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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1918)
THE BEE: OMAHA, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1918. The Omaha Bee DAILY (MORNING) EVENING SUNDAY FOUNDED BT KDW4.RO BOSK W ATM VICTOR ROSEWATER, EDITOR TBB BE! TUBHSHINO COM PANT, fROPRIXTOB. MEMBER OP THE ASSOCIATED PRESS fto lamiM mm. at th ft t mmtm. m Mtat iinM M tM km ttr rablioMKw at U am uwutm ndiM4 to H m tot MtanriM wwiiMd la Pr. u I. Ml am MrtOihl Mwm All nthn t (utumuca at mm mmHI tfmtm nmnrt Bull Tut Km HatNUaa. CfeMMO-rw Oat taMa ft OaM Mil H. . Nw Twk-M flft tw. UoMla-lMtM BatMim. WMtlmtt-Ull O BL JULY CIRCULATION Daily 68,265 Sunday 59,312 ima Mmttttlta fct th. amta. MtarlM aaa m m k? rfM WMHuM. ClrroUUoa Mmum. - SubMHWra Umrtut T kaa Tka B mn4 ta tbaav Aadraw camf1 a ttm aa wqwwted. THE BEX'S SERVICE FLAO Hi Plteiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Get ready for the "akip-atop." If prohibition is a dead issue in Nebraska, why give it so much attention? If lower freight ratei will bring cheaper fuel, the public will not complain of the reduction. War certainly is all Sherman said it was. Base ball umpires get by now without being roasted. Poets have been declared engaged in essential occupation, which may relieve a few, If they only can prove themselves such. t Which reminds us again, What has become of all the "salute and ride" placards supposed to bs decorating our automobiles? The "Sandstorm division" ! reported to bt on the way to Franc. Anything ought to be wel come to thoN boys after year at Demlng. The Crechc-Slava are doing wonderful work ta Kussia, ana it it up to us over ner to give " them support Remember,; the Czecho-Slavic ? Bazaar it still open. ; 1 1 it I) it Pif i, a - 4 i it No sympathy exists for the stacker, yet he has tome legal rights. Even a person accused of being a slacker is presumed to be innocent until proved guilty. The American Expeditionary Fore in Europe was increased by 250,000 more men sent across in th month of August. The kaiser may as well order hi U-boats put in winter quarters and ssve gatolin. , No politic in th railroad a service of th United State, insist th order of Director Gen eral McAdoo. Ia th meantime Mr. McAdoo it putting hit own nam on every payroll check for every railway employ la th United States, just to let people know who th head bott is. Over in Chicago, th Tribune is showing up Mayor Thompson's pro-German war record, and hcwing'"np in ruthless fashion. No one, how ever, so far as w know, it accusing th Tribune of disloyalty to th republican party because it denounces an unfit candidate for United State senator. ' The animus behind a dastardly deed like that bomb explosion ia the Chicago postoffic it th same as that behind th torpedoing of th Lus itania. It ia the reckless desire to strike terror even at th cost of th live of Innocent women and helpless children. It evidence spirit which hat no rightful place anywhere ia the civilized world. it If.'' Lndandorf Loan oa a Reed. Field Marshal Ludendorff, thoroughly Prus sian, dismisses America at a factor ia th ulti mate decision of th war. Ia doing toJie pit th German "will to win" against th Svill to annihilate of th Allies and reckons oa the in stability of th Americana 1 ' Thia attitude is so typical of th entire court of junkerdom that it might be diamissed without serious or extensive consideration. Th military leadera of Germany planned to avoid any interference in the war on part of America, to b accomplished by factional division among oar people. Thia failed, but it failnr ha taught th Potsdam plotters ao let ton. Ia their pnrblindnes they caa aot con ceive, much lest comprehend, th spirit that has . brought at into th war. Materialists ia all they do, they have no thought of fighting to sustain aa ideal and refuse to credit American with having entered Jh conflict for any reason more aoble or worthy than th tordid consider ations that animate th Germane. Ia measuring his opponent by hit own standard, Ludendorff is preparing for even greater disappointment than he has yet endured. He ia leaning on a reed when he banks oa success to be achieved by reason of failure of Americans to be steadfast in the great job. REFORMING THE PRIMARY PLAN. Dissatisfactioa with th working of th state wide primary election method of (electing candi dates is finding varied expression. Aa a defeated candidate for a democratic nomination Charlea 0. DcFrancc draws on his experience for an elaborate and somewhat involved substitute, in which he seeks to combine festures of both pri mary and convention. The workability of his plan is doubtful. It is cumbersome and rigid, and on close examination gives no promise of greater satisfaction than the present system. Mr. DeFrance lays greatest stress on the item of expense to the candidate, pointing out that large sums of money must be used to put names of sspirants for office before the people.' Whether his device for shifting a portion of the cost to the public treasury would reduce the amount spent in primary elections on behalf of individual candidates is open to question. More likely it would only divert the expenditure. We admit the point is perplexing, but really it is a minor matter. If unfit candidates are nominated, and this is the vital complaint, the blame in some degree rests on the voters, who neglect to inform them selves as to the character of the men seeking sup port Mr. DeFrance's effort ti pin this short coming upon the use of newspapers aa "intellec tual taxicabs for the transportation of what each candidate has brass enough to say about himself" is unconvincing. This pretense or pretext may be more fully considered at another time. The whole question really gets back to the subject of party government If we are to con tinue that form of self-government which alone has proved workable, then the various political parties should be responsible for the candidates put forward in their names. This responsibility cannot be enforced except through the selection of candidates representative of the party and their selection exclusively by its members. Under the convention plan such responsibility it easily es tablished, while even the closed primary does not always beget such a result. To create a conven tion or primary that truly voices the will of the rank and file of the party is the object for which th lawmakers must strive, and which to date they have failed of accomplishing. One Place for the Skip-Stop. The notice given by the chairman of the Ne braska State Railway Commission, if correctly reported, that the recommendation of the fuel administration for the skip-stop cannot be put into effect by street railways in Omaha or Lin coln without an order from the commission shows the absurdities to which its claim of exclusive jurisidiction leads. We opine that if the skip stop system should be installed in compliance with th request of the federal government an inhibition by the State Railway Commission would have about as much deterring effect as the pope's, bull against the comet But suppose it were the municipal authorities instead of the federal government that demanded th skip-stop, or some other kind of stop, or un dertook to regulate the time schedule, or speed of the cart, or the transfer points, the inference conveyed it that we would have the wiseacres dowa at Lincoln telling ut it cannot be done until they issue the say-so. Of course, it ia easily un derstandable that with the operationi of the rail roads and the telephone, telegraph and express companiea all in the handa of Uncle Sam and out of the hands of the state railway commission, the commission has to pretend to be busy finding something to do at an excuse for continuing on the salary list and for maintaining an expensive corpt of experts, clerks and tubordinates, Nebraska's coming constitutional convention will have a grand opportunity to put the skip atop oa the railway commission. Bolshevik! Back to Savagery. Any tympathy the to-called "international! might have gained through their specious pleaa for universal peace must be rapidly disappearing as the bolshevik! increase their outrages against order and decency ia government Lenine and Trotzky registered the high-water mark of class government, the aim of the socialists and inter nationalists, and as their fortunes wane are leav ing a. trail of murder as well as social wreckage behind. Assassination has ever been an accom paniment of such demonstrations as the bolshe vik! misrule ia Russia, and observers are not as tonished that the murder ofhe former czar and his son should be followed by that of the German and British diplomatic agents. It does not enter into the calculation that these were representa tives of foreign governments, with whom the bolshevik! or their successors must eventually deal; it wat enough that they were typical of law and orderly procedure. This relapse into sav agery gives a more murky quality to the Rus sian muddle, yet Has some aspects that, are en couraging. At an indication of the ebb of na tional lunacy, it justifies belief that restoration of order may be nearer at hand than had been suspected; not that Russia will soon again be a well-governed nation, but disorganization having accomplished its worst, the deceived and deluded people will turn from their false prophets and so make easier the task of those who are to rescue them from chaos and destruction. Youth as a Fighting Force Thousands of American Boys Under 21 Already With the Colors John W. Harrington Youth will be served. The passage of the man power bill, drafting - for military service American boyt and men from 18 to 45 years old, does not alter the great fact that young America by the thousands antici pated the new move by enlisting. When the numbers come out the balance of them, who are of fighting age and condition, will be just as eager to join the colors of their country as were the stripling marines who fought at Chateau Thierry, the youthful aviators who bombed the boche, or the alert boy fighters of our battleships and destroyers. When the time for registration comes, it will be reported of many a boy from 19 to 20 that he has been at the front for months. Of the remaining 1,797,609 effectives of that age estimated to be available under the draft, when we get to it, there will not be many exempted, if they can help it. Many of them have been on their tiptoes ever since this country entered the war, waiting for their chance to break away from parental control. Those of us who have boyt of soldier and sailor age are swayed by conflicting emotions. We would not think much of them if they did not -want to serve, even if they ran away from home to do it. Yet we hesitate to let them go unless we feel sure that they are strong enough and well prepared enough to undergo the ordeals of war. As one who has made the rounds of recruiting stations, and has talked with many boys keen to be in the service of their native land, I am summing up the situation in which American youth finds itself in this national crisis. What a story of youth in all its courage and idealism we read in the Congressional Record's statement, which sets forth how many of the boys of the United States are already in the ranks of the Army of Freedom! While the draft was reaching out to men of from 21 to 30, the enlistment ages reached from 18 to 41, and in some of the branches of the service men of 45 were accepted. Up to August 8 last, when the War department, anticipating the passage of draft legislation, ordered enlisting to cease, most of the re cruits were boys.The recruiting officers in the large stations in New York were over whelmed at times by applications. Most of the youngsters had an enthusiastic interest in some special branch of the service, and they offered themselves eagerly so that they could have the choice of seeing the face of danger in their own way. , The writer has looked over records of one recruiting station, dating from April last until the closing order. There are such ages as 18, 19, 19J4 and 20, with here and there only a sprinkling of more mature applicants. Fully 80 per cent, of those accepted were minors, and most of them mere boys. Line after line shows rejected applications, be cause it had been found that they were only 16 and 17. It is a hard thing to tell the age of a boy. Hundreds of 16-year-olds have applied for all branches of the service, relying on the fact that they looked 20 or 21. The government does not take any boy below 18, except under unusual conditions, and the applicants who were besieging the recruiting sergeants did not hesitate to put ahead their own calendars and even to swear to false statements. Dismissal from the serv ice is the penalty for perjuring one's self even for patriotic purposes, but these young sters were taking the risk when other means failed. Scores of them were caught offering the birth certificates of older brothers as evi dence of an age that wat within the law. Many a mother had been importuned day and night until she went to the recruiting office and swore to a false date for the birth of her ton, because he would give her no peace until the did. Sturdy boys of 17 have been crossing the borders into Canada, where they said they were 20 and took the oath of allegiance to the British Crown for the period of the war, because that was the way to get into avia tion service, as the enlistments for airmen in the United States had closed in March last The cavalry of the air stirs the imagina tion of youth. It offers the newest phase of warfare, it throbs with adventure, and it Economy in Spots A survey by the Council of National De fense rather puts the quietus on the theory that the American people have been cutting personal expenditures down to the bone. Ap parently "economy" is very spotty. The south and the west, revelling in tremendous increase in the cash value of farm products, seem to be buying more than ever before Most of the saving is in eastern families. Probably that is explained by the fact that the classes of unorganized workers whose wages have been increased very little, if at all, are most numerous in the great com mercial states. As between the sexes, men are buying less, women are buying more. Guessers declare that this is partly because so many men are in the army and are taken out of the general purchasing public, partly because women workers are getting bigger wages than they ever got before, and spending what they earn, but in large measure because married women, wives of workers who are making high wages, are spending freely. We are not at all surprised by this show ing. Nor do we think jt is one over which any grief need be felt. Not even the severest advocate of economy desired to have such a crash of manufacturing and distributing in terests as would have come if every soul within our borders had determined to buy nothing that could be done without1 In the' long run such a clash would have hurt this nation and would have hurt our allies. Eng land has found, as we have found, a steady demand for all available luxuries springing out of high wages. She has found, as this survey finds here, that the very rich have done the highest percentage of the cutting. Brooklyn Eagle. in New York Timet. has been responsible for many a boy's run ning away from his home and making his way to the Dominion, especially at the cities near the Great Lakes. Some of them are already aces. Official figures of the number of Ameri can boy fighters abroad are inadequate, be cause it is impossible to arrive at a close estimate of the number who have joined the ambulance service of the allies and have gained entrance to the fighting forces. The Foreign Legion, the Lafayette Escadrille, the American Legion recruited in Canada, and many other organizations contain hundreds of boys born on our soil. Ever since the outbreak of the European war in the sum mer of 1914 there has been a steady stream of American youth to the western battle front. The army of the United States in 1916 17 counted 27 per cent, of the enlistments as those of men under 21. The entrance of our country into war caused a jump of en listments, of which 70 per cent, were of those who had not reached their majority. Of the 133,000 young soldiers enumerated, 113,950 were between 19 and 20 years old and 19.050 below 19. Of the 400,000 recruits for the naval forces the provost marshal reported that 97,500 had not reached their majority. There were 75,000 of them in the 200,000 re cruits of the navy and the lesser number among the naval reserves. Of the marine corps recruits there were 13,826 between the ages of 18 and 20, of whom 1,974 were under 19 years old. What a Dollar is Worth People who have suspected that about the only cheap thing left in the country was the dollar bill have their .suspicions confirmed by figures published by the Department of Labor. Measured by its power to purchase food, a dollar as compared with its value five years ago is at present worth only 54 cents in Washington and Baltimore, 57 cents in Philadelphia, 59 cents in New York and Chi cago and 63 cents in San Francisco. That is, food that could be bought for $1 in July,, 1913, now costs $1.85 in Washington, and is proportionately high in the other cities. As respects shoes, rents, coal liquors. amusements and both necessaries and luxu ries, the dollar has shrunk yet further, in some cases almost reaching the vanishing point, Given another year's continuance of the same scale of increase in the price of all commodities and it will virtually be neces sary for a man to earn $2 to pay for what one bought before the beginning of the war. This is the disturbing factor and the un settling condition. For the profiteers and for all whom as employers or employed the war has enabled to earn larger wages and increased profits, halving the purchasing power of tne dollar matters little; it is only necessary for them to adjust the swollen cost of living to their swollen incomes. For sal aried persons, people on fixed incomes and all who have had no share in war prosperity, the problem of livine in the old decree of comfort has become an acutely serious one. Their only relief can come, from the return of the dollar'to its fdrmer status, and that is bound to be a slow process, possibly reamr- ing a decade to effect. New York World. Bombing the Rhine Towns "Why did we ever raid London and Paris?" This is said to be a frequent lament ing question in the mouths of Germans liv ing in the towns where raids have come home to roost. It is at least a recognition of the fact that what is now being executed upon them is the villainy which they themselves taught In so far, it is more respectable than the cowardly attitude and disgusting hypocrisy of some of the officials of the Rhine cities They have been passing reso lutions calling upon the German government to seek an agreement with the allies whereby places behind the lines shall be exempt from aerial bombing. That this is both impudent and indecent does not seem to occur to these simple-minded and panic-stricken burgo masters. Did one of them ever raise so much as a whispered protest when Antwerp was bombed? Did they do anything but rub their hands in gloating satisfaction when news came of women and children in Lon don being killed by German air-raiders? It is only when bombs drop in their own streets that they awake to the horror of what Ger many began and has kept up with all its might It is, indeed, a fearful thing this dealing out of death to non-combatants but the Germans would cut a better figure if they took their own medicine without all this whining. New York Post i People and Events Governor McCall of Massachusetts takes himself out of the senatorial race, leaving a clear republican field to Senator Weeks. The governor explains that, with the hearts of the people beyond the seas, it is a poor time "to drag out personal claims into the day and shriek out one's virtues to the paserby." With him "politics is adjourned." The late Senator Ollie James of Kentucky was a staunch defender of the rights and privileges of baldheads, of which cult he was a shining member. Obituaries neglect to give the date of initiation, but it must have been in early days of manhood. Even then he shone in vocal power as well as on too and gave no heed to flippant references to hair tonics and things. On one occasion only did a political oooonent floor him in a joint debate. James had laid down the law to the republicans m the usual democratic fashion and seemingly had the crowd with him to a man. Near the close of the polit ical law deliverance a nervy republican - f I. . . . suaveiy exciaimea: anaxe not tny gory locks at me." The laugh that followed smothered the peroration. I I OHAV One Tear Ago Today In the "War. Russian retreat from Riga became more orderly, Secretary Lansing and Viscount : Ishii conferred on Japan's assistance in the war. Government raids on Industrial Workers of the World headquarters disclosed plots to call strikes In all ; munitions works i The Day We Celebrate. Charles E. Black, the hatter, born 1861. : ' . Robert F. Bacon, with McCord Brady company, born 1855. v Mario G. Menocal, president of Cuba, : born in Matansas, 52 years ago. Charles F. Scott former. Kansas congressman, born in Allen county, 'Kan.. 58 years ago. Norman Hackett actor, born at Am- h erst burs, Ont, 43 years ago. Pietro Mascagni, whose new opera ; la soon to be produced In Rome, born at .Leghorn, Italy, 55 years ago. This Day in History . , 1820 Nathaniel Wheeler, pioneer Itewing machine manufacturer, born at watertown. Conn. Died at Bridge port Conn December 31, 1893. 1893 German emperor abolished the exceptional laws and privileges in fores 4n Alsace-Lorraine. 1M4 Th Germans retreated across the. Marns. 1915 Zeppelin raid oa English oast resulted in 17 persona killed. Just 30 Years Ago Today Dr. Galbralth left on an extended hunting trip, accompanied by a party of friends. The uniformly good weather and consequent splendid attendance has placed the Omaha Fair association on its feet with money ahead. At the meeting of the Toung Men's Republican club, these delegates were elected to the State - Republican league: Cadet Taylor, W. J. Connell, J. I Webster, D. H. Wheeler, J. M. Thurston. C. 1. Green, E. P. Hanlon. A. I Wiggins, J. H. McCulloch. C. A. Potter. R. S. Hall, F. R. McConneU and R. S. Ervin. The agricultural implement firm of Armstrong, Pettis & Co. has been dis solved and the business will hereafter be conducted under the name of Arm strong A Co. Ti. s ..'"Turf v.r.. y Here and There The Congo is one of the widest waterways on the globe. In some places it is so wide that vessels may pass one another and yet be out of sight In evidence of the fact that a change of air does good. It is pointed out that animals belonging to traveling shows are always more healthy and long lived than those kept in zoological gardens. So extensive are precautions taken by railroads that link Argentina and Chile . by climbing the Andes, which nave me steepest graaes in tne world, that not a fatal accident has happened since they were opened in 1910. The time for taking medicines is more Important than most people are aware. Those containing alkalines are taken before a meal so as to stimulate the gastric or digestive Juices. Acid medicines are taken -after meals, to carry on the digestion. Medi cines containing drugs such as arsenic must follow a meal, so that they may mix with the food and not Injure the stomach-coating. The menu on board a submarine is not varied, consisting most of stew, with an occasional mess of salt fish for a change, and plenty of strong, hot coffee to chase away sleep from tired eyelids. The meals are eaten out of aluminum dishes in collapsible men tables when the vessel is submerged. When the submarine is running on the surface its crew usually prefer to take their plates of stew on deck. Editorial Shrapnel Detroit Free Prees; The kaiser made the mistake of picking out a nation that refuses to be beaten. Washington Post: The allies' caustic criticism of Blunder Bill is pallid and feeble compared with what Bismarck is circulating along the Styx. Louisville Courier-Journal: Wails the gilded "clown prince" of Potsdam: As an actor, 1 rate as a ham. I was cast as a hero, but my score is Just zero, and the audience applauds like a clam. Cleveland Plain Dealer: The Ger man press is blaming it all on Hin denburg. Now that they have got that near to it, the chances are that one of these days they'll tell the name of the real criminal. Baltimore American: A German mil itary critic says if the German's had Foch'a inexhausible human material, they would have entered Paris long ago. Tour "If." as Mr. Shakespeare remarks, is a great peacemaker. New York Post: Taking the average commodity prices of the period 1901 to 1905, inclusive, as 100, the London Economist's "index number" gives the average of this war as 116 5-8, and the average at the end of last July, after four years of war, as 878 VJ. ' Brooklyn Eagle: When, in the civil war, the government said, "Tour mon ey or your life," and any drafted man could buy a substitute, draft riots among the poor who could do no buy ing were to be expected. But our se lective conscription is a wholly dif ferent thing; it arouses no antagonism ana mere win be no rtntin tuw Twice Told Tales Genuine Novelty. Judge Wood, whose specialty is to separate two hearts that beat as one into two that beat as two, was com menting on the lightness with which marriage is regarded by so many of the present generation. "Reminds me of Smith," he said, "who was seen at the theater paying marked atten tion to a young lady he was escort ing. "'I never saw him so attentive to a woman before,' remarked a by stander. 'It's extraordinary.' " 'Not at all,' replied his friend, 'the lady Is his wife!' " 'His wife? Then it is more than extraordinary. It's shocking.' "Los Angeles Times. Slightly in Doubt V "But my dear madam," said the admiral, "it is hard to discuss these matters with one so unfamiliar with the terminology of the subject Tou remind me of the young wife who was speaking to her brother about her volunteer husband. "'Isn't Jack Just wonderful V she said. 'He's already been promoted to field marshal. " 'From private to field marshal in two months? Impossible!' said . the brother. "'Did I say field marshal?' mur mured the young wife. 'Well, per haps it's court-martial. I know it's one or the other.' " Touth'e Com- 'fife Jerry Warns Union Men. Omaha, Sept. 5. To th Editor of The Bee: In the midst of this dread ful war it seems there are others be sides the profiteer and the politician flim-flamming the laborer. Labor day it was amusing, if not disgusting, to witness the schemes of the demagogic labor patrioteer-pollticlan manipu lating the selection of officers to be voted for or ratified at the State Fed eration convention. The rank and file of the horny handed sons of toll are men of average Intelligence, nevertheless they permit the vendors of wet goods, fellows of the never-sweat variety, to be their avowed leaders because the labor or ganizations have developed into mu tual admiration societies, consequently the members are not on the alert; and at the dictation of the . corporations who are always on the alert the politi cal tricksters in the unions become the accredited leaders, electing them selves to office. This war is going to be won. There fore, when It is over it is evident and most essential that we should have honest intelligent labor leaders to cope with the wise representatives of big business. Delegates to the convention awake, arise; don't allow the labor cause to be camouflaged by the corporation owned political bushwhackers. JERRY HOWARD. -WHY- WOT OILS LAW fttdoi ! Good Quak Artistic Frames for Class Pictures Memories of your high school and college days will linger long. 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