The weekly soliphone. (Paragould, Greene County, Ark.) 1907-1918, 1915-06-25
(By Clio Harper)

test uncensored reports from the
front indicate that the firing line
extends from Fayetteville to Month
cello. and from Paragould to Tex
arkana, crossing in the superheat-
ed region of the state capitol
where the AZ centimeter guns OF
the special investigating committee
are bombarding Notifications that
had been considered impregnable.
What at first promised to be on
" minor engagement is rapidly
developing into titanic struggle
along a frontage of several hundred
miles, and many innocent bystand-
ers are being forced into the fight.
That it will be a bloody contest
now seems assured
OF the large number of contest
ants struggling for possession of a
suite of private offices with leather
covered touches in the north wing
of the capitol, it is freely predict
ed that all but one will be picked
of by the enemy's rapid fire guns.
1t is further predicted by the
same wise predicter that the one
who is destined to capture the in
ner redoubts in the beleaguered
fortress is unfortunate
" name deleted by the censor.)
There would be a lot more good
news, whether true or not, If 1T
were not for the activities of
that meddlesome censor, whose
identity will be revealed to the
first regular reader of The Daily
Press who sends in ten coupons.
At first it looked like a holiday
frolic, when the first gun was
fired The first declaration of war
came from Secretary of State
Hodges, who issued a proclamation
that it would be only little skirm-
ish, and that at the proper time
he would transfer his base of op-
erations a couple of rooms north,
and invite the present occupant to
IeSuue LIS law pidCliCe III Cdu-
den.
Then out OF the Athens of Ar
kansas, reverberating through the
orchards of Ben Davis and Arkan-
sas Blacks, came a resounding dis
charge from DR.. Brough's Busy
Bertha. 1t was a discordant note
in the Hodges symphony, and the
battle was on. The issue was
joined.
For a while there was only desul-
tory firing, while a constantly in
creasing host of candidates began
assembling on the firing line.
These candidates readily divided
themselves into three classes, the
Announced, the Probables, and the
Mentioned.
One of the interesting features
of this modern Armageddon was
that there appeared to be no al
lies-every fellow was for him
self
While the ranks of the Prob
ables were being swelled daily by
new recruits, they manifested a
disposition to remain neutral as
long as possible, asserting that
they were opposed to long and ex-
pensive campaigns
Inside information is that the
Ministers of Finance have found it
difficult in several instances to
float a war loan sufficient to car
ry on the campaign.
Lack of funds is reliably assert
ed to be a helpful assistant to neu-
trality.
While Brough and Hodges were
maneuvering for an opening, Chas.
E. Taylor, Chief Burgomaster of
Little Rock, tossed a bomb into
camp from his Zeppelin, and it
rained splinters for week.
Sarcely had the echoes died
away when from the middle south
came the boom of another big gun,
whose smoke wreaths spelled across
the lowering sky the name of
TOM M-c-R-A-E.
Thus in sullen silence, having
hurled their defis, the four hos
tile camps arrayed themselves, and
began hasty preparations for the
final assault the last week in
March.
In the meantime there will be
many mouth-to-mouth engage
ments, literally interspersed with
typewriter charges and newspaper
battles.
There have been some evidences
of the possible use of poisonous
gases in the trenches, but these
methods are generally discredited
as in violation of the established
rules of political warfare.
The use of submarines is also in
dicfoupr .rr.1I