The Washington herald., 1916-01-09

dOnti that all i have to say. seven OF
my boys went In a heap and we were In
a bad way when some fresh lads came
up and gave 'em the steel. When II was
over we had twenty-four white feathers
on our hands quite ready to slip over to
nice, comfortable quarters around here
and receive bouquets and chewing gum
from Lord Haldane's friends.
A Terrible ReprisaI.
And, mind you, they were my prison
ers. We found the reversed bullets in
their guns all right, remember that. We'll,
took one glance at that sickening mass
at my feet and looked into the eyes of
my boys and they looked into mine. 1
didn't want to get them into trouble and
my chances were better than theirs any
way. All had them do was to stand
tsgee twenty-four up in q row and then.
one after another and without any par
his tracks dead as q door-nail. oh, it's
war all right 80
How was he hurt?
Just plain stupid, that's all. I was
where / ought not to have been and got
the gas. When came to or partly to 1
found myself alongside a husky Hun,
who was in bad way, too. But he could
still use his rife and he whacked me
over the head a few times rather feebly
had and put my jaw out OF business.
That was good luck for me for I guess
1t was the pain that brought me around.
Anyhow / got his gun away from him
after some maneuvering and wriggled up
on my knees and pinned him to the
ground through the throat. That was
the last knew till heard in a confused
sort of way somebody say American
and / opened my eyes and found myself
xx,Nf h fynrp - ,tau etc A.
Ing there and one Of them saying to the
nurse, 'Tike good care of i'm, miss, .
amt too proud to fight So long as
God lets me live shall never hear words
as sweet as those. But, say, there is one
thing you may as well know and swear
to You / speak for every fellow from
America In the bunch. There are Just
two men in the world i should have
liked to have in line with those twenty
four. One is the Kaiser and-well. never
mind who the other is"
Talk with a Cabinet Minister.
So we learned what this war is.
Colonel Harvey talked with one of the
foremost cabinet ministers, and his rec
ord Of the conversation holds much food
for thought:
The cabinet minister stood before the
fireplace in his inner office late In the
afternoon slipping his tea and chatting
with a staff officer who had just returned
from Rome. They were awaiting the ar
rival from the war office of panoramic
photographs. illustrating tho advances
of the italian army. Meanwhile the con-
versation continued after a desultory
fashion respecting the broader aspects OF
the military situation until the minister
manifested a slight impatience, to the
obvious discomfort of the general
rs lateness on the part of the war Of
fee SO much of a novelty?" the American
caller inquired.
The minister smiled. grimaced and
scowled all in one expression and was
about to make reply when the dispatch
box arrived. Due scrutiny OF the photo
graphs ensued and the officer went out
into the rain.
Well" asked the minister, leaning
back and stretching his legs toward the
fire, what do you make of It aIl?"
The visitor remarked that he had come
to ask. not to answer, questions.
II suppose" unused the minister, "you
find some dissatisfaction here with the
general attitude of your government"
Yes" was the reply, but the COM
plainings seem rather vague and hardly
convincing
II know. Mutual understanding is not
readily attained when one people is In
the stress of mighty conflict and under
going innumerable personal tragedies
while the other is far removed, at peace
and prosperous
THAT is 1.-THE difficulty of compre-
hension by the one of the real meaning
OF such war and by the other of the
effect of geographical aloofness inducing
sense of security"
Murder or Merchandise.
Yes, we, that is the government. ap-
preciate the difficulties Of your Presi-
dents position and make no complaint.
or course, the matter of the Lusitan-
ia"
II know; always and everywhere here
1t is the Lustania. But is 1t not a fact
that in a practical sense however deep
may be the humiliation of Americans
England has derived enormous advan-
tage from that Infamous performance? %
You mean through the horror created
throughout the world?''
In a general way, yes. But more spe-
officially your government surely recog-
nizes that our nonaction respecting the
murder of scores of American citizens
has made your own course on disputed
questions vastly easier. In other words,
so long as that frightful crime remains
unavenged you certainly have no cause
for apprehension of any serious difficulty
with the United States. You must and,
OF course, 90 know that the American
people would never sanction extreme
measures regarding property or trad
ing while assassina ton continues un-
atoned for. Consequently you are free
to treat, as it seems to us you do treat,
our fervid protests against holding up
our ships and the like with full impun-
ity."
II had not thought of that
Moreover, barring its beginning and
ending, our latest note not only contained
nothing in the smallest degree offensive
but incidentally, perhaps even signif-
cantly, was six months in the making,
thus directly affording half a year for
continuance of the practices complained
of and tacitly, conformably to usage, an
other half year for responding. I suspect
your government will take the full al
lowance?"
Stiu Need Munitions,
why shouldn't WEI"
Il know of no reason; and l doubt II
you will hear any very loud outcries
from America IL you do. But what !
wish to learn is whether, not as a people,
but as government, you consider that