The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-08-31
GERMANY CANNOT CARRY WAR SIX
MONTHS LONGER WITHOUT COTTON

under normal conditions would b
imported into Germany and Austria
and agree to keep that cotton stored
until after the war so that the nor
NAL purchases of British manufacture
ers from America will not be affected
by the deal. But before such a sum
is paid over the very heavens will re-
sound with appeals from John
Bull to hands-across the-sea-blood-is-
thicker-than-w water friendship, and
with groans and threats.
Kills Cotton Trade With Neutrals.
In connection with the restriction
of trade between neutrals, enforced
by the order of council of last March,
the contraband ruling will kill the
cotton trade with the North Sea neu-
trails. Under present conditions cot
ton seized on the ocean and taken to
port is paid for by the British, but
when it becomes absolute contrab band
it will be liable to cOntiscation, and
so will the ship that carries it, II the
views of the extremists prevail. This
will apply to all cotton destined for
Holland or Scandinavia, excepting
the "ratons" for those countries
WHICH LOIu INODGlL CCNlI 10 'NA4
nounced are under consideration, al
lowances based on their imports OF
cotton before the war. The threat OF
the confscation of ships carrying 9TH
err cotton will prevent the ships from
leaving port, it is hoped.
What is England's justification Tor
this amazing program, which ignores
the rights of the United States and of
other neutral countries with whom
she is extremely anxious to MAINTAIN
good, relations, and whose military
aid she hopes to gain before the war
il over?
Simply this: The continued impor-
tation of American cotton, in Eng
lands opinion, will enable Germany
to win the war, or to greatly prOlong
it, the complete stoppage of the cot
ton trade will force Germany to her
knees within a year. England has
planned an act which IS as illegal, il
not as immoral, as the German invas-
ion of Belgium, and the reason for
the two offenses is the same: Ne
cessity knows no law Germany
may have been wrong about the ne
cessity of invading Belgium; Eng
land may be wrong about the neces-
sity of stopping the cotton trade; 1t
matters not the slightest, so long as
each country is convinced that the
necessity exists.
Is War of High Explosives.
The facts of the cotton question as
it affects the result of the war will
now be presented. They have been
obtained from official or semi-Official
sources. My authority for the most
controversial statements | am about
to make, those concerning the
amount of cotton in German ammuni-
ton, is Hilare Belloc, the foremost
military critic in England and per-
haps in Europe.
This is a war of high explosives,
in which gunpowder plays minor
role. The substitute for gunpowder
is cotton. Cotton is the base of near
ly all the explosive compounds which
send forth shells and bullets from
modern weapons. Cotton to become
high explosive must be nitrated; that
is. treated with chemicals. All the
chemicals out of which high eXplo-
sives are made can be attained in
Germany and Austria, and if they
could not be otherwise manufactured
they could be obtained out of the
air by a costly process. Wood pulp,
it has been suggested, could be used
instead of cotton as the basis for high