The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-06-01

WI. uTluIl. he SIOOu SileuI
moment, staring at the presidents
Some subtle change crept into the
listless eyes, and his lips were set.
Perhaps / had better explain here
that the personal equation enters
largely into an affair of this
kind" he said at last, slowly. 1T
happens that It entered into this.
Unless I am ordered to pursue the
matter further / think 1t would be
best for all concerned to accept
the fact of Miss Thorne's escape,
and" He stopped.
There was long, thoughtful 81
lence. Every man in the room
was studying Mr.. Grimm's impas-
sive face.
Personal equation" unused the
president. Just how, Mr..
Grimm, does the personal equa-
ton enter into the affair.""
The young mans lips closed
Tightly, and then:
There are some people, Mr..
President, whom we meet frankly
as enemies, and we deal with them
accordingly; and there are others
who oppose us and yet are not enc
mics. 1t is merely that our
paths of duty cross. We may
have the greatest respect for
them and they for us, but pur-
poses are unalterably different. In
other words, there is a personal
enmity and political enmity.
You, for instance, might be a
close personal friend of the man
whom you defeated for president.
There might"-he stopped sud-
denly.
go on" urged the president.
81 think every man meets orce
in his life an individual with
whom he would like to reckon
personally, the young man con-
tinued. "That reckoning may not
be a severe one; 1t may be less
severe than the law would pro-
vide; but it would be a personal
reckoning. There is one individ-
ual in this affair with whom j
should like to reckon, hence the
personal equation enters very
largely into the case"
For little while the silence of
the room was unbroken, save for
the steady textbook of a great
clock in one corner. Mr.. Grimm's
eyes were fixed unwavering upon
those of the chief executive. AT
last the secretary Of war crumpled
a sheet Of paper impatiently and
hitched his chair up to the table.
Coming down to the facts, it's
like this, isn't it," he demanded
briskly. ''The Latin countries, by
an invention of their own which
the United States and England
were to be duped into purchas-
ing, would have had power to-
explode every submarine mine be-
fore attacking port? Very welLl
This thing, of course, would have
given them the freedom of the
seas as long as we were unable
to explode their submarines
as the they were able to-
explode ours. And this is the
condition which made the Latin
compact possible. isn't it?"
He looked straight at Mr..
Grimm. who nodded.
Therefore" he went on, 'ifl
the Latin compact is not reality
on paper; If the United States and
England do not purchase this
this wireless percussion cap, we
are right back where we were be-
fore it all happened, aren't we?
Every possible danger from that
direction has passed. hasn't it,?
The world-war of which we have
been talking is rendered impos-
|sible, isn't it?"rs
That's a question:" answered
Mr.. Grimm. "If you will pardon
me for suggesting It, 1 would
venture to say that as long as
there is an invention of that Inn
portance in the hands of nations
whom we now know have been
Iconspiring against us for fifty
years, there Is always danger. 1t
seems to me. IL you will pardon
me again, that for the sake of
peace we must either get COM