davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
JUDGE GARY's OVERSIGHT.

Judge Gary, head of United States
steel corporation, in the course of
recent statement dilates upon the pre-
vailing prosperity of the country and
properly warns commerce and in
dustry that abnormal prosperity must
Of necessity be somewhat reduced aft
er the war. The warning is timely.
But we think Judge Gary is unduly
apprehensiVe when he predicts that
cur producers and wage earners will
find themselves lin commercial an
tagonism with the most persistent and
difficult competition ever experienced"
and recommends that we prepare for
this competition by thorough tariff
protection, says the Peoria Journal
Common sense suggests that the
countries exhausted by war will be
buyers from the United States on a
large scale, for a long time after the
war. Even now representatives of the
French government are in this coun-
try getting advance information on the
purchase Of s1G0,00O,000 worth of
machinery. Wages will be higher in
Europe after the war than they have
ever been, the shortage of labor due
to death and emigration and the
heavy taxes imposed to pay war
debts make this a foregone conclu-
sion. Money will be dear; resources
will have run down. Home demand
will take care of more than the Grip
pied industries can produce for a
lon.r time to come. 1t is inevitable
that Europe should be a huge buyer
from this nation.
Common sense also suggests, how
ever, that nations staggering under
debt, with their capital largely ex-
hausted, must pay for their pur-
chases to the extent of their capacity
in the surplus products of their soil
and industries A tariff which would
shut off the possibility of :uch pay
ment would simply close the market
to US; the buying nations would sim
ply be forced to trade with countries
which would permit them fair ex-
change OF products.
| Judge Gary, as head OF an industry
which has SO long fattened off high
protective duties, makes the charac-
teristic error Of prote ction extremists
he forgets that trade is not a matter
Of sell-everything- and-buy nothing,
but an exchange OF SURPRISES on both
sides.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
PREPAREDNESS.

Two striking facts may well be con-
sidered in connection with the an
nouncement that President Wilson has
approved plans for a large increase
in the army and navy expenditures.
In the first place, there has been
quiet movement among certain finan-
ciers interested in munition making
to take advantage Of expected govern
ment contracts. In the second place,
no political leader of Importance, none
Of the accepted organs Of either the
democratic, or the republican, or the
progressive parties, and none Of the
organizations which have been spread
ing miiitaristic propaganda have paid
the slightest attention to the propos-
ais for elimination of private profit
from the manufacture of war supplies.
On the contrary, the very men who
would profit by large appropriations
spent on private contracts have been
most active in the militaristic move
ment The defense" movement had
its origin in New York City, and won
its first and most earnest members
from the ranks Of great business men
interested in the metal industries.
Openly or secretly the ammunition
industry, the steel industry and the
great financial interests which center
in New York City have taken an &C
tive share in the teaching of prepar-
edness. They are not, perhaps, the
largest element in the movement, but
they are by far the most powerful and
the most dangerous. There is no men
ace whatever from an honest belief in
military preparedness, such as is held
by thousands Of Americans, but there
is a decided threat involved in active
participation in a militaristic move
ment by the very men who cannot,
through their interests, be inspartially
patriotic"
At times these men have been so
brazen as to drop the pretense of dis
/ interestedness. At other times they
have hidden behind the humorous ar
gument that the interests of the nation
demand the cultivation and encour-
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

The new law relating to the regis
tration of births and deaths is said to
be losing its efficiency through the in
ability TO secure definite interpreta
tons of some of its provisions ana the
absence Of proper facilities to make it
effective The legislature, or the state
legal department, should take proper
steps TO remedy these defects. Full
and accurate vital statistics are not
only important in the determination
of many points at issue in matters of
law, but are Of supreme Importance
in proper treatment of many social
questions Illinois, after years of
tagging, has made an effort to follow
modern lines in the matter of vital
statistics. The effort should not be
nullified by laundering or dubiety as
to the laws intent
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

Of other languages protested to their
consuls against the discrimination and
the United States ambassador protest
ed strenuously against the new law.
which, he pointed out. would embar-
rass so many innocent persons, who
are really friendly TO the government.
The situation was most unfortu-
nate and delicate one. The Turkish
government, having issued the edict
against English, could not revoke it,
for that would involve explanations
why England should be favored above
its allies. Nor could it refuse the re-
quest of the American ambassador,
which was the essence of justice.
Apparently the government was in
most embarrassing position, had
reached an ''impasse." Occidental d.
plomacy could see no way out But
between Occidental and Oriental
minds there is a great variance, and
Oriental diplomacy found a simple So
luton, differentiation as subtle as
shadow. The Turkish government is
sued second, supplementary firman
which stated that, while English was
forbidden, American could be spoken
without breaking any law. And so
American is spoken in Turkey.
Americans abroad, despite the fact
their language is often mistaken for
English, know the difference between
the two and will be glad to learn of
the official recognition of the Ameri-
can language. At last the broad,
idiomatic, firm and crisp language of
the majority of the citizens of the
United States is placed on an official
footing. Only Americans who have
cultivated an English accent will find
themselves in danger in Turkey in fu-
tuTe.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
Brady,M.D
The Passing of Twilight Sleep.

garding it would lead one to think.
And by the way, hyoscine and NOR
phine have been used as an anesthetic
in childbirth and surgical work in this
country for at least fifteen years, and
hyos"ine, some authorities declare, is
identical in chemical character and
therapeutic effect with scopolamine.
Certainly no woman should 90
through childbirth without the aid OF
an anesthetic. Chloroform, in our ex-
perience, has seemed absolutely salts,
factory for routine use-enough to
take off the edge" yet not to pro-
duce complete surgical anesthesia or
Inconsistencies. .
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
The Daily Story
My Most Important Law Case - BY John Y. Larned

My most important law case? Ii you
mean the most important case to me
individually, it was case Of breach
Of promise. 1t was case where a
woman sued man for refusing to
keep a contract of marriage and to
settle on her at the same time 100000.
The strange feature was that the man.
who was madly in love with the plain
tiff. was as madly DESTROYS TO marry
her but claimed that he hadn't the
100000 to give her
My first Interpretation OF tue case
was that the woman was trying to
bleed a man without having ever had
any intention to marry him; my sec
ond was that she had passion for
getting men in love with her. Fitz
Mooney, the defendant, In written
appeal for Kate Jackson, plaintiff, to
marry him, had agreed to settle $780,
coo on her If she would do SO. He had
at the time made twice that amount
on the Stock Exchange, but had lost
1t all. For some reason that the lady
kept to herself, knowing that he was
unable to keep the financial part Of
his contract. she sued him on the
agreement.
Kate Jackson was widow, not es-
pecially good looking. but possessing
magnetism over men that enabled
her to do what she pleased with them.
She came into my office a stranger to
me, offered me her case, and l was
convinced from the first that she was
simply DESTROYS of annoying Mr.. Fitz
Mooney, though what was her object
in doing so could not imagine. There
was nothing to be got out Of him. and
| convinced her Of the fact-if she
was not convinced already-but she
insisted on proceeding with the case.
Since l was then struggling to gain a
practice and with poverty at the same
time, I consented; but not before the
lady had paid me 500 retaining fee.
was soon sorry that had accepted
it. I had spent 1t. l was unable to
get rid of my client by returning it,
Never have l had such an annoying
case. Mrs. Jackson did not give me
her confidence, and was continuously
in doubt as to what she was driving at.
Instead Of my managing the case for
her she was managing the plaintiff
through me. Her ground Of action
was that she had declined several Of
fers of rich men to accept the de-
PENDANT. that he had won her affec-
lions, her other suitors had been mar
ried died, disappeared or failed to pro-
pose again. She had thus been depriv-
ed of a pick of several fortunes. She
proved these assertions by showing me
love letters from these parties, and on
inquiry l learned that they were rich
men. What | did not learn was that
they were not still available as hus-
bands.
| Half dozen times l had the case
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

Now that the far-famed Dummer-
schlaf, or twilight sleep has been in
troduced into the movies, we feel that
we are safe in venturing to speak Oh
it.
Twilight sleep is the strange name
given to method of producing for.
getfulness and partial loss of pain
sense in childbirth. The effect is pro-
duced by the injection into the skin
of mixture of morphine or a deriv-
alive thereof and scopolamine, the
latter narcotic which makes the pa,
tient forget her experience.
Authorities differ. That is one
grand thing about competent authori-
ties Haven't you noticed how cor
daily they differ about everything,
even the constitution and the law:
Medical authorities differ because
what is one patients food happens
to be another patients poison, and
the authorities will differ just as haro
as they can without considering how
different people are in that respect
But when, it is fortunate for the WORLD
in general that authorities do differ
about everything. Wouldn't this be
dreary, cut-and dried existence if au-
thorites always agreed?
Now twilight sleep is a fine thing
If you can afford the prolonged at
tendance it requires, on the part OF
the doctor. Twilight sleep is a fine
thing for some patients even if they
can't afford it--and great many pa
tients who can't afford a doctor, say
ing nothing of nurse, are receiving
il in various hospitals. Yes, even in
some of those hospitals managed by
lay boards-but kept going by the
charity of the medical staff
The fact is that twilight sleep. like
salvarsan. tuberculin. the X-ray. rad
ium, and nearly all new medical dis
coveries is only about thirty per cent
as valuable as the first headlines re.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
AMERICAN, NOT ENGLISH,
SPOKEN.

England has, for years, sneered at
America for the way its citizens have
spoken the kings English, while Amer
ica has CALLED under the English claim
OF our native language as It's rulers
own. We have adopted idioms and
have fallen into an appalling use of
slang in an endeavor TO escape the
claim OF the mother tongue, but, ex-
cept for that sign in Paris English
spoken here; American understood
we have failed to secure recognition
of the difference until the European
war. Turkey has at last officially rec
ognized the American language, diff
Terminating it from English, while pro-
hibiting the use Of the latter tongue
within the Turkish empire.
When Turkey entered the war on
the side of the Teutonic alliance the
government took official offense against
all things allied, even to languages,
and prohibited the speaking Of Eng
lish, French, Italian and Russian with
in Turkish borders. The order was
rweeping in its extent and heavy pen
aities were provided.
Straightaway those American citi-
Eens in Turkey who lacked knowledge
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

agoment OF large private munition
plants, so that an ample output could
be depended upon at the outbreak of
war.
1t has been demonstrated by such
raclficistS as DR.. David Starr Jordan,
by contributors to various radical pub
locations, by the official investigators
OF the navy department, and by one
or two curious minded congressman,
that there is all international 'arma-
ment ring" that it is amply represent
ed in the United States, and that its
American branches have habitually
cheated and deceived the United States
government
Yet every proposal for an enlarge
ment Of government plants, to the
gradual exclusion of the corrupt pri-
vate munition and armament corpor-
atoms, has been met and defeated in
congress. Usually it has been defeat
ed underhandedly, without open de-
bate
If President Wilson favors the pro-
posed increase it will probably be use
less to combat it. But it will be pos
sible for members of congress who
want the defense question to stand on
its own merits to demand the absolute
elimination of private profit from de-
Tense measures If that is not posi-
BILE congress can at least provide for
full publicity regarding all contracts
for war supplies. This would demand
that the names of all persons finan-
cially interested in any contracting
corporation should be readily avail
able to the public. If private inter
ests are to profit by preparedness they
should be known.
Some California congressman have
already endorsed the so-called Wilson
program. Constituents of these or
other representatives from this state
can exercise perceptible influence by
asking them to work for one of these
two policies: ID government manu-
facture of all war supplies, as rapidly
as plants for the purpose can be pro-
vided (2) full publicity regarding all
contracts for war supplies.-San Fran
| cisco Bulletin.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

ready to be tried. and every tiroa
thing occurred to cause DELAY. o.
the plaintiff, who was ALWAYS -,
lating, having made $4,000 in W..
offered to settle It all on her and ~
her as well if she would acoen, =.
compromise. She peremptorilv dso,' w
ed. The money was soon lost 4,
per, and my client to nv surprise 80. ~
ed suddenly mortified and showed .,s-
OF dropping the suit foolish1v sbo~
ed her letter from the defendant ~.
was getting worn out as was with -
case. upbraiding her. whereupon -
turned square about and dernande. -
whole amount for which she had su.S
asking me II she could not douh,s -.
claim.
Meanwhile my bills for service, a..
costs were growing. The widow n.,s
my bills promptly, but the costs wa.,
on accommodating. I reminded her th..
she would probably lose In the ers
getting, If anything, a nomina, au.,s
and would have TO pay the court a.
we'll as my professional fees. But thl.
did not stagger her In the least IN.
summer was coming on. and shs WOW,
into the country, whence reports e,u.
that she had enthralled every ms,
who came near her. | was In hons,
that she would be shared herself and
drop her case against Fitz Mooney yo
such good luck. The last week in Ar.
gust she wrote me that she would re.
turn Immediately after Labor dsy and
desired that l would be ready to bring
her suit to trial as soon thereafter a.
possible.
But when she returned change baa
come for Fttz Mooney. He had sunk
lot Of money in cotton, and On wind.
ing up his deals the account showed
that be owed his broker $4,000. Th,,
was not all. His troubles. largely h,s
affairs with the widow, had broken
down his health, and he was living
very Ill in a hospital.
, Such was his condition when III.
plaintiff sailed In to my Office and ask.
ed me il I was ready to try his case
replied by giving her brief account
Of Fitz MONEYS misfortunes, adding
that I feared he would die before we
could get judgment.
"Oh, my goodness graciousm was the
response.
Never have 1 seen a more sudden
collapse. She begged me- to call cab
at once, and when it came, apparently
oblivious Of me, she ran down to 1t
and drove to the hospital.
That is the last / saw of her till an.
er Fitz Mooney had recovered and
attended the wedding. have seen
much Of the perversities of the fair
sex. but nothing like this. l learned
later on that the couple had been en-
gagged and had had a spat occasioned
| by criticism of Fitz Mooney of his
| fancee's accepting an attention from
another man. Out Of this grew the
whole trouble.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
The press, the pulpit and the stage

The press, the pulpit and the stage
are now deyoting much of their time
to discussions of sex problems. .
There has been so much of this lately
that the public has become thorough
ly disguised with it. In this connec-
ton everybody will agree with B. l..
T. in the Chicago Tribune, when he
says: I've thought everything about
sex had been said. to the uttermOst
syllable, by noyelists, poets, preach
ers, sexologists, and sex fans gener-
ally; but if anything has been left I'M
said it would be a grand idea to COM
pei the saying of it within specified
time, so that a closed season on the
subject might be declared, of 80 to so
years"
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
Selected by Tavenner
To the Readers of The Argus;

To the Readers of The Argus:
The Argus has generously agreed TO permit me 10
make regular contribution under this head to use the
space If it my l left free to make my
selection from where WILL whether it is timely or I'M
timely; to search the highways and the byways for
what may impress as of interest and value to the
people.
my readers shall try to make the most oil
the opportunity To do forget that party lines
exist and will, just as wish 1t might be practical for
them not TO exist and that the principal issue on cleo
ton day might be- not whether candidate belongs to
this that political party but whether he is willing to
the masses of the people the few who exploit
them.
In other words my idea is to submit information or
a thought that would give to the world if l myself
edited newspaper, the only mission of which to
serve mankind; to do this and nothing more
When personally write the contribution, will sign
it, and when present the thought and work of others
will so indicate. CLYDE H TAVENNER
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
Sidelights on the European War

London.-Hotel life of London is
undergoing an important change
which is proving disastrous to old
fashioned houses. This is an evolu-
ton in the management of the mid
die class hotels. The last decade saw
the introduction of fashionable res
taurants as the most conspicuous and
profitable feature of the high priced
hotels. In the old days dining in
public was a continental custom;
British people of the upper classes
sought privacy and retirement. When
men were dining out they sought
their clubs, or small restaurants, and
ladies did not dine at hotels or res
taurants often except when travelling.
The big restaurants with music and
evening dress were the resort only of
the ultra gray set.
The new hotel life which is fast
coming into vogue means the large
and brilliantly lighted hotels, with
music and chowds, for the middle
classes. In some details these hotels
are patterned on American lines, but
in some respects they go beyond
American customs. Extras" were the
handicap to hotel patrons of the older
| days. What are now termed "inclu-
sive' rates were hardly known. Charges
for rooms were reasonable, but when
I to those charges were added separate
items Tor bath, fires, lights and at
tendance, stopping at a middle class
! hotel became more expensive than in
American cities. Two dollars, or two
dollars and half per day, were the
standard rates for the room alone,
without the tariff of extras.
! The ultre modern landlords have
discovered that the public wants to
| know the round sum that days en-
tertainment will cost Consequently
the inclusive" rate. This charge
in the popular houses now covers
! bedroom. bath and breakfast, as well
as the lights and fires. Some of the
/ largest houses provide this scale OF
entertainment for dollar and a half
to two dollars. All of those houses
are developments OF the past three or
| four years. They make a particular
appeal to English people from the
| country and provincial cities, and the
people of the middle class with small
incomes but of good station in life
are the ones who respond
Provincials and army officers stay
ing in London crowd these places.
and more hotels of the same type are
certain to appear. Meantime the big,
dreary old fashioned houses are near
ly empty. Some are closing. One of
the most famous in England has rent
ed about half IFS floor space to the
government for Offices Others prob,
ably will pass into the hands of the
new companies.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

The Chicago Herald suggests that
General Carranza offer a reward of
$4,000 for the capture, dead or alive,
of the men who murdered the Is Amer
leans. The Burlington Gazette sug
gests that the $4,000 be split into re-
wards of 81 apiece and in this manner
get ten thousand of the murderers.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

notable instance Of the kindness
OF those in charge of transatlantic
liners developed recently aboard the
liner, Ryndam, which was stopped in
mid-ocean and held on an even keel
while the appendix of passenger was
removed. Besides the ships surgeon,
and the captain who stopped the ship
an American dentist cooperated by
administering the auesthetic.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

One hundred and fifty people were
fined for splitting in New York City.
All of which reminds us that Rock
Island has an anti-spitting ordinance
that is not observed in any manner,
shape or form.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

About $4,000 pounds of American
salt pork are being consumed daily
in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Bolivia's chief exports are tin and
rubber, with tin largely predominant
ing.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

If Colonel George Harvey of the
North American Review found things
so much to his satisfaction in Eng
land, why on earth didn't he stay
there? Now, added to other burdens,
We'll have to listen to another colonel.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

speech declaring that the British en-
pire is doomed. But the British en-
pire has been bearing that statement
in its own parliament for hundreds
Of years.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

"If Mr.. Roosevelt were to come into
Iowa, campaigning" says the Mar
shalltown Times-Republican, ''he
could find the milk all right, but
where would he find the teaspoonful to
go with it," Well, but wouldn't he
be able to make milk punch?
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15

Now Bulgaria wants the world to
rescue her hungry and war suffering.
But the world didn't get anything out
Of Bulgaria's entrance into the war.
Better see Gar Ferdinand.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
WITH OTHER EDITORS
AN EXCEPTION.

Pittsburgh Dispatch: The American
system of coast defenses is "the most
formidable in the world" except for
a mere matter of 10000 or so men to
make it work.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-15
Preparedness.

The conductor OF this column of
calumny wishes to acknowledge, with
deep gratitude. belated Christmas
GIT IN the form OF fiye-cent fly
swatter. We suspect il was sent us
by the Army and Navy league.
J. NJ C.