourselves are
freezing for lack of coal rail-bound in
Pennsylvania. But who is anybody these
days to jeer at a luxury! What is a
luxury, anyway, but the thing a little more
luxurious and expensive than you yourself
can afford?
It is a beautiful, endless chain/this pur?
suit of luxuries. What you yourself use
is always a necessity, and not a luxury.
You can prove the point by any amount
?of excellent arguments. If a "movie'' is
your limit, then it is a "movie." You can't
be expected to give up "movies," war or no
war. If your limit is a parlor car seat
on a train, then a parlor car seat is a
necessity, not a luxury. \? ii is a limou?
sine, how can anybody expect you to give
up a limousine just to win a war? If you
have always travelled in private cars,,
?nothing seems more unreasonable than
that a mere war should cut off this simple,
inexpensive way of proceeding from spot
to spot.
Let's stop talking of luxuries and begin
to cut out necessities. Then we'll begin
to hit ourselves instead of safely jeering
at the other fellow.
An operation for appendicitis is now?
adays not a very serious matter, but Sen?
ator Chamberlain is at this particular
time a very valuable person, and we shall
be greatly relieved when lie is on his feet
again, with his face to the north wind. '
Economy
A FEW days ago Secretary McAdoo
sent, out a financial telegram. In
this telegram it was specifically
slated that it was sent to every bank and
trust, company in tho United Slates.
Wo arc advised by the American Bank
' ers* Association that there aro something
1 like 29,750 banks and trust companies do
I ing business in this country. This meant,
then. L'11,700 messages. The telegram con?
tained 459 words. The; total number of
words transmitted, then, was in the neigh?
borhood of 13,655,250.
But the message calls for a reply.
If all the banks answered it, using ten
? words each, this would mean an additional
: 297,500 words.
As a matter of curiosity we append the
1 telegram :
"Between now nnd tho time for making
the next Liberty Loan I shall olTcr for sub
scrlption Treasury certificates of indebt?
edness in amounts of live hundred niillioi
dollars or more every two weeks. ? ilosir?
to postpone the next Liberty Loan issu?
until .conditions will insure a wide distri
bution of the bonds throughout the conn
try,
"In order successfully to carry througl
this programme and to provide for tho ok
ponditures for the military operations o
the United Stales; and the Allies I mus
have the whole-hearted cooperation of tin
bankers of the United States, and to tha
end I request the board of directors o
trustees of each bank and trust company t<
reserve each week of its loanable fund
for the use of the government of th
United States about, I tier cent of the gros
resources of their institution, not to ex
ceed in the aggregate 10 per cent, and t<
invest that .".mount, in Treasury certificate
of indebtedness. The exact amount., inter
est rate, dato and maturity (not excecdini
ninety days) of each issue of Certificate
will be announced from time to time b;
me through the federal Reserve banks.
"There is a steady growth in the move
nient for economy. Banks sin ul'd bo abl
by participating in the campaign for econ
omy, which means economy of credit a
well as of expenditure, to teach their cus
toniers to save and accumulate tho mean
to buy the government's certificates an
bonds: by this method a. distribution o
Treasury certificates of indebtedness shoul
become possible which will relieve the sub
scribing banks o? nt least a part of the i
purchases and furnish the means of mal?
ing payments for the next issue of Libert
bonds without undue strain.
"The needs of the government for th
war are great and imperative. The re
onrcea of the country are snnili; to mec
these needs if every bank will do its shan
I know that once it is realized that, b
complete cooperation all around and b
every one doing his part this vital an
patriotic service can be performed ever
bank vil! do its share. We ?.?re approacl
ing a critical test ou 'lie battle fronts i
lMirope. America's sons are now actuall
shedding their blood in the trenches. 1
the banks, which are the first line of ih
fences, fail t?> support the governmei
fully in it - necessary operations, we sha
imperil America's army and America
safety. I know that I have only to stat
the ca ;c to command tho support of evei
patriotic bank and banker. This is
supreme duty of patriotism. May T coin
upon you to do your part and to tolegrap
mo immediately at my expense that yc
will? I am sending this telegram to evei
bank and trust company in the Unite
We especially note Secretary McAdoo
statement that there is a steady grout
in the movement, for economy.
Did the Railroads "Brea
Down"?
ihe Part of Priority Orders in tl
Railway "Tie-Up"
? From. Coin, r'a Weekly)
h this hour of confusion nothing pcrha"
would more astonish the bulk of the peop
of the United States than to be told that:
The railroad tie-up and the co?l famine a
not due to any tremendous expansion of i
dustry in 1917 in the United ?States, "swam
ing the railroads."
That the existing cars and locomotiv
were adequate to lake care of the traffic tb
wa i offered, and that, at first, only at t
very ends, the terminals, was there a?
"raili oad cot gesf ion."
Thai the supply of coal, in tonnage
least, was adequate to carry this trafile a
keep industry going, practically at full til
and therefore that
Broken agreements, price fixing, {rover
mental interference and priority orders t
practically the m hole story.
A Serious Indictment
This is a serious indictment. 1 will c
deavor to make good, first of all:
In 1917 the total tonnage offered, in all t
basic lines of production, raw materials
manufacturing, was less rather than nu
than hi ih" previous year.
In 11)17. in spite of a steel famine ami cc
sequent tremendous demands upon it, t
iota! production in our great steel indust
barometric to ail industry, ami basic to
manufacturing, was slightly lost than in 19
In 1917 production in the great copper
dustry husic to our huge el?ctrica! n
automobile industrie- -was slightly less th
in 1916.
la 1917 production and consumption in t
normal field of building and constructioi
in lumber, stono and all kinds of buildi
material, and therefore basic to all expt
don of industry- was less than in 1910.
In 1917 the total tonnage derived from 1
farms of the United States was slightly grea
than in 1916, bul not sufficient to cause ;.
serious, trouble to the railroads; end, for
rest, tlii' amount of congestion on the Wc
ern railroads before the jam which came
the end of the year was negligible.
la 1!'1T we sont- abroad a billion pou:
loss cotton from the fields of the South tl
:i 1916, and therefore the amount of cot
which had to lie taken to the seaboard \
one-third less than in the previous year; a
for the rest, as every one knows, the not
crop last year was short, resulting in 32-c
??otton. the highest price known since
f i vil Y\'.:r.'
Export Tonnage Less
is 1917 the total export tonnagi
United States, owing largely to the opi
?.ions of the submarine and the attend
shipping difficulties, was less than in 1!
Therefore tho amount of freight which ou
t?) have been delivered at the seaboard for
port vas less, with that much less occa^
ror embargo orders.
In only one great industry was there a
tinet increase in the total of production
of tonnagd offered, and that was in the
line most needed to keep t rallie moving
s.'h.s'.ry thriving, that is to say, coal.
even this increase was less than 10 per c
Coal and coke make up. roughly, about -10
cent of the total ton-mileage of the railro,
-" that an increase of 10 per cent in i
production implied an increase of only '?
I nor cent.
Now tor the other side of the picture.
Among the Fellows Working and Fighting for Us?
There's No Question of Hours and Overtime
? ?From The Indianapolis News
Rousing Washington Oat of Long Sleep
By Ralph Block
C~>ARTHAG12 was a great capital, so they
say, but. it hud nothing on Washing?
ton. There was Tyre, too, to say
nothing of Babylon, Alexandria, Athens and
1 Rome. They all took their turn at running
i the world, and they did it with a good deal of
! swagger, with purple and gold ai-ound the
! edge.-. Washington may be a little thin yet
| on the purple and gold, but it haa lots of
' swagger.
It is true that a part of Washington, the
part that has permanently resided iu the Dis
j trict of Columbia for decades, still has to re
! aliz? adequately what has happened. It is
1 even possible that destiny has taken up his
; abode here, and some parts of Washington,
out of heavy-lidded eyes not yet cleared of
the maze of a long sleep, mistake destiny for
- the Democratic Administration. But even
I that mistake can't persist for long'against the
blinding light of Washington's new splendor.
If you come t?i Washington during the. war
and there are ninety-nine chances that you
will if you live anywhere between the Atlantic
, ami the Pacific oceans don't allow yourself
any disappointment. D'Estournelles do Con
' star.!, a Frenchman with admirable i-.-sio. aid
', a few years ago that Washington had become
1 a magnificent city. And after Paris, that's no
ini-an praise. Even if you conclude that a
? Frenchman's natural courtesy invites a grain
! of salt, you will be forced to admit just the
, same that Washington, like men who are in
the process of becoming great, does have its
moments. The present is one of them.
Old Washingtonians Bewildered
People who have developed the habit of liv?
ing in Washington ail the year around are at
present a little bewildered. One day they arc
lii?; dependent auxiliary of a government ma?
chine and the next they lieu, like Lord Byron,
'they.have become famous overnight. It. i.s
very troubling, especially if you are naturally
of a placid disposition. Washingtonians had
rather got in the habit of mind of looking
en the government as their own little loca!
affair. Their bobtailed streetcars were a
source of pleasure to them. They liked the
l ambling motion. Suddenly ?hoy found a lot
of strangers flocking in, jusl as ;!' they, too.
had mi ownership in the government; im?
portant looking strangers, who swore a: the
ambling streetcars; energetic folk who walked
fast, talked fas', bought fast and kicked ovci
till the traditions that the simple Washing?
tonians i.ad been sett i'ng upi
True, t.hey didn't entirely s,;;.;-,.. a trail "r
regrets behind them. They drove their char
toi- iu :. cloud of dust, and ;t was dust with
golden sungleams in it. Thcj raised the
standard of living so high iu Washington that
right now it takes a telescope even for n isitors
to find tile peak of it.
The lusult of all this i?-. :I multiplication of
contrasts that are as stimulating as they are
nmazing. Imagine Frankfort, Ky., suddenly
crowned with the regalities of a great inter?
national capital, and you get an idea of Wash?
ington.
A correspondent for a London daily arrived
in tin.- United States not lote: ago to establish
un American lut'-eau. 11<- went to ?New York
and discovered, little by little, that every time
he tried to find .-my one who counted he had to
run down to Washington. After a. while ho
?took a look around Washington and tried to
figure it out. Being handicapped by an Old
World imagination, he had a little trouble re?
alizing that under this troubled Southern city,
colored hero and there will-, the fever of a now
| significance, was probably the most important ?
1017 there was no break-down of railroad
transportation until governmental interfer?
ence ami priority orders had done their
malign work. I should like to set it out in
Wry bold type that in 1917 tht- railroads of
the United Slates carried the greatest traffic
i in their history.
This traffic was nearly 1" p r cent greater
than in 191?", in s pi I ?.- .if a general smaller
tonnage of basic products. I' was more than
one-third greater than the greatest tonnag?
ever known in the nation before the war. It
was fully one-half greater than in 1014. And
this increase represents the most amazing
expansion of a transportation system ever
known in this country or in any country in
the world since railroad transport becami
general.
There was no sei io?s disorj .-? I ion until
'-.?? Administration began tu put the crow?
bar in the machinery \,';?':?, priority orders.
! This is said advisedly, with u full knowl?
edge of the situation. The railroads wore
operating at practically ! On per cent
capacity under great difficulties, largely due
?to the los-- of skilled mechanics, and
especially of expert repair men, who liad
gone to munition plan;.-, steelworks and the
like. There were undoubted delays, and the
jam at the seaboard was beginning to do its
deadly work. But it v.us priority orders
which actually began the trouble. It was
not; very long before government priority
orders were plastered on four cars cut of five,
on some lines. Tin; railroads were under
orders to weed out thin fifth car! The whole
machine stopped to take out one ear in live
to put on a siding. It is almost beyond b'e
1 lief, but it was often literally true.
'hum:.'; organization in the world. He finally
moved to "Washington.
If lie had been an American it wouldn't
have taken so long. Lor the signs arc every
' whore. Washington shows no privacy about
changing its clothes to conform to its new
cosmopolitanism. Streets piled high with
snowdrifts days after the storm left its bur?
den are walked by trim Allied officers, Brit?
ons with the red banded cap ?if the General
Staff, Frenchmen in enchanting gray, who
greet their dinner hostesses of the right be?
fore in the open air with a kiss on the hand.
In France it is a usual salute. New YorI<
might frankly stare, but Washington is not
so daring. Washington is startled, but dis?
creet, looks out of sidelong, eyes ami scurries
away,
The Victorian Horse
The horre linger.-; on in Washington. It
may be a long day yet before he sounds the
retreat in sad reply to the brutal blare of
the Ford taxicab. lie not only lingers, but
in style, lie draws coup?.-', landaus, dogcarts
and ali other styles of Victorian transporta?
tion. It is no unusual sight to sea a coach
tu\v\ two stepping down the road, silver
mounted, the box ornamented with two negrc
servants in boots, silk hats and cockades and
smoking corn cob pipes. If you stand on Con?
necticut Avenue, near Jackson Place, about
a block from the rather bulky Georgian man?
sion called the White House, you can see it
almost any morning.
Washington has always had a diversifi?e
society, built on a snare but firm substratun
of old and exclusive families. It is a com?
monplace of Washington legend that the v\-.
families have taken pride in snubbing oflicia
life, bavo condescended to entertain diplo
macy, but have set a shut door against riches
But patriotism works a strange, yeas.':
ferment. Some of the "dollar a yeftr" peopb
who have become a part of the Federal ma
chine, to give power to the drive against th
enemy, are men of social place in region
mere extended than their own home districts
Their very entrance into Washington lif
lias constituted an assault on establishe
lines. Washington itself has, more or les
openly,- disdained '- c official life of the Dem<
er.it ie Administration, finding it lacking i
the distinctions begotten by wealth th;
marked Republican rule. But the Adminis
tration did not choose its war nid by politic;
lines, and wealth has come to Washingto
in abundant quantity.
Kven Clubs Vield
' ic i' lib lif,e of Washington is varied ar
plenteous. The ??Ietropolitan Club, the Co
mos Club, the University Club, Lie Arm
.?", ?I ?'?!'; Club, ami even the National Prci
Club have been forced to hand out keys '
the city so extensively that they are all ra;
idly m danger of losing their distinct?
character. The Cosmos Club is probably ti
i-.t to yield, but even there scholarly distin
tion is said to be giving way in the pressa
of circumstances to a hospitality that is wa
I ? .- o tte 11.
The war may end, but Washington w
never return to the long sleep. The stret
cars will speed tip. the telephone girls dr<
their soft drawl, and Congress, the comnn
council of the capita!, may even admoni
th ? commissioners to clean the streets. It
barely possible is a few years, after the N
Lena! Commission of line Arts has had
opportunity to show its worth, that D'E
tournelles de Constant, returning, will fi
he spoke tlie truth. A' least, the tx'ee-lin
avenues will not be so sleepy as they used
be. The old rusticity will be gone. It m
be iioped that yomething or* equal flavor a
greater distinction will have taken its pla
The Playful Hun
rp!?i:AT kindly ail the German spies
I. For they-are gentle creatures;
1' would not do to muss their hair
Or mutilate their features.
And if m e blows a factory up.
Remember bo's ;?. Hun
And isn't really bad at heart
Ami does it just for fun.
And if he sinks a ship at sea
Ami drowns our soldier folk,
!.?-: not our angry passions rise,
But treat it as a joke.
And when he murders, lits or stealt
Don't try to make him rue it;
He really docs not understand
That he ought not to do it.
It's just a simple, kindly way
lie has to show ids joy;
So gently pat him on the head
And call him "Naughty bo;,!"
"fis '.cry wrong to lock him up.
?r even damn and curse him;
We ought to give him all be wants
Ami coddle him and nurse him.
So let ua try in every way
To please the playful Hun.
And never think to punish him
For anything he's done.
Tarrytown, N*. Y. FRED J. HAL
Federal Traffic
[Staff Correspondence]
the
WrASglNGTON, Feb. 20,- Whei
Uli: tern railways got ?tai* in ?no-,-!
banks other things besides traffic
wer. delayed. The cold that held the trains
held up .var financing. As the weathttr was
responsible for only a part of the mterftrence
with traffic, it would bo better to say that b'
cause the transportation ; ter c? ted <u
i function (a much-favored word nowaday?)
Yntigfactorily government financing U ?e.
; layed.
One of the reasons, at least, why the nm
'Liberty Loan has been postponed for a time
' :'t that Mr. .'dcAdoo is waiting until the wheels
are going around properly and regularly on
the railways before he invites people to in?
vest in tome more government, credit. The
railway blockade has affected a!; businett
disastrously. V"r months ? : now railw8T
embargoes and unofficial delays ha-.r beeg
more numerous than freight cars. To ti,?
( rdi: ;? ry .citiz? a >vho anted . Bon?.
\ thing it has s< emed ; ; ' the b i - of th?
railways was to prevent ti flic ; ?tead of to
carry it, If a N'ew Yorl lumberman has a
car of Pacific ' oast lumber adoi
tracks for nin? mont ffect on him and
the Pacific Coast lumb r n.not alt?.
gether on?- of enthu asi For 3 bcrty*Lpan
I bonds o ? any other kind of bond.-'. Thon.:
i isn't a business man in America who lias t:o:
been cramped and haras -< ??' '?<? the r? tri?
of transportation.
in uch a busin? I ? :?'??? i : Seweb.
th? Treasury McAdoo saw little encourag?
; ment or anot er on of those big loans,
he arrai ged a littl? ? ??- ? ? m wit Direc?
tor General oi th< '? ; ?? '? and i
latter pron d to | ej busy Iraigl --.
ing out the rail . -. A nd he d I. [la
ing thus id?;.?;;.-;. ; the Seen tarj of tl rreas
ury, the Directo Gene ? m in
a position to off? ? .1 Ht4le ad' ?cc to tl e Sec?
retary, '?' hieb he did, in
manner:
"My rail' ..;? ; keep me in r. ret
with peop ill o? rer this er? 1 ... . '
have noticed thai investors in rai way securi?
ties arc ?om? -.- : at agitated abo it them. Fh :
are the heavy buyers of I. bertj Loi . bond .
too. The holders of rah/a; - arc
the backbone of investtn? 1 t ]
While they are concerned abou
investments they are not in that < erful
state of mind that prepares the . a; for Fur?
ther investments. If you ?fill pern it me to
mi ke a suggestion, I would - ;
to smooth the path of the ? ?? \o ? ild
to get that railway lav.- througl ' b?
'ore you start the loan.-'
"That's a profoundly good idea," a;. ? ted
the Secretary of the Treasury.
"Since you have receive It! gge m in
such a good spirit," continued the Dir
General, "1 would call ;? ???? attention to an?
other matter thai this discu of ra
finance has brought to ;;; attention. I- is
this, if I do not presume on - our good natur? ;
Your loans have >o sevei ta: ? the finan?
cial resources of the countr; lhat .. great
many industries that com :?> tu< pro
motion of the success ot ? ar, ? ..
or another, are unabl? . ? n the financial
accommodation tha is ry to the en?
largement or even to the contii -..Lioi
business. Don't you remo il - r -. lat .. v bj/i
?.go Charlie Schwab had almost to pawn hic
watch in Wall Street, and had lo come down
here to Washington and, !.. p teoi I; fora
beggarly two or three mil?i? . ; . ce 1 n the
billion-dollar work he is doing for the gov?
ernment in order to keep the ? he? moving?
Isn't it a joke that a man or an industry that
has sheaves of contracts with Uncle Sam
should have ;i precarious time
?|?ich contracts ought to be ;.- go ; a ware?
house receipts, but they don't to be.
You ought to opon up som Morris
loan hank for those hard-w? rkii boys who
have nut their trust in Uncle Sai I can't
get anybody to trust them. If you I '?1 them
loosen up you will also lo
er. er ti:.; couatry, which will 1
with the Liberty Loan. Aboul 1
get that attended to I v 11 hi e
hunting for freigi ? and t
surplus car problem. !??-.; '.?
next Liberty Loan will go
shot."
The Secretary of the T
pleased with this luminous
?upreme railway managci ?' .
latter the h igh com] lime ! of ?
say that next to himself
Director General the be^- big
cier in the count,-;.-.
And he departed and drev .. ?
the '?'. ...? 1 inance ? orporation,
And the Director *!? nota' ??
dispatched another flood of
grams to the rail ,va' -.
?
ad\ ii
all
uni? more
'. me yoa
railways
? ; is
nie, your
: like a
- as so
' -
, ? tele
Abolish "Out of Stvl(
It Should Become a Phrase of
Unpatriotism and Disloyalty
To the Editor of The I 1 bu 1? :
Sir: The < ommercial E Board ot
the Cov.!;:.: of N'ational D? . . has called
upon all shoe wholesalers in the United
State:? to r? luce tl umber of styles of
shoes for men and rom? . Lo avoid styl?
that involve the uni ic? -.-ar;- use of mat
and capita!.
Tn addition t] bo; rd m al?
-., .
' ? ?
nient: "1
costs si
amount, of capital ti d up
this stetc
that selling
; that the
de? irabli
costs should b ? kepi do
rs' i^cks
..hould be kept -.. lo ?- ;-..
This suggestion app? als ? 1 pie *n *fe
-hoe trado'as by all meai i most signify
eant part of the whole co I ':- y"0'
only in the shoe business but 1 countleal
other industries enormous of mon???
are tied up in exc llei goods which
are unsalable Eolely becau thej are 40B?
of style.''
tn the case of sho. -. th. se are goods m?^
of materials that could not ; ow i e duplicate
for considerably in? r? tl an ; a k? d for the*
There is a fine market for u< ; goods in toe
countries of our allies and of t;.-- neutral*
where quality rather than pa sing style is
the strongest selling point.
We have replied to the < omm? rcia '''
omy Board at Washingto ? ~"~
gestion th: t we feel will . ettle I 0 " ? e
problem.
It is thi*': A board to pu ..
plus stocks throughout tl
purchasing board to buy th - ;i* vea~
sonable prices, the an ? -1 vl )'.
Liberty bonds. The board in turn coa.a
sell these shoes to our alii? and to n?e
trals, who are iu dire ne ' v:-r- ' ',
1 have said, our so-culled "out of style
footwear is the deshed style in ?<? Src*j
many of these countric - "'"
release millions of dollar wil ; '-: *"
finance Liberty loans. More than 'hat, 1
would put hundreds, of deal? r in s far ?*?
ter way financially. Arid beyond all tW
the expenses of such a board could r<u?^?
be made ?n this transaction, making it "1-"
sustaining. .
We believe "out of style" should be ?M?f?
a phrase of unpatriotism and disloyalty ^
this country at thin time.
MILTON 3. MEYEft.
President Milton J. Meyer ?S: te.
New York, Feb. 16, 1018.
sor
This
rca
1 ?; ?