The Washington herald., 1916-01-09
THE OPEN FORUM
Editorial Misrepresentation In Defense Of Teutonc Crmes
On the High Seas

A burr-Americau steamship officials and
other conspirstors against the peace and
neutrality OF this country. In the face
OF such evidence. whoever takes stock IN
the denial of responsibility by the repre-
sentstives of the German government for
this war upon us, must be IN his second
childhood or q natural born dotsro
What former Ambassador Choste said
/ at the Pilgrim dinner where the Cana
dian premier. Sir Robert Borden. was .
guest. was 20 the effect that the United
States might be In the midst OF war at
any minute and should be prepared for
it; and II the country should enter the
war we should do all we could 70 help
our neighbor. To these words no one
| In this country can object with reason
save German plotters and pro-Germsn
newspapers which for reasons best
known TO themselves, but shrevdly
guessed at by others. change their views
OF things overnight And n war should
be regularly declared. while we could
not invade Germany any more than Ger
many could invade us just now. we could
| legally hand or shoot the bomb piotters
and spies among US, under international
law. and so put an end TO an fnsufer-
sbie menace TO the welfare OF the coun-
try. II. NJ. Scale
OF ttf"ats.
Editor of The Washington Herald: !
was very much interested In reading a
paper with extracts from a speech made
by Rev. Antonio Gslan, S. J.. at Section
of the Pan-Amerfcsn Congress, on as
tronomy, meteorolosy and seisnoiogy.
He gives us an insight into the vsTis-
uons Of climates in historic and glacial
periods, which he believes have been due
Ito high-pressure areas spd also 10 the
development Of those Changes IN the
great climatic zones OF the earth Then
he draws a picture of the crossing OF
storms from the Pacific To the Atlantic
and the resulting effect upon the United
States, and also how this trend OF storms
from West TO East supplies former arid
regions with abundant rainfall In the
Southwest. So far. so good; but today
there is another side 20 this question,
and il is evident TO any one who has
tudied meterology that a change is TAX
ing place. The constant high pressure
areas OF Canada are lessening year by
year, and the lows that come from the
Pacific Coast toward the Atlantic Ocean
are leaving 10 q great extent their paths
OF the past and instead Of coming down
in the Missouri and Mississippi valleys
as formerly, they are moving more
, northwsrd in their eastern movement
even into Canada, long before they res ch
I the St Lawrence River. Today those
movements of low areas give us moth
ing but the tail end OF those storms or
/ rain areas. from which in previous years
we always received large amount of
precipitation. Why is this. and what is
4 the cause Of Il? Il is due to the recent
years OF immigration to the lands north
Of US in Canada, and the large area Of
I cultivation following in it's wake. The
! making OF rOadwsys, and the building OF
| houses, all generating more moisture
1 than formerly, and beckoning south, as
4 II were, for the advance of the lows
J more northward than formerly. This is
the new era that marks the first changes
in bsrometric pressure in Southern Can
ada
In few years the meteorological condi-
tions Of the United States and Canada
| will be materially changed, and drouEhts
| in our semI-Southern States win Be the
] result.
And now the question arises. arr We to
| sit quietly by and behold those changes
! that may affect to a great extent the
people Of those States. and might add.
the whole country? What have our SCI
] ents TO say: Shall we dare 70 say that
the day is not far distanct when We can
| control the atmosphere, locally at least
| and by so doing change the path Of pre-
! cipitatiOn? Strange as IL may seem, II
! is coming because this local control Is
within our reach today and the cost In
! significant compared with the benefits Of
/ the results uherefrOm, the benefits TO be
| derived. The nation that first controls
| locally the atmosphere will rise supreme
! above all the others. No matter whether
they be the millions Of the Orient Of the
! exhausted populations Of the nations OF
! Europe. America will stand in the fore
ground towering as a mountain above
/ the Surrounding hills. But some people
NIL D FH 10
| the power be found to perform this
work? No question is more easily an
/ swered than this The power is at hand
| and in many ways under control.
] mean electricity.
We have only TO look through this city.
and at the suburban railroads, and all
! over the country as we'll and the work
il does is easily perceived. II may be
said to be illimitable II has been har-
messed to the heavily laden cars all
over the country, and tomorrow We car
! harness II TO the atmosphere. and make
] IL a unit Of force in Tneterology by the
/ hand OF man Just as nature herself UtiI-
! izes it in producing precipitation accord
I ing TO natural laws
The making Of rain artihcislly will give
! America a broad field for development
! far beyond our most sanEuine dreams.
I But it can be developed from Canada In
: the north TO Patagonia in the extreme
south and with the broad Pacific Ocean
I all along on our Western coast there will
{ be water enough for psn-Americs all
/ over. No country IN the world IL better
/ situated for this work than America.
I And with a few thousand dollars the
! work can be started
I 1t is one Of the most interesting sub
! jects that can be presented 20 the hu-
/ man mind. Its success will increase be