Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-10
IN THE OLD HOME TOWN
From the Kansas City Star. !

L.
The Old Home Town is divided on the
question of preparedness. The old Home
Town, OF course, is divided on almost
every question-religious. political, So
cial and economic. Not since the days
of free silver in 1896, however, has
The Old Home Town been so split" in
It's opinion as it is just now on pre-
parednesS.
AS a rule in the Old Home Town
men are Democrats or Republicans, and
they approach every question from the
viewpoint of one or the other of these
political parties. But over the ques-
ton OF preparedness there appears to
be no common ground of meeting.
Every one has his own fears, his own
argument his own theories.
The Old Home Town Debating Society
meets every day to settle" the uues-
tion. Every day the society adjourns
with the question unsettled. So far as
known each member stands where he
did the hrst day the question was up
for discussion.
But Notwithstanding the fact that
the Old Home Town is making no pro-
gress it finds great satisfaction in the
discussion. 1t hears some truly Won
derful things.
Take Uncle Cy" Morgan's story. for
instance, of what the navy costs each
man, woman and child in the United
States to maintain. "Uncle Cy" does
not remember just where he got the
figures, but he knows they are car
rect. Uncle Cy' was in the Civil War
there
without. no navy" but Wall Street, he
says. makes its money out of the navy.
Uncle Cy' is for all the infantry that
can be enlisted. But "uncle Cy'' is
against the whole program because it
calls for strong navy.
On the other hand, ives" Thompson,
who has nephew in the navy some
where, is strong for preparedness-bu
he is against any bigger army than we
now have. YES" was once involved in
a strike in which the State militia was
called out, and he believes TO this day
that it was the United States army that
nterfered with the strike. He always
refers to it as 'the time the army
came"
Uncle Bill West. who has not been
off the townsite for a quarter of a CEN
tury, contributes to the cause the theory
that the President wants a big army for
no other reason than TO annex Mexico.
~ know what ] am talking about"
Uncle "Bill" invariably adds. and to
doubt it would be to doubt his word.
I'VE don't want no more Mexicans in
this country" Mr.. West says, with
finality that is meant to settle the ques-
Then there is Gov" Saunders. Just
why they call him Gov" nobody
knows. but he has been known that way
eyer since he landed in the Old Home
ders has daughter who works in the
pension office at Washington, and for
that reason his opinion on all questions
aHGCllnR Ine TepuDlC are supposed
! be FIRST hand" and are given great
weight in the Old Home Town debating
society.
"Everybody knows" says Gov
| Saunders. that the President and the
press have been hypnotized" (Prob-
| ably he means to say subsidized. but he
! has said hypnotized so many times in
| this connection that nobody notices the
diference). "It is well known fact
the GOV" continues, that these United
States is in no mortal danger from any
/ foe within or without. Our navy can
| shoot straighter, our vessels are bigger
and faster, and our army is better
trained than any army in this world
! I guess I needn't tell you fellers where
| I get my information" he concludes
mysteriously. but wouldn't be talkin
| If ] didn't know what I was talkin
| about"
Here the discussion ends each day in
! the Old Home Town Debating Society
/ There is no answer to Gov" Saun-
ders' remarks. His information is sup
| posed to come direct from the pension
/ department SO. the society disbands
| In time to allow the members to do the
chores early this cold weather
| But tomorrow II will meet again TO
cover the same ground-the advocates
of preparedness. meantime hoping that
something will turn up" to refute the
mysterious information that Gov
! Saunders carriss about under his hat