THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NEDRA8KA.
m
I ll MESSAGE O F
WILSON DISTORTED
German People Not Permitted to
Read Full Text of Presi
dent's Address.
EFFECT ON ,PUBLIC FEARED
Copy Issued by Committee on Puhlic
Information Shows Important
Passages That Were
Suppressed.
The- German government did not .
dare to communicate to the Ger
man people the full text of Presi
dent Wilson's war message of
ApKI 2, 1917. It feared the Influ
ence which the unabridged text
of this message- might have upon
the opinion of the people. There
fore the official message of the
president of the United States
was presented to Germany In an
abridged and distorted form.
The committee on public Infor
mation of the United States gov
ernment has prepared, a copy of
this message showing the pas
sages which were suppressed in
the report of the Wolff Telegraph
bureau when the message of the
president was published to the
whole world. These passages are
shown In bold-faced -type In the
following copy of tho message.
The Wolff Telegraph bureau la not
only under censorship control of
the German government, but has
, been consistently employed by the
government for the promulgation
of official opinions.
. Gentlemen of tho Congress:
I have onlled tho cnnfrreM Into extra
ordinary ncnslon because there are e
rlous, very serious, cholcon of policy to
he mSde, nntl made Immediately, which
U Is neither rlttht nor constitutionally
permissible that I ahould amsume the re
sponsibility of makfner.
On the 3d of February last I officially
laid before you the extraordinary an
nouncement of tho Imperial Oerman
ovcrnmont that on and after the lnt
day of February It wag Its purpose to
put aside nil restraints of law or of hu
manity and use Hh submnrlnoB to sink
every vessel that nought to approach
either tho porta of Great HrltRln and
Ireland or tho western ennats of Uurnpe
or nny of the porta controlled by tho
enemies of O many within tho Medi
terranean. That had seemed to be tho
oVJect of the ddrman submarine war
fnro earlier In the war. but since April
of last year the Imperial government
,hid somewhat restrained thd comman
ders of Ub undersea craft. In conform
ity with Its promise, tlirn Riven In urn,
that pnnarniter Itonta uliiitild not lie
mink, and that due Trnrnlnif lvoulil lie
riven to all other verl irlileli Ita
ulimarlnea might seek to ileiitror,
frhen no-rrnlMnnce nun offrrril or m
vape attempted, and enrr tnkrn flint
(heir crrrra were given nt leant n fair
chance to anve their Uvea In their open
boats. The precaution taken were
meager unit linphmnril enough, nn mm
proved In dUtrrimlng Inxtnnre after
Instance In the ptogrrna of the cruel
n! unmanly linnlne km, but n certain de
cree of restraint ivni olmerved.
The new policy has swont overy re
striction aside. Vessels of every kind,
Whatever their flag, their character
llielr cargo, their drNllnntlon, their
errand, have been ruthlroHly sent to
the bottom without warning and with
out thought of help or meruy for tlio.ia
bn board, the vessels of friendly neu
trals along with those of belligerents.
Even hospital ships nud ship vnrrlng
relief to the mirrl- lierrnved mid xtrlck
n people of llrlgliim, though the lat
ter were provided with safo conduct
through the proscribed nreas by tho
Oerman government Itself and were
fllattngiitiihrd by unnilatahnhle uinrkn
f Identity, have been sunk with tho
ame reckless lack of compassion or
tf principle.
I un for n little while unable to
Relieve that audi thlnga 'would In fart
W done by niiy goveriiiurnt that lind
hitherto Hiilmerlhed to the humane
prnctlrrn of rlvllUed nation, Inter
national laSv had It origin In the at
tempt to set up nnnie law which would
fce resprrted nnd nbaervrd upon the
en, where no nntlon had right of
dominion and where lay the free high
way of the world. By painful stage
fter stage has that law been built up
t with meager enough results. Indeed,
after all was accomplished that could
bo accomplished, hut always with a
elear view, nt least, of what the heart
Nnd rounelenee of mankind demanded.
This minimum of right the German
government haa swept aside under the
lilea of retaliation and necessity and
because It had no weapons which It
could use at .sea except these, which
It Is Impossible to employ as It Is em
ploying them, without throwing to the
wind all scruples of humanity or of
respect for the understandings that
were supposed to underlie the Inter
course of the world.
I am not now thinking of tho loss of
property Involved. Immense and serious
As that Is, but only of the wanton and
wholesale destruction of the lives of
non-combatants, men, women, and chil
dren, engaged In pursulta which have
Iwnya. even In the darkrat periods of
modern history, been deemed Innocent
and legitimate. Property can be paid
fori the Uvea of peaceful nnd Innocent
leople ennnot be. The present German
submarine warfare against commerce
Is a warfare against mankind.
It Is a war against all nations, Amer
ican ships have been sunk, Amerlrnn
Uvea taken, In ways which It haa
stirred very deeply to Team of, but
the ahlpa nad people of other neutral
nnd friendly nations have been aunk
nnd overwhelmed In the wntera In the
me way. There has been no dla
erlmlaatlou. The challenge Is to nil mauklnd.
Each nation must decide for Itself how
It 'will meet It. The choice we make
for ourselves must be mado with a
moderation of counsel and a tetnper
ateness pf Judgment botUtlng our
character and our motives as a nation
We must put oxclted feelings away.
Our motive will ifot be revenge or the
victorious assertion of tho physical
might of the nation, but only the vin
dication of right, or human right, of
which we are only a .single champion.
When I addressed the congress on
the Jth of February last I thought It
would suffice to assert our neutral rights
with arms, our right to ue the en
agalnat iiulawful Interference, our right
to keep our people afe ngalnst unlaw
ful violence. Hut armed neutrnllty. It
now appears, Is Impracticable, llrcnuae
nlimarlne are In effect nntlan, whet
tiae a the (irrttinn nnlimarlne Imti
been ued ngalnt merchnnt nhlniilnv
it Is Impossible to defend ships against
thetr attacks, n the law of nation linn
nunumed that merchantmen would de
fend themele ngnlnt privateer or
cmlacm, vNlhle ernft citing elinie up
on the open en. It Is common pru
denee In aifh rlreumstanres. grim nec
essity Indeed, to endeavor to destroy
them before they hae shown their own
Intention. They mut be dealt with up
on xlght. If dealt with at all.
The German government denies thf
right of neutrals to use arms at all
within the areas of the sea which It
haa proscribed even in the defense of
rights which no mo rn publicist ha
ever before questioned their right t
defend. The Intimation Is conveyed that
the armed guards which we have
placed on our merchant ships will be
treatefl as beyond the pale of law and
subject to be dealt with as pirate
would be Armed neutrnllty I Ineffec
tual enough nt liet In Hiieh rlreiim-
tnnees nnd In the face of nurh preten
tion It I wore than Ineffectual It I
likely only to produce what It wn
meant to jiretentf It I prnrtlcnliy cer
tain tn draw it Into war without either
the right or the effect 1 1 cnr of the bel
ligerent. There In one choice vte can
not make, we are Inrnpnble of inaklngi
We will not ehooe the path of itbnil-
Ion nnd suffer the most sacred right
of our nation and our poiple to be Ig
nored or Violated. The wrong again!
which we now nrrny oumrtte lire no
common wrong) they cut lo ttie ery
root of human life.
With n profound aenne of the aolemn
nnd even traglrnl character of the lep
I nm taking and of the grnve reapnnal
bllltlr which It Invnltr, but In un
hesitating obedience to what I deem
my constitutional duty. I ndvlse that
the congress declare the recent course
of the Imperial Oerman government to
bo In fact nothing less than war
against the government and people of
the United States; that it formally ac
cept tho status of belligerent which has
thus been thrust upon It; nnd that It
take Immediate steps not only to put
the country In a more thorough state
of defense, but also to exert all Its
power and employ all Its resources to
bring the government of the German
empire to terms and end the war.
What this will Involve Is clenr. It
will Involve tho utmost practicable co
operation In counsel and action with
the governments now nt war with Ger
many, nnd on Incident to that, tho ex
tension to those governments of the
most llboral financial credits. In order
that our resources may so far bh pos
slblo be added to theirs,
It will involve the organization and
mobilization of all tho material re
sources of the country to supply the
materials of war and serve tho Inci
dental needs of the nation In the most
abundant and yet tho most economical
and efficient way possible.
It will Involve the Immediate full
equipment of tho navy In all respects,
but particularly tn supplying It with
the best means of dealing with the ene
my's submarines.
It will Involve the Immediate addi
tion to the armed forces of the United
States, already provided for by law In
case of wor, of ot least 500.000 men,
who Hhould, In my opinion, bo chosen
upon tho principle of universal liabil
ity to service, and also the authoriza
tion of subsequent nddltlonnl Incre
ments of equal forco so soon as they
mny bo needed and can bo handled In
training.
It will Involve nio, of eourae, the
grnntlng of ndequntr crrdlfa to( the
government, auatnlned, I hope, no fnr
na they can equitably be auatnlned by
the prenent generntlon, by wrll-con-celved
tnxutlnn.
I say auatnlned ao far na mny lie
equitable by tnxntlnu, becnuae It seems
to me that It would be moat iinwlar to
bnae the credit, which will now be
nereaanry, entirely on money borrowed.
It-la our duty, I moat respectfully urge,
to protect our people, ao far n we
mny, ngalnat the very aerloua linrd
ahlpa nnd evil which would be likely
to nriae nut of the Inflation which would
be produced by vnt loan.
In currying out the mennurrs by
which thrae thing lire to lie nccom
pllatied we should keep conatnntly In
mind the wladom of Interfering ns lit
tle na poaalble In our own preparation
nud In the equipment of our own mill
tnrr forcea with the duty for It will
be n very prnctlcnl duty of aupplylng
the nntlon nlrendy at war with Ger
many with the material which they
can olitnln only from u or by our na
alatmiee. They nre In the field, nnd we
ahniild help them In every wny to be
effective there.
I shall tnke the liberty of atiggrat
Ing, through the several executive de
pnrlinrnta of the government, for the
cnnalderntlon of jour committees,
iienaurea for the neeonipllaliment of
the evernl objects I have mentioned.
I hope that It will be your pleiiNiire to
denl with them ua having been framed
nfter very cnreful thought by the
hrnnch of the government upon whom
the reHponlblllty of conducting the
war nnd safeguarding the nntlon will
miiMt directly fall.
Willie we do tbeae thlnga, throe deep
ly momentous thlnga, let u be very
clear, nnd make very Clenr to nil the
world, what our motive nnd our ob
jects nre. Sly own thought ha not
been driven from Its habitual and nor
mal cotime by the unhappy event of
the lnt two month, nnd I do not be
lieve that the thought of the nation
haa been nlterrd or ctnudcd by them. I
have exactly the aame tilings In mind
now that I hnd In mind when I nd
drraaed the senate oil the 22d of Jrtuu
nry laatt the same t tin t I had In mind
when I nddreaaed enngrraa on the 3d of
February nnd on the SUtli of Felirunry.
Our object now, as then, la to vindicate
the principle of pence nnd Juallcr In
the life of the world na ngalnat aelflali
nnd nutocratlc power, and to set up
among the really free nnd nelf-gov-erneil
peoples of the world such n con
cert of purpoae nnd of nctlon na will
henceforth Inaure the observance of
tboae principle.
Neutrality la no longer frnalble 'or
dralrable where the peace nt the world
la Involved nnd the freedom of Ita peo
ples, nnd the menace to that peace nnd
freedom Ilea In the existence of nuto
cratlc governments, backed by orgnn
lied force which la controlled wholly
by their will, not by the will ot their
people. We have seen the last of neu
trnllty In audi clrrumatnncea. We are
nt the beginning of nn nge In which It
will be Inalated that the aame atand
nrtlir of eoudurt nnd of rrapoualblllty
for wrong dour ahnll he obaerved
nniong nntlnns nnd their government
that nre nbnervrd nniong the Individual
cltrVrua of civilised atntea.
Wo have no quarrel with tho German
people. Wo have no feeling toward
them hut one of sympathy and friend
ship. It was not upon their impulse
that their government acted In enter
ing the war. U was not with their
previous knowledge or approval. It
was a war determined upon as wars
used to bo determined upon In the old
unhappy dnys, when people were no
whore consulted by their rulers and
wars were prnvuked and waged In the
Interest of dynasties or of little groups
of ambitious men who were accustomed
to use thetr fellow men as pawns and
tools.
Self-governed nntlnus do not nil their
neighbor tvtr with spies or act the
rourae of Intrigue to bring about aoiue
critical pnaturr of nffnlra which will
give them an opportunity to atrlke. nnd
make eonqurat. hueh dealgna cuu be
ueeeaafnlly worked out only unite
-over and where nr. one ha the rlgh
o nk qurtlnn. Cunningly contrive!
ilnnn of deception or nggrelon, car
'led. It tuny be from generntlon to gen
-ration, can be worked out and kep
from the light only within the prlvnci
of court or behind the carefully guard
ed confidence of a narrow and privi
leged cln. They hre happily linpol
'ile where public opinion command nnd
tnlln upon full Information concern
ing nil the nation' affair.
A atradfnat concert for pence 'nn
never be maintained except by n part
nerahlp of democratic natlona. No au
tocratic government could be truatrd
lo keep faith within It or ohaervr II
covenant. It iuut be n league of
lonor, a partnership of opinion. In
trigue would ent It vital nwnyf the
plotting of Inner circle who could
plan what they would, nnd render nc
cnunt to no one, would be n corruption
aenled at It very heart. Only free peo
pie can hold their purpoae nnd their
honor atrndy to n common end, nnd
prefer the Interext of mankind to nn)
nnrrow latere! of their own.
I5oes not every American feel that
SHUfance has been added to our hop'
'or the future peace of tho world by
the wonderful and heartening thlnr
that have been happening within th
last few weeks In Russia? Ituln wn
known by thoe who knew Iter liet
to have been nlwaya lu fact democratic
nt heart In all vital habit of her
thought, In nil the Intimate relation
nhlp of her prople thnt spoke their
nnturnl lntlnct, their habitual attitude
toward life. The nutocrney thnt crown
ed the it in in It of her political struc
ture, long a It had stood and terrible
nn wn the reality of Ita power, wa
not In fact ltulan In origin, charac
ter, or piirponr, nnd now It has been
abaken off nnd the grent generoua llua
alnn people have been added, In nil
their native majeaty nnd might, to the
forcea that nre fighting for freedom In
the world, for Juatlce, nnd for pence.
Here Is a fit partner for a league of
honor.
One of the thing" that hnve nerved
to convince u thnt the I'runalnu nuto
crney wn not nnd could never be our
friend In Hint from the very outset of
Hie prraent wnr It ban tilled our un
upectlng commutiltle, nnd even our
oilier of government, with spies nnd
act crimlnnl Intrigue everywhere afoot
ngalnat our nntlonal unlly of counsel,
our pence within nnd without, our In
dustries, and our commerce. Indeed It
la now evident tlint Its spies were here
even before the wnr liegnn nnd It la
uiihnpplly not a matter of conjecture,
hut ii fact proven In our court of Jua
tlce. that the Intrigue which hnve
more Hunt once come perilously nenr to
disturbing the pence and dislocating
the InduNtrlea of the country, hnve been
carried on at the Instigation, with the
support, nnd even under the perannnl
direction of official agent of the Im
perial government accredited to the
government of the United States.
I : veil lu checking these thlnga nnd
trying to exllrpale them we hnve
sought to put the most generous Inter
pretation possible upon llirm, becnuae
we knew thnt their aourec lay not In
nny hostile feeling or purpose of the
Ccrnwin people townrd ua (who were,
no doubt, an Ignorant of them nn we
ourselves were), but only In the aelflab
dcnlgn of u government tlint did what
It pleased and told It people nothing.
Hut they hnve plnycd their part In serv
ing to convince us nt Inat thnt thnt
government entertnlna nn real friend
ship for ua nnd means tn net ngalnat
our pence nnd aecurlty nt Ita conveni
ence. Thnt It means to stir up enemies
ngalnat ua nt our very doora, the In
tercepted note to the Germnn minister
nt Mexico City la eloquent evidence.
We nre nrceptlng thin challenge of
hostile, purpose because we know that
In audi a government, following such
inetboda, we run never lmve n frlenl,H
nud thnt In the presence of Ita orgnn
Ised power, nlwnya Ijlng In wnlt to
nccouipllah we know not what pur
pose, there can be no assured aecurlty
for the democratic govrrnmenta of the
world. We are now about to nccept
the gage of battlo with the natural foe
to liberty, nnd shall. If necessary, spend
tho whole force of tho nation to check
nnd nullify Its pretensions nnd Its pow
er. We nre glnd now thnt we nee- the
fnrta with no veil of fnlne pretense
about them, to light thus for the ulti
mate peace of the world and for the
liberation ot II peoples, Hie fierman
peoples Included) for the right of nn
tlonu, grent nnd amnll, and the privi
lege of men everywhere to chooae their
wny of life nud of obedience.
The world must be made aafe for
democracy, ltn peace must he ptanted
upon the teated foundations of political
liberty. Wo have no selfish ends to
serve. We dcslro no conquests;, no
dominion. We seek no Indemnifies for
ourselves, no innlerliil conipcnsnlloii
for Hie ancrlflcr we shall freely make.
Wo lire but one of tho champions of
tho rights of mankind Wo ahall bo
sntlslled when those rights have been
made ns secure as tho faith and the
freedom of nations can make them.
Just because we fight without rancor
nnd without seltlsh object;, seeking
nothing for ourselves but what we shall
wish to share with all free people, wo
shall, I foal confident, conduct our oper
ations ns belligerents without passion
and ourselves observe with proud punc
tilio tho principles of right and of fair
play we profess to be fighting for.
I have said nothing of the govern
ments allied with tho Imperial gov
ernment of Germany because they havu
not made war upon us or challenged
us to defend our right nud our honor.
The Auatro-IIungnrlnu government ban.
Indeed, avowed Its unqualified Indorse
ment nnd acceptance of the reckless
nnd lawless aubniarlne wnrfarr, adopt
ed now without disguise by the Imper
ial (jrrmnn government, nnd It hn
therefore riot been poaalble for thin
government to receive Count Tnrnow
akl. Hie nmhaaaador recently accredited
to thin government by the Imperlnl unit
Itnynl government of Aiiatrln-IIungnry
but that government hn not ncluiilly
engaged In wnrfnrr ngalnat rltlseua of
the United Stutea on the seas, nnd I
take the liberty, for the present nt
lenat, of poatponlng n discussion of our
rrlutlon with the nuthorltlra at I
ennn. We cuter this war only where
we nre clenriy forced Into It been use
there nre no other menus of defending
our rlgbla.
It will be nil the enaler fur ua to
conduct ourselves na belligerents In n
high spirit of right nnd fairness be
cnuae we net without nnlmus, not with
enmity townrd u people or with the
dralre to bring nny Injury or dland
VMutnge upon them, but only In armed
opposition to Hn Irresponsible govern
ment which has thrown nslde till con
siderations of humnnlty nnd of right
nud Ik running iiniuck.
We nre, let me nay aguln, t hr sin
cere friend iff the Germau prople, and
ahall desire nothing ao much na the
early re-ealabllahment uf Intlmnte rela
tion of mutual ndvnniagc between ua,
however bard It mny be for them fur
the time being to believe that thin la
spoken from our hearts. We hnve
borne with their prraent government
through all theae bitter month be
cause of that friendship, exercising n
patience anil forbenrnnre which would
otherwise have been Impossible.
We ahall happily atlll have an op
portunity to prove that friendship In
our dally altitude nnd action toward
the million of men and women of tier
man birth nnd native sympathy who
live among ua nnd share our life, and
we ahull be proud to prove It toward
II who are In fact loyal to their ph
era nnd to Hie government In the hour
of tent. They nre moat of them na true
nnd loyal Americana aa If they hnd
lever known nny other fenlly or nl--glnnee.
They will be prompt tn atnnd
with ua In rebuking nnd restraining
he few who mny be of n different mind
and purpoae. If there should be dla
'ovnlly. It will be dealt with with n
Hrni band of atern repression i but II
II lifts ltn bend nt nil. It will lift It
only here nnd there nnd without coun
ennnee except from a lawleaa nnd
mnllgnnnt few.
It In a distressing and oppressive duty,
gentlemen of the congreaa, which I
"nvr performed In t litis addressing you.
There nre, It mny be, many mouth ol
tery trlil nnd ancrlftce ahead of ua.
It Is a fearful thing to lend this great,
nenceful prople Into wnr. Into Hie most
terrible nnd dlanatrnun of all wnra, civ
ilization Itself seeming to be In the
balance.
Hut the right la more precious thnn
peace, nnd we nbnll fight for the thlnga
which we hnve nlwnya carried nenreat
nur Iteartn for democracy, for Hie
right of those who submit to authority
lo have n voice tn their own govern
ments, for the rights nnd liberties ot
small nntlnns, fnr n universal dominion
of right by such n concert of free peo
ple na shall bring pence nnd nnfety to
nil nntlon nnd mnke the world Itself
at laat free.
To aticb n tank we can dedicate our
Uvea and our fortunes, everything thnt
vrr nre nnd everything that we hove,
with the pride of those who know that
the day linn come when America In
privileged to npend her blood nnd her
might for the principles that gave her
birth nnd hnpplnran nnd the pence
which she ban treasured.
God helping her, she can do no other.
CALLS BOYS TO THE COLORS
President Wilson Asks All Between
Ages of Sixteen and Twenty-One
to Join Working Reserve.
Young men of the country between
tlie tines of sixteen and twenty-one; not
now employed, nre called upon by
President Wilson to serve the nntlon
hy JolnliiK the United States Boys
Working reserve. In a letter made
public by Secretary Wilson of the la
bor, department, the president says It
Is the patriotic duty of these young
men to use their spare time In produc
tive work and help support the nation
In the present clrlsls. The president's
letter follows:
"Permit me to express ltiy great ap
preciation of the great work underta
ken hy the United States Boys Work
ing reserve of the employment service
of the department of lnbor. To give to
the young men between the ages of six
teen and twenty-one the privilege of
spending their spare time In productive
enterprises without interrupting their
studies at school, while their older
brothers are battling In the trenches
and on the seas, must greatly increase
the means of providing for the forces
at the front and the maintenance of
tiioes whose services are needed here.
It Is a higli privilege, no less than a
patriotic duty, to help support the na
tion by devoted and intelligent work In
this groat crisis.
"Let me express the hope that the
young men of the country not now per
manently employed may eagerly enter1
tho Boys' Working reserve to lit them
selves hy training and study for good
citizenship nntl productive service. In
this way they can show themselves
worthy of patriotic fathers who have
fought for democracy In tho past, sus
tain their pntriotic brothers who are
fighting for It today, and command the
affectionate pritle of the brave mothers
who are silently hearing the burdens
nt home."
University Functions,
What Is the matter with our univer
sities Is that all the students are
schoolboys, whereas It Is of the very
essence of university education thnt
they should be men, writes George
Bernard Sliaw. The function of-a uni
versity Is not to teach things that can
now he taught as well or better by
university extension lecturers or by
private tutors or modern correspond
ence cliisses with. gramophones. We
go to them to bo socialized; to acquire
the hall mark of communal training;
to become citizens of the world ln
stcad of inmates of the enlarged rab
bit hutches we call homes; to learn
manners and become unchallengeable
ladles and gentlemen. The social pres
sure which effects these changes
should he that of persons who have
faced the full responsibilities of adults
as working members of the genera;
community, not Unit cjf harbnrous rab
ble of half emancipated schoolboys and
uneinanclpatable pedants.
Growing a Character.
Character Is what you are. Repu
tation la what folks think you nre.
Sometimes they nre so well balanced
that you can't tell one from the oth
er, says Grit. But moro often the one
Is a libel on the other. Folks exalt
virtues that do not exist and condemn
follies Hint are purely subjective and
personal. Much depends on who re
ports you. KrlondK nre alwuys chari
table and Interpret our lives to best nd
vantage. Enemies can see no good In
us and report ns they see. So repu
tation may tlntter or condemn. Not
so with character. This Is something
beyond external observation. It Is the
life Itself as lived amidst Its motives
und obstacles. Kew people can know
Its real value, for even you do not al
ways know just what you are capable
of being until the emergency demands
display your worth. What you nre In
tho face of severe testing Is character.
Just Missed It.
Ati old gentleman from the coun
try, tremulous with fear after hearing
bombs nnd gunfire, in an air raid,
emerged from his hotel with his wife,
relates tho London Chronicle. In the
street they Inquired of nn Imperturb
able police constable If It was "all
over." The policeman, Imagining they
were eager sightseers, said, "Well, I'm
afraid, sir, It Is all over; hut they may
return In 'nlf nn 'our." Rapid depart
ure of the "sightseers."
EVERYONE PAYING
TO CRUSH ENEMY
New War Tax Squeezes Purse
of Wage Earner, but Ail
Must Help.
KAISER TO BLAME FOR COST
Mad Prussia Must Be Broken Before
Conflict Can End Good Patriots
Steel Selves for Sacrifice
and Then Victory.
Postage. Three cents an ounce
or fraction thereof on letters for
other than local delivery; two
cents on all postal curds.
. Admissions Ten per cent tnx
on tickets to thenters, cabarets,
nnd other amusement places.
Dues Ten per cent tax on
dues of clubs exceeding $12 a
year. .
Tobacco Graduated taxes on
cigars, tobacco, cigarettes, cigar
ette papers and sniilT.
Express Five per cent tax on
nmounts pnld for express trans
portation. Passengers Eight per cent of
the cost of railroad tickets, ex
cept local.
Berths Ten per cent of the
cost of .berths, staterooms, and
parlor car seats.
Oil Five per cent tnx on
nmounts paid for transportation
of oil by pipe lines.
ssages Five cents tax on
ench telegraph, telephone, or ra
dio message costing 10 cents or
more.
Insurance Eight cents tax on
ench 5100 or fractional part
thereof of each life Insurance
policy; one 'per cent of the pre
mium on fire, marine, Inland,
nnd casualty insurance policies.
Wnshington. Uncle Sam is rather
pleasantly surprised nt the way the
nntlon Is standing the wnr tax gaff.
The grouching, such as there Is. has
been growled In a minor key, nnd most
of It comes from the trouble-mnkers,
the whining pacifists, those of a sick
ly cast of loyalty.
Nobody really enjoys paying excess
taxes, such ns three cents postage for
letters, cxtrn charge for freight, ex
press and pnssenger transportation,
telephone and telegraph messages nnd
amusements. But nil true Americans
who realize that the knlser is to blame
for tho trouble, stand ready nnd will
ing to pify their share of the cost of
exterminating the world's grentest
menace.
By tho way, do you know thnt If
you are single and earn more than
$1,000 yeurly,, you must pay two per
cent tax on wljnt you make over $1,000.
And If you nre married, you must pay
two per cent on what you make over
$2,000. The tax for all of 1017 must
be paid by June 1, 1018.
All of the new taxes fall upon the
average man. They have nothing to
do with the "conscription of wealth."
They are a part of the program of
taxation to mnke each man, woman
and chllcl In the United Stntes feel n
direct personal part In the wnr. They
npply to freight, pnssenger and ex
press transportation, pipe lines, Pull
innn seats nnd berths, telegraph nnd
telephone messages, Insurance poli
cies, admissions to theaters und
"movies" nnd to club dues. Tho ef
fect of most of them Is felt, therefore,
In a slight rise In the high cost of
living.
The tnxes are expected to net 'the
federal government the following rev
enues :
Freight transportntlon $77,500,000
Express trnnsportntlon. . . . 10.000,000
Pnssenger transportation.. 60.000,000
Pipe lines 4,500,000
Seats and berths 4.000,000
Telegraph and telephone
messages 7,000,000
Insurance policies 5,000.000
Club dues 1,500.000
Admissions 50,000,000
The wnr tax on facilities furnished
by public utilities is now levied Ma
follows:
Three per cent of the amount paid
for transportation by rnll or water or
by nny form of mechanical motor pow
er In competition with cnrrlers by rnll
or wnter, on freight consigned from
one point In the United States to an
other. One cent for ench twenty cents or
fraction chnrged by express compa
nies for transportation from one point
In the United Stntes to nnothcr.
Eight per cent of the niuount paid
for the transportation of persons by
rnll or wnter or by any form of me
chanical motor power on a regular
established line In competition with
common carriers, from one point in
the United Stntes to any point In tho
United States, Cannda or Mexico
where the ticket Is Issued In the Unit
ed States. No tax Is Imposed on corn-
Greatest Thing In the World.
Love has been called the grentest
thing In the world, but the grentest
thing In tho world Is not n thing nt
all; the greatest thing Is n person.
Personnlity Is the greatest thing In
the world. The grentest thing In per
sonality Is not strength of hotly nor
itrength of mind. It Is strength of
heart. "Clever people nre ns common
as blackberries, the rare things to
And n good one." It Is not Daniel
Webster's brain, hut Lincoln's henrt,
that wins a .nation's love. Exchange.
tnutntlnn or season tickets for trip
less thnn 30 miles, or In cases whern
the fare does not exceed 35 cents.
T u per cent o( tho amount paid
fcr sents, berths or staterooms.
If a mileage book used for trnns
portntlon or nccommodatlon wns pur
chased prior to November 1, 1017, or
If ensh fnre Is paid, the conductor or
ngent collecting the fnro Is required
to collect the tnx.
Five per cent on the amount paid
for the transportation of oil by pipe
line. Five cents for each telegram, tele
phone or radio dispatch originating
In the United Stntes where tho chnrgo
Ts 15 cents or more.
The foregoing tnxes are paid by t
persons paying for the services or
facilities render,d. A carrier making:
no charge for transporting n commod
ity because of Its ownership thereof,
or for any olher renson, Is required
to pny a tnx equivalent to the amount
which would be Imposed If it received'
payment, except In the ense of com
modities which nre necessary for Its
use In the conduct of its business or
the business of another line constitut
ing n pnrt of the same railroad, sys
temi Service rendered to the federal
and state governments Is exempt from
taxation. Persons collecting thesir
taxes nre required to mnke monthly
returns nnd monthly pnymeuts to tho
federal government.
The new levies upon Insurance tnko
efTect In the following manner:
On life Insurance, eight cents on.
ench $100 or fraction of the timount
of the policy, except Industrial insur
ance policies not in excess of $500
Issued on the weekly pnyment plnn, in
which case the tax Is 40 per cent ot
the first weekly premium. Policies of
re-Insurance nre exempt.
On marine. Inland and fire Insur
ance, one cent on ench dollar or frac
tion of the premium charged under
ench policy Including renewnls, but
not Including policies of re-Insurance.
Casualty Insurance, one cent on each,
dollnr or fraction of the premium,
chnrged under each policy (except In
demnity nnd surety bonds, which are
taxable under another title of the bill)
Including renewals, but not Including-re-Insurance
policies.
Policies Issued by nny corporation,
exempt from the Income tnx are ex
empt from this tnx.
The person, partnership or ussocla
tlon issuing such policies of insurance
Is required to moke monthly returns
and monthly payments to the govern
ment. For every ten cents or fraction.
thereof you spend on the movies you
must turn over to the government one
cent. Of course, the movie proprl
etors mny save you the Inconvenience
of handling pennies by raising his nd
mlssion price a nickel, as many other
persons selling goods affected by the
wnr tnx hnve nlready done.
Here Is the wny admission tnx nnd
the club dues levies "will fall upon,
the public:
One' cent on each ten cents or frac
tion of the amount paid for admission,
to any place Including admission by
senson ticket or subscription, to bo
pnld by the person paying for such,
admission, except In the ense of chil
dren under twelve, where the tax la
every case Is one cent. Persons ad
mitted free pay the tax on the basis oi
the chnrge mode to other persons oC
the same class, except employ ees
municipal olllcers on ofllclnl business
nnd children under twelve. Where
the chnrge for admission to a cabaret
or similar entertainment is wholly or
in part Included In the price paid for
refreshment, service or merchandise,
the amount paid is to be computed un
der regulations to be prescribed by
the treasury department.
In the case of persons having the
permnnent use of boxes or sents, or
a lease thereon, the tnx Is equivalent
to 10 per cent of the nmount for which
a similar box or sent Is sold for the
performance or exhibition at which
the box or seat is used or reserved by
or for the lessee or holder.
These tnxes are not to be Imposed
In the ense-of n place where the maxi
mum charge for admission Is Ave cents,
or for shows, rides or other amuse
roents In outdoor general nmflscment
pnrkg where the admission Is ten cents
or In the case of shows, rides or other
amusements (the maximum chnrge for
ndmlsslon to which Is ten cents) with
in outdoor general amusement parks,,
or In the case of admissions to such
parks. Where the proceeds Inure ex
cluslvely to the benefit of religious-,
educntlonnl or charitable societies or
organizations, nnd in the case of ad
missions to agricultural fairs, no tax
shall be levied, provided none of tho
proceeds nre distributed to stockhold
ers or members of the nssoclntlon.
A tax of 10 per cent Is Imposed on,
the nmount pnld as dues or member
ship fees, Including Initiation fees, to
any social, athletic or sporting club,
where such duos or fees nro in ex-,
cess of $12 per year, such tax to be.
paid by the person paying the dues,
or fees. Dues or fees paid to fra
ternal or benellclnry societies, orders,
or associations operated on the lodge,
system nro exempt.
Those collecting ndmlsslon dues op
fees are required to collect the tax
and mnko monthly returns und pay
ments to the government.
Gained Fame While Dying.
Antolne Wntteau, one of France'
foremost artists, painted his celebrated,
decorative panels whllo dying of Ihe.
white man's scourge, lie sprang fron
humble nnd poverty-stricken surround
ings, and was forced to work on tho,
brink of starvation for tho greater
part of his thirty-seven years. Just
as his fame rose to nntlonal proporf
tluns his tubercular condition became,
worse and ho worked desperately 'dur-.
lug his Inst few yenrs to complete n
much work ns possible before he tiled.
i
V
.riMM.