Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-29
WILL
FIGHT To END
SAYS EDMUNDS
Ottumwan Just Back From
Old Country Tells of
Strange Practices
AMERICANS GIVEN
MUCH RIDICULE

MUCH RIDICULE
from the preparations which she is
! making on every hand England is de-
termlned to fight the war to a finish
according to H. l.. Edmunds. Ottumwa
real estate and insurance man. who
returned today from a two months
business visit in the British isles.
L hope l am wrong" said Mr.. Ed.
munds, but I never saw such inten.
slve action on the part Of everyone as
there is in England today. From the
! amount of fighting material which is
being made and the attitude which the
general populace seems to have it will
be fight to the end with the United
Kingdom"
Resent Interference.
According to observations made by
Mr.. Edmunds. the English resent. any
interference in their affairs by Amer
leans. In England the words United
States are scarcely ever spoken It is
always America.
While the guest of cousin in Wales
Mr.. Edmunds went one night t. hear
a noted member of parliament and a
scholarly man speak. The meeting
was very pleasant until the speaker
began to ridicule America. And, ac.
cordine to Mr.. Edmunds. he did ridj.
Guile this country, too. He scored the
Americans for their action in the Bel.
g1an affair and scorned any interfer-
ence on the part Of this country for
peace.
Strict Censorship.
The strictest censorship is kept on
everything an American does while in
England
he must report to the police head
quarters every time he changes his
hotel or eating place and he carries an
identity book with him while in the
country. When he leaves all he can
have is the cover the book was in.
Mr.. Edmunds mailed about $50 post
cards while away and as far as he
knows. not one of them reached it's
destination in this country. One, mail
ed to member Of The Courier staff.
carried the sender's return address in
Monmouthshire and came back to Mr..
Edmunds. It was brought to this
country and. delivered personally to-
day
The Ottumwan's passport. cancelled
on his landing in New York last Sun
day. bears the stamps and seals of
scores Of headquarters where the own
er stopped
Dark and Cold.
Dark and cold is the way Mr.. Ed
munds describes the weather in Eng.
land. It is dark by o'clock in the
afternoon. The shops do not open un.
til 10 o'clock in the morning. so the
shopper has to hurry.
All of the motor buses. taxis and
cars run with tiny light at night and
the lamp post globes are painted with
the exception of small strip at the
bottom which let's out just enough
light to show the traveller the intersec-
ton. 1t is estimated that 100000 Der.
sons have been injured in London dur.
ing the past year on account of the
dark streets.
Women Everywhere.
Mr.. Edmunds says the women are
doing great work in England as their
duty to the country. They are in
charge of the motors, street cars, rail.
road station ticket offices and In an
the theaters they usher and take tick.
cts.
While all the theaters are running.
the cafes are open and the ordinary
life of London seems to be in full
swing, yet. the Ottumwa man SAYS. it
is done in a half hearted way. The
war has cast sort Of pail over it all
which an American notices and is not
able to shake Off !
Gay in ireland.
In Ireland it is not So There. all is |
gay and light and apparently happy
Everything is on in full swing and the |
war does not seem to have made a diff. |
terence there.
Wales is in way between the two
While not as sad as England. it is not |
as gay as Ireland.
There are hundreds of miles of |
along her shores ready for |
any emergency and the old, the physi. |
,ally unfit and the unframed form a
sort of home reserve guard They drill |
and stand ready at all times |
% do their duty for their country.
Prices Are High.
Eggs are selling for 10 and IL cents |
Zach in London, sugar is IL cents
, pound and gasoline 70 cents gallon
t is called petrol in England and huge
;igns, on all the prominent corners of
he capital, say. Are you using petrol;
f you are you are helping Germany"
Many in Uniform.
Mr. Edmunds estimates that there
ire almost million men in uniform
N the islands. Each wears the dis
motive garb of his regiment. The
egular crown men, the Australian