THE BEE: OMAHA, MONDAY, APRIL 1, 1918.
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The Omaha Bee
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CORRESPONDENCE
Address (nmrnimleatlone relitlnt to eewa aad editorial Dattar to
Omaha Bee. Editorial Department.
FEBRUARY CIRCULATION
62,544 Dally-Sunday, 54,619
anran etrralatlon fee the moot, subscribed aad ewora to b Dwlrat
Williams. Clrculatloo Maoaaer.
Subscribers leaving the city ehould have The Bee mallei
la them. Addreaa chanted at often) aa re que tad.
"Over there" they are calling to us for food.
Keep this in mind. I
Clean up day" is set some time ahead, but
that is no reason you can not begin at once.
To quote "Pudd'n'head Wilson," "this is the
day on which we are reminded of what we are
on the other 364."
Jerry Howard says the legislators have drawn
every cent that is coming to them, and he might
have added that some got all they were worth.
Probably, when the pressure on the cables
lets up a little, we will get some further word of
how the Armenians fared when the Turk re
occupied that country.
French soldiers are fighting the most wonder
ful fight of all time, and doing it on short rations
because Americans di4 not make good on the
promise to furnish then food.
The kaiser has promoted the crown prince for
hi "gallantry" hi the present great battle. This
probably being the reward promised him at Ver
dun," a pleasure long postponed, so to speak.
...
Expulsion of La Follette; from the senate
might please a majority of the people of the
United States, but the removal of a few German
spies from munition plants will be much more
to the point.
John M. Parker of Louisiana, who played
' stalking-horse for the democrats in 1916 as Bull
Moose candidate for vice president, announces
his return to the democratic party because of "at
tacks by republican senators on President Wil
son's administration." That's a good one. What
about attacks on President Wilson's administra
tion by democratic senators? As if Parker was
ever anything than a dyed-in-the-wool southern
democrat!;, ; , -'" :
, The slow-moving processes of legislation are
gradually reaching a point where we shall know
if the War department's request for more men
' is'.to be granted; in the meantime the waiting
public will be pleased to know that military leg
islation is being laid aside while treaties with
China and similarly important measures are get
ting consideration. Some day even congress may
wake up to the fact that the country is involved
in a, tegular man-sized war. .. ' ' , -
Universal Military Training. ,
.Rejecting the new amendment to the Joint
resolution extending the selective draft law, the
senate has 'put ever the question of universal
military training to another day. Some of the
excuses offered ty senators voting against the
amendment must be considered as pretexts rather
than reasons. The alternative to this is that the
senators have little faith in the character of the
American people, and do not want to trust them
with a knowledge of self-defense. These have
learned but little from the experiences of this
country. Devotion to the ideals of peace have
not saved us from war. Again and again we have
been called upon' to defend ourselves from en
croachment or threatened oppression, and what
ever our hope for the future may be, back of it
must lie the danger of war. To be ready to de
fend our rights and our institutions does not re
quire that we abandon any of our lofty concep
tions of national destiny, but should rather tend
to- strengthen us in our devotion to the purposes
of our government. The danger of a military
caste in this country is so remote it may be dis
missed without consideration. The dangers of
pacifism are far more real. Little harm can result
from having the manhood of our country in
structed in the, art on which we finally must rely
for safety, while much danger resides in unreadiness-
This means that some form of uni
versal military training finally will be adopted
in America. 1 1
TO RATIFY OR NOT TO RATIFY.
It is already established by the preliminary
voters that the resolution ratifying the national
prohibition amendment will go through the house
almost unanimously despite its exclusion from the
subjects in the extra session call. It is sure, how
ever, to meet with more outspoken opposition in
the senate whose concurrence is at least open to
doubt. The senate, much more than the house,
is notoriously controlled by the influences which
worked successfully upon the governor to omit
mention of prohibition from his proclamation.
For our own part, we believe the question of
ratification now has been given altogether undue
importance by those urging it. The amendment
can not possibly command the approval of the
necessary thirty-six states for a year or two at
the soonest, and it is not material whether Ne
braska is listed as the eleventh state or the
twenty-first state. Nebraska will, unless some
thing wholly unforseen happens, ratify when it
comes to act. It would ratify by direct vote this
fall if submitted to the voters by initiative peti
tion; it will ratify through the legislature next
winter, at the latest. The only possible advantage
to the prohibition propaganda of immediate ratifi
cation is the leverage or momentum which Ne
braska's adherence might give to the movement
in other states.
v Under such circumstances no one need be dis
turbed or excited whether the extra session rati
fies or refuses to ratify. It is, to use a lawyer's
phrase, almost "irrelevant and immaterial."
Denominationalism and the Soldiers.
One of the singular debates now in progress
among the religious papers of the country has to
do with the question of which sect predominates
in the American army. As if that made any par
ticular difference. It has, however, given rise to
an effort to determine the sectarian leanings of
the men at the several large cantonments or
training camps. The preachers who have in
stigated the move might well listen to Rev.
Lauchlan McLean Watt of St. Stephen's church,
Edinburgh. He was chaplain of the Black Watch
and the Gordon Highlanders, and went through
their experiences in France with them. Speak
ing at a dinner of the Canadian club in New York,
he said:
"What are you religious men going to do
when the boys come home those boys who
have missed death, but who have come so close
to the eternal mystery? Those boys and we
chaplains are tired of ,your squabbles in the
name of Jesus Christ. We are not going to
tolerate any longer the old divisions between
xntn and the old fights between sects which
have divided communities. In death and fac
ing death there is no difference as to religion.
We leave it to God to sort them out as they
fall, battling for the glorious liberties which He
gave to all men.
Here is something for the sectaries to rumi
nate on, something of vastly more importance to
the church universal than an enumeration and
classification of votaries in the service. Death
knows neither creed nor dogma, nor rubric nor
ritual. The battle chants one magnificent litany,
and soldiers who brave that song and live to tell
of it wjll waste little time in undertaking to dif
ferentiate between claims of rival sects. Religion
will suffer little because of this war, but dogma
may lose much, if not all.
Government's Labor Program.
The program that has been submitted for
control of labor during the war period contains
some , provisions that seem essentially sound.
First of these is that labor agrees not to engage
in any strike until after a mediation board has
inquired into the grievance complained of. This
is vital, for its observance will bring about con
tinuous operation of war industries. Another im
portant adjustment is that of the open or closed
shop dispute. While the right to organize and to
proselyte is granted the labor unions, the status
of the industries 'as to employment is to stand
unchanged; in this regard the reasonable
arrangement is made for the employment of
either union or nonunion men in one or the
other to keep labor quota filled. Any restriction
of outupt is forbidden, and "striking on the job,"
the most malevolent of all practices, is thus prac
tically done away with. ("Speeding up," the bug
bear of the labor unions, is equally tinder the
ban. Taken as a whole, the agreement appears to
be such as will secure any rights of either side,
while it will also Jnduce'most efficient co-operation
Between employer and employed, and bring
about stability and increased production in
American factories. Objectors will doubtless be
heard, but these should be borne down by the
moral force of those agreeing, supported by the
influence of the government, and thus good will
come to all because something definite in form
of a labor program has been adopted.
Senator Williams is right when he says he is
pro-American in this war, and knows no party.
So say we all of us. But the senator ought to
labor with some of his, associates, who evidently
are under the impression that this is a little pri
vate war, carried on under the auspices and di
rection of the democratic party. -
Some excitable persons are worried for fear
not enough "pep" is going into the spring garden
drive. They should be patient; just wait until
the time comes to start, which is near at hand.
Then see the dirt fly before spade and hoe.
Nursery of Alien Disloyalty
German-American Alliance Revealed in Its True Colors
Prof. Max F. Meyer, University of Missouri, in Kansas City Star,
Congress is considering an act whose pur-1 whose' duty it is to make propaganda all over
. " - . . r . . . t . '
pose is the destruction of the Oerman Amer
ican alliance. I he representatives of this so
ciety plead for its preservation on twd.main
grounds, first that it has never, dime any.
thing prohibited by'the "constitution 'of the
United States; second, that it is ... a society
with patriotic aims. May I state why m my
opinio, the plea is a failure? Nevertheless,
to say it at once, I do not believe that a dis
solution of this society by congress would be
the most desirable thing. But let me say
this, too, that I do. not believe that this so
ciety ought to continue to exist; those of its
members who are real patriots ought to dis
solve it themselves, yielding to public opin
ion. Let me take up the second plea first. Be
ing of German birth and education, I
adopted, after due deliberation, the United
States as my country; Ever .since then I
have regarded it as my highest patriotic duty
as the highest patriotic duty of any Amer
ican citizen, native or naturalized to con
tribute according to ability toward cementing
together the heterogeneous elements of our
population. When I say heterogeneous I do
not mean that some are blqnd and some are
dirk complexioned. We know from expe
rience that that is no obstacle to our na
tional unity. I refer to the different modes
of life, especially to the difference of lan
guage. Has the German-American alliance dem
onstrated its patriotism by helping to teach
German immigrants the language of this
American country? Has it endeavored to
enable German immigrants to mix with the
population of this country? Has it done its
patriotic duty by trying to explain the habits
of life of the people in this country and thus
to make their adoption easier? The German
American alliance has not only failed to do
anything of this kind, it has done all in its
power to work in the opposite direction.
Was the systematized opposition of the
German-American alliances (I use the plural
in this case advisedly) to the progress of the
prohibition movement a patriotic duty? Hav
ing to teach, according to my scientific con
viction, the evil effects of the use of alcoholic
liquor, I cannot take outside of the classroom
a different attitude. But I favor progress in
such a manner that it will hurt as little as
possible. Therefore I favor an extreme po
sition only in an emergency. The German
American alliance, however, has never com
promised in this matter. It has opposed any
and all progress because this progress was
supposed to be Americanizing and anti-German.
They concealed their unprogressive at
titude by talking of personal liberty as guar
anteed by the constitution. Was that their
demonstration of patriotism? "
It make no difference that in this instance
they misinterpreted the wishes of the Ger
man government; that they forgot that the
German emperor has been making prohibi
tion speches in Germany for many years, and
that the German government has a special
official of high rank and salary in Berlin (I
can furnish name and address if desired)
the German empire for alcohol abstinence.
Their intention -was to make pro-German
propaganda by preserving the German drink
customs. Or do they claim that the pres
ervation of these drink customs was one of
their patriotic duties, as becoming a patriotic
society?
Some of these German-American alliances
have recently found it desirable to change
their name. An "American Citizenship asso
ciation" looks like a society whose members
endeavor to learn to appreciate American
institutions in comparison with foreign insti
tutions. Now this is what happened to me
in one of these "patriotic" societies. I
thought they wanted me to give an address
in favor of American citizenship, and so I
made two points which I regarded as most
important. I stated as my experience that
it makef little difference what language a
person . speaks, but that human happiness
might be served slightly better by the Eng
lish than by the German language, and fur
ther that the German institutions, in spite of
all their praised efficiency, are really very
inefficient in serving the fundamental social
and political needs of humanity.
When I had finished, the leader of this
patriotic society rose and gave vent to his
patriotism as follows: "Do not adopt this
man, Meyer, as your leader, for he has
spoken disparagingly of every German insti
tution he mentioned. If he had read the
books which I have rad" (he actually had
been in Germany, the last time in 1864) "he
would know that the German institutions are
the most perfect in the world. Because he
has not read these books, I demand that the
state of Missouri dismiss him from his posi
tion as teacher of our young people in the
university of the state." And a second leader
rose and said: "I am satisfied that Meyer
has made mistakes, for we are as good
Americans as he is. To be a good American
it is not necessary to love anything Ameri
can except the constitution.".
Are societies patriotic hr which t their
leaders express such national ideals as the
above? Is an individual patriotic who loves
the constitution so becaupe lie can rise it in
order to shield himself in his unpatriotic, anti-American
activities?
My humble view is, that he is a true pa
triot who loves his country so that he would
even renounce his constitutional rights if he
could not otherwise preserve his country.
Granted that the majority of its members
entered the German-American National alli
ance for perfectly desirable purposes.
Granted further that the national society
never did anything prohibited by the consti
tution of the United States. Granted fur
ther that it is a society with abstract pa
triotic aims, have the concrete activities of
its branches demonstrated that it is a pa
triotic society? No one can answer this
question in the affirmative without smiling.
If the honest and patriotic members of this
society have more power than their leaders,
they will by their own initiative dissolve the
society and thus free themselves from their
unpatriotic kaders.
eesi
"We Have Just Begun to Fight"
Colonel Henry Watterson Sounds the Slogan of the Nation
Louisville Courier-Journal.
If you are given to nervousness when you
open your morning paper to the headlines of
the war news; if the color of that news col
ors your day; if reports of entente successes
exhilarate you with the conviction that the
kaiser is at the end of his rope and the rope
is already being noosed around his neck; if
reports of German victories shroud you in
the glooms of despondency and sicken you
with the conviction that it is useless to re
sist the Prussian war machine then it is
against you no less than the British Tom
mies that the great drive of the Teutons is
now being made.
If all Americans were as "temperamental"
as you; as leaky of heart and bilious of liver;
as short of vision and trepid of footstep,
then the smashing blow which the Huns are
trying to land on the British in France would
be as smashing a blow to the Americans in
America, though not a hair of the head of
any American in France were harmed.
No one knows this better than the kaiser
and his general staff, and in that knowledge
lies one of the reasons of the 'present drive
against Haig. For the kaiser and his gen
eral staff no longer underestimate to the ex
tent that they formerly did the part which
America will be able to take in this war, and
it would be a telling stroke of strategy which,
while shattering some' important portion of
the allies' line in France and shocking the
morale of the British and French forces and
people, should also dishearten America and
cause it to falter and hesitate in the war
preparations it is making.
There is no longer any doubt that the
present movement of the Teutons is their
master movement of the war; that they are
risking their all on its success. They are
making it in the consciousness that they can
make it now better than later; that they are
at the crest of their power, and that every
day they may delay exerting that power is
to the advantage of their enemies, the most
recent and richest of whom, America, has
not vet had time to mobilize. With Russia
lout of the way, with their forces hitherto
employed on the eastern front released tor
concentration in the west, where the issue is
to be decided, there was every reason why, if
the Teutons were evfr to make their great
decisive effort in the west, they should make
it without further delay. Failure would only
bring nearer and clearer the defeat which
awaits them without some such gamble,
while success would place them in position,
so they calculate, to enter into negotiations
for a "German peace" that would leave them
in possession of many of the spoils of con
quest they now hold.
Let Americans refuse to be unnerved,
even should the present drive go through.
Let them bear in mind that the road to any
peace worth having is a long road, a rough
road, and that it is not to be traveled to vic
tory by magnifying bumps and "hogbacks"
and washouts into -insurmountable barriers.
Whether the Germans win or lose their big
gamble in France, must not alter our course
straight ahead. If they win, it must only
impress us, with a truer comprehension of
the fight we are in and brace us with a
sterner determination to meet the responsi
bilities we have undertaken. We shall never
be beaten by Germany, it matters not what
may be taking place in France now. L'etJ
every true American, as we ride the roacl
that stretches before us, however long or
rough, look steadfastly ahead and sit tight
in the saddle.
People and Events
Spades and hoes are weapons for home
guards. Shoulder arms and dig in I
Preliminary figures indicate a budget of
$77,202,000 for the Empire state for 1918.
Department job bosses want $98,000,000, but
the legislative financiers think the smaller
sum represents all the fat that may safely
be extracted at this ime. ,
A New York magistrate laid down the
dictum for the benefit of chronic offenders
that street cars have the right of way on their
own tracks and that auto drivers must keep
off. This deliverance somewhat jars the
autoist notion of road ownership.
A special court for the. trial of auto
thieves has started business in Chicago. The
special object in view is speed and more
speed on the road to Joliet. No matter what
clip justice may strike on this highway, few
complaints' of breaking the speed limit are
likely to come from gasoline society.
Illinois courts are still , struggling to
penalize the responsible heads of the looted
string of banks operated by William Lorimer
and his pal Munday. The latter, on trial at
Morris, put Lorimer on the witness stand,
and "blue-eyed'' Billy swore he was running
the bank when it failed. As Lorimer was let
out some time ago by a sympathetic jury
acknowledging , his talent . as a financial
hoodoo will not hurt himself and may helpf
his Ipard. , . i '
The Twin Cities are a mighty sore pair
and dangerously hot in the region of the
Stars and Stripes. "St. Paul is an American
city," exclaims the Pioneer-Press. "We -are
willing to concede," responds the Minne
apolis Tribune, "that St. Paul is a city in
America." That the other twin is in the
same boat may be inferred from the
Tribune's further remark, "This is the first
time Minneapolis ever had a mayor who was
not qualified to preside over a loyalist meet
ing." ' .
i' " i i in I i
TODAY
One Year Ago Today In tlie War. -
British captured Savy Wood, three
' miles from 6t Quehtln, after fierce
fighting.
German admiralty gave out addi
tional list of 48 vessels sunk by sub
marines during March.
, Members of congress gathered in
. Washington for the opening of the'
special session called by the presi
dent. '
The Day We Celebrate.
r Fremont C. Craig, accountant with
the Union Pacific railroad, bom 1862.
i Fred Met, president of the Home
Real Estate and Investment company,"
born 1863.
Daniel C. Hoper. United States com
missioner of Internal revenue, born in
.Marlboro county. South Carolina, 61
Fears ago.
General Sir James Wlllcocks, gov
ernor of Bermuda, born 61 years ago.
i Mary Miles Minter. photoplay
actress, born at Shreveport, La., 16
years ago.
. Edmund Rostand. French noet and
dramatist, born at Marseilles, 50 years
This Day In History. --1871
Reign of Terror ! in Paris,
with city in hands of communists.
187i White Star liner Atlantic
wrecked off coast of Nova Scotia, with
- loss of more than 600 lives.
, ilSSl Title "Commonwenlth of
Australia" adopted by Federation con
vtaition at Sydney.
J ust 80 Years Ago Today
Miss Minnie Collette and MIsa Ines
M. Haskell returned from the east.
The two busiest men in the city tp
day are the city clerk and the treas
urer as 150 salo6nkeepera have up
till noon paid the $7S0 license fee re
quired by law and are clamoring for
their licenses.
The total number of commercial
travelers registered at six of the lead
ing hotels was 636. None of those in
eluded are residents of this city and
nearly all are non-residents of the)
BuaiH.
P. P. Pomeroy, well known in this
city aa having been conencted with
both tne Herald and The Bee, la in
the city on a short visit with friends.
Mrs.' General Crook left for her old
home in Oakland, Md.. where she will
spend some weeks with relatives.
The stone cutters held a secret ses
sion at Cunnlne'hnm'a Viall mnA ak..
one hour was consumed in trannactlng
ay uaut4vuo . j
"Over There"
When will Russia come back? Her-
mAn TUrnxtnln. Petrosrrad corres
pondent of the New York Herald, an-
swera the question in mesa woras:
"A century of creative work of all
elements can hardly restore Russia's
losses." '
Cyril Brown, American correspond
ent writing from Stockholm, says the
birth rate in Germany aecreasea one
half In three years. Besides killing
of stock on hand, war necessarily
wrecks the future supply of cannon
fodder.
Emulating the Chicago German
who had to celebrate or bust, one
Mn Fmni-o Pnurpn of West Frank
fort, HI., cheered lustily for the "Hun
victory" last Monday, and slapped
an American who objected. The lat-
ta ratm-tart v rn fl rtinnnea nsi which
Jarred a few teeth. Besides this wal
lop on the cneering cavity i
d.m wis ftnad 1810 and Klven a
Joy ride on a rail. All these were
local courtesies, uncie aam now piuna
to pay hla respects.
War history and ancient lore Is
tvi.i, ..,h tn out in the town of
Toul, one of the localities closa to the
American trencnes. xam
of most of the towns on the battle
front. 'Toul the OoWenlt was
named aa far back aa the third cen
tury. American soldiers may not ab
sorb Its ancient atmosphere owing to
the pressure of urgent duty, but they
can be depended on to soak up
enough of the Joan of Arc spirit to
brighten Toul's place in the modern
war mapi
Round About the State
Hope at winning a hero medal
abounds in Fremont "When they
pass around the war decorations,"
observes the Tribune, "those Fre
mont men who ate horse meat to help
conserve the food of the nation shall
not be forgotten."
Symptoms of coming trouble are
visible In Falls City. According to the
Journal "some citizens of German
birth are very imprudent In express
ing faith in the ultimate victory of
the Germans. Their fellow citizens
feel like caging them up and sending
them home to the kaiser."
Responding to the touch of a 10
per cent boost in rates, the Hastings
Tribune geatly screams: "Nebraska
newspapers ought to work for a lower
Insurance rate in the state."
A man driving a four-horse team
Into David City caused a flutter of
amatement in the shop of the Peo
ple's Banner. "Believe me," says the
editor, "he sat up stralghter and
looked prouder than any man that
ever held the wheel of an ' auto. It
takes a mighty good man these days
to drrVe two horses, let alone four."
Washington county farm land
touched a new high level at a recent
referee sale. A quarter section of the
Moll farm, six miles from Wlnslow,
brought $255 an acre. This tract in
cluded the improvements. The second
quarter brought $287 an acre, a total
of $86,600 for the half section. These
prices top the record of $249 recently
noted for Nemaha county fand . and
cftmes within hailing distance of the
Hall farm score of $265.50 in Doug
las county,, ' i, .
Right to the Point
Louisville Courier-Journal:? As a
matter of course and as a matter of
policy, Berlin will do quite as much
boasting as fighting while the drive is
on. ,
St. Louis Globe-Democrat: The
United States and its associates can.
not be thrown into hysterics at this
stage of the war.
Washington Post: Anyhow, the
62,000 noncombatant officers in Wash
ington will form a fine contingent of
"yes yes" boys to listen to Secretary
Baker's remarks when he comes back.
New York Herald: If those more
or less titled persons of both sexes
now in the hands of the Department
of Justice are the spies they are sus
pected of being well, they certainly
seem to have been having a pretty
good time on the kaiser's money!
New York World: It is significant
fact that In one of the American sec
tors a- number of German soldiers de
serted and came across the lines,
calling "Don't shoot!" They were
tired of the war and readily gave in
formation of German arrangements.
No American has deserted. The "will
to victory" is not an exclusive German
possession.
Brooklyn Eagle; The soldier in
France ought to have a right to vote
in his state elections, but we under
stand General Pershing's protest.
With 48 different state commissions
wandering from one camp to another
alon the front to find men and
verify thlr qualifications, the military
effect might be gravely disturbing.
Talking of Patriotisan.
Omaha, March 29. To the Editor
of The Omaha Bee: It would sound
a little more consistent for Senator
John Sharp Williams of Mississippi
to talk of non-partisanship in politics
until the world war is at an end, If he
did come from a state where the most
intolerable conditions politically have
existed for many years. The opposi
tion to the party to which Mr. Wil
liams belongs, has been so completely
submerged by fraud and violence, in
his state that he feels safe in urging
non-partisanship in other tates. I
never was a follower of La Follette,
and I will not shed any tears to see
him unseated in the United States
senate, but it sounds very inconsistent
for a man like Senator Williams com
ing from a state where his party se
cured control by fraud and the shot
gun, to preach patriotism to those
who have stood by the flag unflinch
ingly when others trailed It in the
dust of treason.
FRANK A. AGNEW.
Recreation Centers.
Omaha, March 29. To the Editor
of The Bee: My attention has been
directed to an advertisement of a
candidate for city commissioner, in
which he favors the establishment of
"social centers and places of recrea
tion for the young "people in winter,
as well as in summer."
In justice to the public spirited men
and women who have devoted so
much of their time and energies in
developing the splendid Community
Centers organization of Omaha, I
want to inform this candidate, and
any others who may be ignorant of
the facts, of the extent and scope of
the Community Center work, which is
now being conducted for the third
year. i
The Board of Recreation, with the
co-operation of the School board, con
ducted 12 Community Centers in the
season now drawing to a close. The
culmination of the season was the
Municipal Athletic carnival at the
Auditorium Wednesday evening, at
which $00 men women and children
competed in games, athletic contests,
folk dances, drills and other exhibi
tions. ('enters were conducted at the fol
lowing public schools: Central Park,
Monmouth Park, Miller Park, Cas
telar, Kellom, Edward Rosewater,
West Side, Dundee, South High, Lin
coln. One center was conducted at
the deaf institute, and one at. Lefler
church, near Albright, as there are
no auditoriums in schools in these
communities.
The program at each center varies,
according to the desires of the peo
ple of the community. Each com.
munlty forms its own organization to
conduct the affairs of the Center, un
der the supervision of a director ap
pointed by the Board of Recreation.
Committees arrange for entertain
ments, concerts, lectures, etc., always
bearing in mind the promotion of
educational and social attainments.
Athletic classes are conducted -for
men and women, and it is inspiring
to see gray-haired grandmothers go
ing through the drills beside their
own daughters. These classes are con
ducted by expert physical directors.
One night a week at each Center is
devbted to club work. Dramatic clubs,
choral classes, Red Cross auxiliaries,
Improvement clubs, game rooms for
children, and other activities are con
ducted on the club night. The choice
ef club activities is left to the people
of the community. The Public Re
creation department provides in
structors in dramatic art and a di
rector of community singing.
The Dramatic clubs visit neighbor
ing Community! Centers with their
plays and the spirit of civic interest
and sociability is greatly encouraged
by this exchange of activities.
The attendance for. the month of
November 1917, was 5,194: December,
4,086; January, 7,615; February, 9,
810. This does not include the mu
nicipal chorus, which meets in the
city council chamber.
In addition to the Community Cen
ter work, I would direct this candi
date's attention to the skating ponds,
where an attendance of 177,000 was
recorded in the brief skating season
this winter; to the foot ball and soc
cer fields, where games are played
regularly In the ,early part of the win
ter; to the dance hall at Hanscom
park pavilion, use of which is given
free by the Park department to any
club or group of citizens, properly
chajeroned.
J. J. ISAACSON,
Recreation Director.
Hexamer's Omaha Speech.
Ogalalla, Neb., March 28. To the
Editor of The Bee: The once power
ful , German-American alliance is
about to give up the ghost, kicked to
death by its own members, too much
German propaganda.
It is almost three years since the
writer called attention in a signed
letter in The Bee, to this unpatriotic
society, it was immediately following
the banquet at the Fontenelle and the
rank pro-German un-American ad
dress by the president of the order,
Dr. Hexamer.
A few days thereafter he was billed
for an address at San Francisco. That
city was then almost completely under
the control of the powerful German
element. I mailed to the San Fran
cisco Chronicle The Bee report of the
Fontenelle speech,, together with a
copy of my letter. I never learned
what use the Chronicle made of It,
but the press report of the talk he
made In that city was very moderate
and docile when compared to the
rabid tirade of the Fontenelle speech.
This order at one time so powerful,
was all German, and never American,
organized for the express purpose of
Germanizing America, and placing
the German language at the top, and
eventually to displace the English
throughout the whole world.
EDWIN M. SEARLE.
Problem of the Weaker Roado.
Omaha, March 29. To the Editor
of The Bee: Now that the railroads
are being operated by the govern
ment, and all competition eliminated,
and all freight and passenger solicitors
recalled, and business allowed to find
its owA outlet, it certainly cannot be
expected that it can be as equitably
divided among the different lines as
under the keen competitive system
Just eliminated. The natural trend
will be for it to gradually drift to the
stronger lines, and the weaker lines
will doubtless wake up to the fact that
a large share of the business they
formerly enjoyed has disappeared and
found a home on other railroads. Of
course, during the period that the
railroads are under government op
eration, the earnings of all roads have
been guaranteed, but what about the
time when the government returns
the railroads to private operation?
Some of the larger lines will find an
Immense volume of business coming
to them, while some of the others will
find the very opposite condition. In
fact, will wake up to find that a large
amount of their former patronage has
disappeared, and the only way to get
it back will be to put solicitors in the
field and try and take it away from
the other fellow. The chances are
that the larger lines at that time will
endeavor to prevent the return to this'
expedient, as they will be fully satis
fied with the share of traffic coming
to them, and well they may, for
doubtless the cream of the little fel
lows' business will have been ab
sorbed by them, In addition to holding
the business that was already theirs.
It would seem, therefore, that before
the "business getting" department of
the railroads is abolished, some way
should be provided to protect the
weaker lines' interests after govern
ment operation has ceased.
BONA FIDE RAILROAD SOLICITOR
Wants Boycott on German Goods.
Troy, N. Y., March 25. To the Edi
tor of The Bee: Organizations like
our Chamber of Commerce are con
sidering the advisability of discrimi
nating against German manufactur
ers, some favoring such action, others
opposing the same. We would not
act in retaliation simply, but we must
use every weapon of defense for our
loved ones, and the only one that can
pierce the German hide is one that
can threaten their commerce. We
can now, at the very outset protect
our own from possible torture mutila
tion and starvation if our patriotic so
cities of men and women, our organ
izations of any sort will pledge them
selves and their efforts that no prod
ucts or goods coming directly or in
directly from German source, be used
for a .period of five or even 10 years
after the war, should we find that
American prisoners have been mis
treated or our hospitals wantonly
bombed. Are we going to let our hus
bands, sons, and wives suffer while we
fold our hands and think about it, or
shall we act now in the living present?
A MOTHER OF A SON ON THE
FRONT.
LET'S LAUGH AWHILE.
"How much for an operation, doctor T"
"Five hundred dollars.''
"Does that Include the war tat?" Judge.
"Here's a woman wants to be divorced be
cause her husband is too perfect."
"Well, do you suppose any woman could
be happy With a husband who never gave
her a chance to tind fault?" Baltimore
American.
"What's all that about the Argonauts and
the golden fleece?"
"Just a little flowery stuff as a starter.
The senator Is discussing the wool schedule1. '
Louisville Courier-Journal.
"Don't you love our song, 'The Star
Spangled Banner' ?"
"I do," replied Senator Sorghun
Then why don t you Join
"My friend, the way for me
affection for a song is not to try to slnj
it." Washington Star.
Sorghum.
iln the chorus 1"j
me to show real
"Why don't you accept him If he has of
fered to have hla life Insured in your
favor?"
"Because if hewas a good risk for the
Insurance company; he'd be a bad one for
me." Boston Transcript.
oPORT OF KILLING MEN.
Don C. Selta, In Leslie's. I
Far off in France the smoke clouds rise'
Aa the cannons thunder when
We go to Join in the greatest game
In the sport of killing. men.
Here Is no place for gentle thoughts.
No room for humane things;
But blood and blows and sudden death
The trump cards of the Kings.
Dealt out to us who bear our share
In the muddle of right and wrong.
Yet thrill with joy at the .battle cry.
Though tew against the strong!
With sword and song we Join the ho.-t,
Thin-spread in the fighting ranks.
To lend a hand in the desperate work
And follow tho clanking tanka
Across the fields where flowers grow
And lowing kine once fed
With steel j.nd flame we do our bit
To multiply the dead!
The dead alona who count in war
As stakes In the royal play.
Once men like us with hearts and souls
Now spurnel and cast away!
So face the game with the best to match
Aa the cannons thunder when
We charge and fall at the trumpet's call
In the sport of killing men!
-"WHY-
NOT
'Business is Qood Thani; You1
Dark or Light
I SPLITS
Order a Case Sent Home
8 Omaha Beverage Co.
I OMAHA, NEB.
1 Phone Doug. 4231.
Hotel Dyckman
Minneapolis
FIREPROOF
Opened 1910
Location Most Central v
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Pre, and Manager
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