Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-06-10
AlvIlRICAN5 OECRY
DEMAND FOR WAR
LOngacre Finds Average Citizen
Wants Country to Keep out
of European Brawl.

New York, june 4.--1ne effect of the
latest exchange of views between Wash
ington and Berlin upon the relations of
the United States and Germany has con-
tinued to monopoze attention and dis
Cussion this week. While there is praC-
teal unanmity that tile president must
be upheld. the time that has elapsed since
the sinking Of the Lusitania has brought
out one fact with impressive force. This
is that the man in the street does not
want to see the United states involved
in war with any OF the European bellger-
cnts. To those who can remember the
events of 1898, the present contrast with
the overwhelming popular demand for
the punishment of Spain which then exist
ed is most impressive. To learn the
average Americans view Of the situation,
] spent two days this week getting the
opinions of all sorts and conditions of
representative Americans on this subject.
These arc not the people who are quoted
in newspapers but those who really make
up sound public opinion To get AN aver
age point of Wow have talked with nun
dreds of men in all ranks OF life from
laborers to the heads of some of the
greatest corporations in the country. The
surprising thing about these interviews
was the similarity of the views express
ed Aside from the futility If war be-
tween the United States and Germany at
this timo which nearly all of those qles-
toned referred to, the common expression
was one of pride that the United States
alone among the worlds great powers
has kept out Of the war, and a belief that
better way can be found Of adjusting
the present difficulty than to plunge into
the maelstrom. Criticisms of Germany's
first note is general but the average man
holds that there are two sides to every
question and that calm consideration of
this fact should lead to a friendly UNI
derstanding The Clamtr of pro-Germans
and pro-Alles does not shake him in his
desire that America should use every eff
fort to remain on terms of friendship
with all the countries now at war.
To avoid the payment of interest, tax
payers of New York heaped nearly Sl2,-
100000 into the city treasury one day this
week. OF this amount the largest single
payment was made by the New York
Central Railroad company which sent
check to the office of the receiver of taxes
for sl,Soi ,1O0S7. The next largest amount
came from the pennsylvania Railroad
company. which paid $S69,G+iSl. These
payments, however, covered only the ia xes
paid by these companies on property
owned by them in the Borough of Manhat-
tan. Throughout the day hundreds of
persons stood in line and the recording
Of their payments required the services
Of a large corps of extra clerks. It was
the last day on which tax payment might
be made without interest charges being
made by the city When the business
day ended it was estimated that payments
in the Borough of Manhattan amounted
to between SS00o.000 ana Sl0,o0o10 At the
same time it was estimated that taXpaY-
ers in the Borough of Brooklyn paid more
than 100000. and nearly 10000, more
was paid by property owners i'm the
Bronx, Richmond and Queens Boroughs.
Gold mining in mid-air was the unusual
spectacle to which Wall street was treated
during the past week Suspended at the
end of rope in a boatswain's chair from
the roo: of an adjoining skyscraper, n
workman was kept busy engaged for
hours scraping buckets Of gold laden
SCOT from the flues Of the old United
States Assay Office, which is now being
RACED. With true Wall street instinct,
the large crowd which had been attract
ed by the sight of the man a work in the
air, Immediately scnscd the meaning of
his labors. AS the buckets We're lowered
to the ground they pecred eagerly into
them to catch a glimpse of the gitterng
refuse. The assay office, which was built
in 1923 is being torn down to permit the
erection of new and larger building
Its principal work was the testing of gold
and the reducing of old coins and jeWtlrv
into bullion. In order to extract the last
speck of gold which the building might
contain before turning it over t. tho con-
tractors. government officials had the
floors of the refinery and other rooms
torn up and burned. The ashes We're then
subject to treatment in order to extract
whatever gold was in thela. 1t is claimed
that In the floors of the refinery alone
sl,6oo was recovered. In spite of these
official precautions ii is said that the dem
clifton OF the building has proved a
little gold mine to III" contractors. who
have ufond gold dust in ali sorts of un-
expected places
The success Of the department Of edu-
cations campaign for dental hygiene
week was proven a few days ago when
"'"" school hoNS and girls in tho city
schools appeared in their classes with in
diNdual tooth brushes. In an effort to
secure the individual tooth brush for each
boy and girl. teachers in all of the schools
have suggested to their pupils that they
iorego candy and ice cream sodas and
save the money to buy tooth brushes
Many department and drug stores
throughout the city took notice of the
campaign b. holding special sales where
regular tooth brush costing u cents was
sold for cents and higher priced brushes
proportionately. In all the public schools
there was a careful inspection Of both
brushes and teeth When tho inspecting
teacher found boy or girl whose teeth
needed dental attention. the child was
sent to the nearest clinic or dentist AS
result of the campaign, several school
principals are considering the advisabllIty
or insisting that the teeth Of all gradual
Ing pupils must be in good condition be-
fore they receive their diplomas In many
or the schools the boys and girls in all
the classes have Voluntarily written COM
positions on tho care Of the teeth. One