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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (July 11, 1940)
Can America Be Invaded? Perhaps Not Now, but 136 Years Ago an Enemy Force Brought Fire and Sword to Our Capital By ELMO SCOTT WATSON 4Rel«*!tel by Western Newspaper Union.) C>OULD the United States be invaded by an ene ** my force? “"Easily! ” affirm the pes simists. "Not a chance!” reply the optimists. Probably somewhere be tween those two extreme pcints of view lies the answer to that question — qualified, however, by many "ifs,” "finds” and “buts.” Without subscribing to either point of view, it is in teresting, however, to recall tfiat once in our history an enemy force did invade the soil of the United States, that It captured our capital city, put our government to flight and then burned the Capitol and the White House. That was during the third year of our second war with England, commonly known as the War of 1812. And it is interesting to recall that event, too, be cause there ore certain paral lels between conditions which existed in this country previ ous to 18i4 and those which have existed up until recent weeks in 1940. Despite the fact that early in 1813 British warships were raid ing up and down the Atlantic sea board, the federal government seemed to suffer from a strange delusion that the national capi tal, situated at the head of navi gation on the Potomac river, was in no danger. in January. leH, came tne news that 4,000 British troops, destined for Aiher'ca, had landed at Ber muda and two months later Ad miral Cockburn arrived in Lynn haven nay. just inside Cape Henry in Virginia, with a 74-gun man-of war, two frigates and a brig and began marauding. Although President Madison seemed aware of the potential danger, members of his cabinet were strangely apathetic to the impending danger. On May 14 the National Intelligencer, the administration newspaper in Washington, declared: “We have no idea of the enemy attempting to reach the vicinity of the capi tal; and if he does, we have no doubt he will meet such a recep tion as he had a sample of at Craney Island. The enemy knows better than to trust himself dbreast of or on this side of Fort Washington.” ‘Fifth Columnists’ Then. That there were “fifth colum nists” operating even in those days is indicated by the state GEN. W. H. WINDER ment of an early historian that the government was lulling itself 'into a false se*ise of security, /‘hostile marauders were in the waters of the Potomac and their leaders, employing competent spies, had made themselves per fectly acquainted with the con dition of the country and of mili tary affairs around Washington.” Late in June the government was shaken out of its apathy by the arrival of news that a num ber of large transports were be ing fitted out in Portsmouth, Eng land, to proceed to Bordeaux, France, there to take on the cream of Wellington's veterans for service in America. On the heels of this came word from Ber muda that a large fleet of trans ports was ready to sail from there bound for some port in the United States, probably the Po tomac. This report spurred President Madison into action. On July 1 he called a council of his cabinet for a belated discussion of de fense measures. William H. Eus -tis, the secretary of war (of all persons!) still didn’t believe that there was any great danger. In fact, as late as August, when the enemy was almost at the door of Remains of the Capitol (above) and of the White House (below) after they had been burned by enemy invaders. (From contem porary drawings.) Washington, he insisted that the capital was safe. "What the devil will they do here?” he a«koi one officer who warned him of the weakness of its defense, “No, no! Baltimore is the place, sir; that is of so much more consequence.” Apostln of Preparedness. In contrast to his blindness was the foresight of one man, an apostle of preparedness whose clear-headedness and patriotic service amidst the blundering efforts to wage war against Great Britain, ere all but forgotten by his fellow-Americans. He was Gen. William H. Winder of Mary land, who had served valorously with militia from his state on the Niagara frontier in 1812, been cap tured by the British at Stony Creek in Canada in 1813 and had been held a prisoner of war until the spring of 1814 when he was exchanged. Winder had prepared a well thought-out plan of defense against the threatened invasion. It con templated establishing a camp of two or three thousand regulars between tht< eastern branch of the Potomac and the Patuxent rivers in Maryland and the con centration of <0,000 militia near Washington. Madison laid Wind er’s plan before his cabinet and it was at once adopted. A new military district was formed and Winder was appoint ed commander ct it. Next the government made a requisition upon the states for a total of 93, 000 militia to be organized at home and held in readiness to act. The naval defenses tt^ere entrust ed to Commodore Josnua Barney, who was in the Patutent with a small flotilla of gunboats. Winder would thus have an army of 15,000, the largest force of militia that had yet been put In the field. But it sooV. became evident that it was only a paper army. For there was air lost un believable official stupid ty and delay in carrying out th* plan. Although the governor of Mary land lived within an easy day’s ride from the national capital, he did not receive a copy rtf his requisition until six days after it was ordered and the governor of Pennsylvania did not receive his until 10 days afterward. And it was not until July 12, when the British appeared in heavy force in the Chesapeake bay, that Eustis placed in Wind er’s hands a copy of the requisi tion and then it was accompanied by a cautious order telling him, in case of an invasion, to “be careful to avoid unnecessary calls, and to apportion the call to the exigency.” A Heartbreaking Task. Undaunted by what must have seemed a heartbreaking task, Winder started out to make the best of a bad situation. He vis ited every part of the region to be defended, inspected every forti fication and bombarded Eustis with urgent appeals for haste in making preparations for defense. On July 16 he wrote "The door of Washington (meaning Annapo lis) is wide open and cannot be shut with the few troops under my command.” Fort Madison there was defenseless and too unhealthful for troops to occupy it. He begged in vain for ef forts to Save that post and mad* stirring appeals for the people of Maryland to corny forward to help defend their state. ; Notwithstanding all his appeals l and the imminence of the danger, the peoole seemed 3s apathetic as their federal government. By August 1 Winder reported that he had in camp only 1,000 regulars. About 4,000 militip. had been en rolled but they were yet to be col lected and, so fat, the govern ment had neglected to call for cavalry and riflemen, both of which were vitally needed. The result of all this blunder ing wa'j inevitable and is too well known to all Americans to need retelling at length here. Briefly, it was this: On August 16 the small British squadron in the Chesapeake was re-enforced by a fleet o-' 21 ve*sel.* under Admiral Cochrane who was joined by an other under Commodore Mal colm. These had on board several thous< nd soldiers commanded by Generhl Ross, one of Wellington’s best subordinates. This British force bottled up Commodore Barney’s flotilla in the Pi-tuxent and, when it became apparent that it was about to be captured by the invaders, he burned his boats and with his men joined the American land forces. By this time the situation was so alarming that militia and volun teers began flocking to Winder’s standards to help repel the invad ers. Eventually he had a force of some 7,000 men, of which, how ever, only 900 were regulars. It is probable that with this force, if concentrated, he might have been able to have repelled the enemy. civilian interference. But his efforts were nullified by constant interference from the President and members of his cabinet. They were totally with out military experience, with the possible exception of James Mon roe, secretary of state, who had served in the Revolution. But he probably did more harm than good by his interference when the American forces came to grips with the British at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24. As was to be expected, the hastily assembled militia and un trained volunteers broke under the onslaughts of the British reg ulars and Winder’s forces were soon in full retreat. Among the heroic dead was Commodore Barney. Late the next evening General Ross and Admiral Cockburn, with a guard of only 200 i»en, rode into the deserted capital. For the President, members of his cabi net and all other high govern ment officials had departed im mediately after the disaster at Bladensburg. The President, who had gone out to see the battle, had sent word back to his wife, ; Dolly Madison, to flee. But she had paused long enough to anatch up the precious parchment on which was written the Declara tion of Independence and to take the portrait of Washington, paint ed by Stuart, out of its frame in the White House before seeking a place of safety across the river in Virginia. In retaliation for the Americans having burned the government in York, Canada, aarlier in the war, the British decided to do some burning themselves. So the torch was applied to the unfinished Capitol, the White House, the Treasury building, the arsenal, the barracks which had been oc cupied by 3,000 troops, the office of the National Intelligencer, a tavern and a few private homes. That night, lighted by the glare of the flarpes which could be seen as far away as Baltimore, the invaders marched out. They left behind the blackened walls of our Capitol and the home of our Chief Executive monuments to a fatu ous belief that “it can’t happen here.” Entrancing Rubber Flowers To Wear With Your Swim Suit By CHERIE NICHOLAS A THEME for poet and painter, and as to those whose mission it is to tall the story of fashion in columns such as this, the dictionary, quick! It’s super-glamorous adjec tives we must have to describe the beauty of water-sprayed flowers worn by fashion’s mermaids. The happy thought about these flowers is that, being made of rubber, they come up out of watery depths look ing as fresh as flowers in a summer garden. It is indeed a pretty fashion that has been launched of wearing flow ers made of rubber to wear with swim suits. There is simply no limit to the possibilities this fashion envisions in the way of picture ef fects. When one sees the charm ing bathing ensembles by Kleinert that are enhanced with flowers, one is brought to a realization of the importance of the role rubber is playing in the fashion realm. Faithful reproduction of the color and design of real flowers has taken years of training in workmanship. It requires artistic ability-plus to successfully reproduce in rubber re alistic camelias, violets, water lil ies, anemones, sweet peas, forget me-nots, gardenias, roses, cornflow ers, dahlias and chrysanthemums such as fashion offers this season. We are showing below in the picture just a few types available, and if you go in quest you will be shown many more where swim suit ac cessories are sold. The swim suits here pictured are most as interest ing as the flowers that trim them, in that they are made of a new rubber fabric that has a crepe-like knitted surface that can be softly draped to give a dressmaker touch. From the outside these attractive, practical rubber suits appear to be seamless. In reality the seams and reinforcements have been scientific ally designed to prevent the possi bility of ripping. Being of rubber, when you emerge from the water your suit will dry quickly, fit smoothly and feel wonderfully com fortable. Were the accompanying illustra tion printed in color, as we wish it might be, one would see how amaz ingly realistic are the tones and tints of the flowers. The lady shown to the left is putting out to sea in a dressmaker swim suit which reflects Hawaiian influence in its wide-skirt ed silhouette and garland of tur quoise and coral sweet peas that outlines the bodice top. Dress, flow ers and matching turban are all of rubber. The striking beachbag flung over her shoulders is rubber lined. The picture centered below gives a close-up view of the flower arrange ment. The costume to the right presents an interesting study in rubber flow er culture. This clever maiden se lected a flower bedecked suit in deep pink. Under the flower cluster a “mad-money” pocket is hidden, which also holds locker key and lip stick, which is self explanatory as to why this suit is called “pocketeer.” And now for another revelation in rubber artistry. This time it is rubber jewelry. Note the matching halo to hold tresses in place and bracelet which the lovely lady pic tured in the center at the top is wearing. Blue and yellow corn flow ers form the straps of the bathing suit and the jewelry. This ensem ble is called “debutante” no doubt in honor of its wearer. (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) Red, White and Blue "Three cheers for the red, white and blue” and it’s fashion that is joining in the chorus in accents loud and clear. This stunning hat and bag ensemble sounds a patriotic note in its red, white and blue color scheme It is woven of cord in the three colors and emphasizes the importance of matching accessories. Accessory sets simply thrill with ex citing adventures such as a bag and hat made of print cotton of the old fashioned calico type. Polka dot bags and hats are the rage. Latest is hat, bag and shoes made of print in bizarre colorings. Field Flowers Daisies seem to be the winning design in the flower group, with daf fodils and lilies next. Gingham Gaiety Brightly checked gingham is a gay touch to add to a tailored sum mer suit. ■ — 1 ■ ■ ■ I Felt Cartwheels In for Popularity If hat designers have their way, big-brimmed hats will be the out standing successes of this summer. Felts as big as cartwheels are shown again and again and, to make them more interesting, their brims and crowns are intricately manipu lated. Some are arranged in fan shape, others swoop back from the face and are trimmed with gay feathers. Almost all of them, even the largest, are trimmed with veils —some long enough to reach the waist. Bag and Bracelet In Red Style Note The fashion for bright red hats, bags, jewelry and other accessories is going strong this summer. Try this' combination to enliven your navy, white or black costume—a stunning bag in red leather of fab ric, together with a striking red bracelet which may be of the carved plastic type or one of the new poppy red flower effects. It is within the bounds of good taste to add a match ing necklace if your enthusiasm for red carries you that far. Trim It With Lace Is Now Sure Fire When in doubt trim it with lace. Bolts and bolts of fine lace edging are contributing to the news in sum mer fashions. Hats are very smart with bows, bands, brims and crowns of lace. Accessories include match ing lace bags and belts of lace—and it’s chic to carry a lace parasol, tool Exercise Is the Best Way to Reduce Weight By DR. JAMES W. BARTON (Released by Western Newspaper Union.l THERE is often the argu ment as to which is the better way to reduce weight, exercise or a reducing diet. The reducing diet is the sim pler because if enough food is not eaten to sup ply the body’s needs, then some of the fat on the body must be used and so that much weight is lost. Exercise is really the better way for the average healthy overweight because exercise not only burns up fat but replaces the fat with mus cle, and with this extra muscle he is more willing to exercise or work, and so more and more of the fat is lost. Unfortunately, there are many cases where the exercise so increases the appetite that more food is eaten and no weight is lost. Another difficulty is that exercise makes the individual thirsty and he drinks more water, thus increasing his weight. I have spoken before of an amateur oarsman who took off three pounds of weight daily boxing in the gymnasium yet at the end of the month he was the same weight as when he started. He had not lost a pound. Why? Because he drank a great quantity of water. Similarly with fir. Barion the Turkish bath. Two to four pounds may be lost during the bath but the drinking of water as you rest a short time before dressing puts all the weight back on your body. If the overweight is willing to exercise more, yet not in crease his food in take nor drink more than his usual amount of water, the results will be much better than by dieting alone. Must Make ‘Sacrifice.’ It is just as hard for some fat in dividuals to cut down on their appe tite, especially for starch foods, as it is for another to take vigorous exercise. Cutting down on food or taking vigorous exercise both mean “sacrifice.” It is by sacrifice, how ever, that one loses fat and gains figure. An item in Newsweek some time ago put the matter of reducing weight as follows: Careful eating, not exercise, is the best way to reduce, according to Dr. C. C. Sturgis of the University of Michigan. Although a football player may get rid of 14 pounds in a strenuous game, only 4% pounds comes from fatty tissue; the re mainder is water loss that will soon be replenished. WWW Treating Diabetes With Insulin WHEN Drs. Banting and Best, of Toronto discovered insulin and Dr. Collip, now of Montreal, made it safer to use, it was felt that all had been learned about insulin in the treatment of diabetes. Many research workers then began ex perimenting with insulin in the treat ment of other ailments such as lack of appetite, dementia praecox (per sistent dream state) and others. In the treatment of diabetes how ever, research workers sought to prepare insulin in such a way that it could be taken by mouth instead of by the hypodermic needle three times a day. While no method of preparing insulin so that it will be effective taken by mouth has been discovered, what is helping the sit uation to some extent is the new treatment byprotamine zink insulin. Increase in Number of Cases. What would, on first sight, be con sidered a most unfavorable result from the use of this new insulin compound is the apparent increase in the number of cases of diabetes. Dr. E. P. Joslin, Boston, whose name has been associated with dia betes for many years—long before insulin was discovered—points out in the Michigan State Medical Jour nal that protamine zink insulin has probably increased the number of diabetic patients using insulin by 70,000. This due almost entirely to the fact that the new insulin is in jected but once a day, whereas the original insulin is injected three times a day, a regulation that many diabetics would not or could not fol low. * • * QUESTION BOX Q.—Please suggest an effective deodorant to check excessive perspi ration. A.—You should get examined by your physician and try to find out why you are troubled with excessive perspiration. May be due to some condition of the body itself—goiter, bronchitis, nerve ailment. Q.—What foods will help put iron in the blood?. A.—Liver, beef and green vegeta bles will help to increase the iron in the blood. Old High-Back Chair Changes Personality By RUTH WYETH SPEARS I-JERE comes the Bride again! 1 Many of you have met her in Sewing Book 5. She is the same resourceful young lady whose ad ventures with an old dresser, a fish bowl and a piano stool are described in that book; and who remodeled one of the old rockers in Book 5. Today’s sketch shows another of her slight o’ hand tricks with a chair. There it was in a junk shop win dow. “Did you ever see anything !ri rr CHAIR PAINTED DARK ftou/M GREEN WITH GREEN AND WHITE CUSHIONS HEAVY I . * • 'I *# ;. .fAcn ' • f f THS Ul "HPl SEAT OF ANft OLD CHAIR SEEMS® HIGH, SHORTEN 'is THE LEGS so impossible?” I said, “It looks like a pompous old dowager with • a pompadour.” And the little bride said, “Yes, but I think its personality could be changed; I can see it as a jolly little old lady sitting in the corner with a ging ham apron.” Sure enough, the next time I went to see the Bride, there was the chair sitting in a corner painted a cheerful green and with white gingham cushions. The legs had been shortened, as shown here, and the pompous top heavy back had been cut down. That was all, but the change was complete. If you are interested in adventures in homemaking be sure to send for Book 5. It has 32 pages of money saving ideas that you can put to use at once. Send order to: MRS. RUTH WYETH SPEARS Drawer 10 Bedford Hills New York Enclose 10 cents for Book 5. Name .... Address ... Sea Bed Reveals Historv J In 10 feet of sand and mud on the Atlantic ocean bottom scien tists can read a million years of history of the Ice age. Samplings have been taken from the sea bed across the North Atlantic with a cannon-like tube that is shot by gunpowder into the floor as it touches bottom. From these sam plings the United States Geolog ical Survey scientists have found evidence of advancing and retreat ing ice, of one-celled animals and of periods of volcanic activity, the latter indicated by layers of ash thrown off perhaps by eruptions in Iceland.—Popular Mechanics. WALNUT LOGS CASH PAID FOR WALNUT LOGS OR TIMBER Midwest Walnut Co.. Council Bluffs, la. Do Good Now I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, there fore, that I can do, or any kind ness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.— Author unknown. JUST A DASH IN FEATHERS.. I .. H s $ $ s $ $ $ s $ s s s s $ s $ V/e Can All Be EXPERT BUYERS 9 In bringing us buying Information, as to prices that are being asked for what we Intend to buy, and as to the quality we can expect, the advertising columns of this newspaper perform a worth while service which saves us many dollars a year. 9 It Is a good habit to form, the habit of consulting the advertisements every time we make a purchase, though we have already decided just what we want and where we are going to buy It. It gives us the most priceless feeling In the world: the feeling of being adequately prepared. 9 When we go into a store, prepared beforehand with knowledge of what is offered and at what price, we go as an expert buyer, filled with self -confi dence. If is a pleasant feeling to have, the feeling of adequacy. Most of the unhappiness in the world car: be traced to a lack of this feeling. Thus adver tising shows another of Its manifold facets—shows Itself as an aid toward making ail our business relationships more secure ond pleasant. $$s$$$$$$ss$$s$T