The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1912-01-20
CHAPTER xxi.
The Compact.

| The Compact.
A room, low-ceilinged, dim, gloomy,
! siniste: as an inquisition chamber;
single large table in the center, hold
| ing a kerosene lamp, writing materi-
ais and a metal spheroid a shade
| larger than a one-pound shell; and
| around 1t a semicircle of silent,
masked and cowled figures. There
| were twelve of them, eleven men and
woman. In the shadows, which grew
| denser st the far end Of the room.
was a squat, globular object, a mas
sive, smooth-sided, black, threatening
| thing of from
One of the men glanced at his
watch-it was just two o'clock-then
rose and took a position beside the
table, facing the semicircle. He placed
the timepiece on the table in front of
him
Gentlemen" he said. and there was
the faintest trace of a foreign accent,
st shall speak English because know
that whatever your nationality all of
you are familiar with that tongue.
And now an apology for the theatric
aspect of all this-the masks, the
time and place Of meeting, and the
There is only one person living who
knows the name and position of all
Of you" and by a sweep of his hand
he indicated the motionless figure OF
the woman. at was by her decision
that masks are worn, for, while we all
know the details Of the Latin com
pact, there is bare chance that some
one will not sign, and it is not de.
sirable that the identity of that per
son be known to all of US The rea-
son for the selection Of this time and
| place is obvious, for an inkling of the
proposed signing has reached the Sc
cret Service. 1 will add the United
| States was chosen as the birthplace
of this new epoch in history for sew
| eral reasons, one being the proximity
to Central and South America; and
another the inadequate police system
which enables greater freedom of
action"
He stopped and drew from his
pocket a folded parchment He tapped
the tips of his fingers with it from
time to time as he talked
THE Latin compact, gentlemen, is
not the dream of a night, nor of a
decade. AS long as fifty years ago
| it was suggested, and whatever differ
ences the Latin countries of the world
have had among themselves, they
| have always realized that ultimately
| they must stand together against
| against the other nations of the world.
This idea terminated into action
three years ago, and since that time
agents have covered the world in its
| interest. This meeting is the fruition
| of all that work, and this" he held
the parchment aloft, lis the instru-
ment that viii unite US. Never has
/ diplomatic secret been kept as this
has been kept; never has a greater
reprisal been planned. It means, gen
tlemen, the domination of the world
socially, spiritually, commercially and
artistfcally; it means that England
and the United States, whose sphere
of influence has extended around the
globe, will be beaten back, and that
! thu flag of the Latin countries will
wave again over lost possessions. 1t
means all Of that. and more"
His voice had risen as he talked
| until it had grown vibrant with en-
| thusiasla; and his hands pointed his
remarks with quick, sharp gestures
All this he went on, was never
| possible until TIRES years ago, when
| the navies of the world were given
| over into the hands of one nation-my
| country. Five years ago a fellow
countryman of mine happened to be
| present at an electrical exhibition in
New York City, and there he wit
Dessed an interesting experiments
| practical demonstration of the fact
| that submarine mine may be ex-
| ploded by the use of the Marconi
wireless system. He was practical
electrician himself, and the idea lin
| gered in his mind. For two years he
| experimental, and finally this result
| ed" He picked up the metal spheroid
and held it out for their inspection
'lAs It stands it is absolutely perfect
and gives a worlds supremacy to the
Latin countries because it places all
the navies of the world at our mercy.
It is variation Of the welIknown
percussion cap or fuse by which
mines and torpedoes are exploded.
"The theory of it is simple, as are
the theories of ali great inventions;
the secret Of its construction is
known only to its inventor man of
whom you never heard. 1t is merely
that the mechanism OF the cap is so
delicate that the Marconi wireless
,Esvee-and only those-win ire the