davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-08-23
LONG DISTANCE
TELEPHONE TRAFFIC

Telephone traffic over the toll lines in
and out of Richmond has increased abnor-
mally. And this is true of practically every
city in Virginia. Conditions throughout the
state similar; they are brought about by
the same general causes-principally increas-
ed activities in business because of the war.
Our operating force has been increased;
additional toll facilities have been provided;
additional circuits have been cut in, and the
whole organization is bending its energy to
the task Of handling calls with minimum
of inconvenience and delay. Everything
that can be done to take care of the bust
ness is being done.
The average daily volume of out-of- town
messages continues to increase, and the ups
and downs in the hourly rate of calling con-
tinue to be marked that it is difficult on
especially busy days, to complete long dis
lance calls in normal time. We feel that the
public is entitled to this explanation and
trust that you will appreciate existing con-
ditions. We shall appreciate spirit of
patience your part.
q The S S:;;::;: :: ; =: ';'''''
The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-08-23

Yours sincerely,
GEORGE W MCDANIEL
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
The Real Mother of Reform

1t might be generous and polite to give
all the credit to those courageous pioneers,
the DR.. Mary Walkers of life, who dip into
trousers or what-not as matter of high
courage and conviction. But the truth
looks otherwise. For years DR.. Walker
marched up and down our streets in her
heroic costume without gaining one recruit
or exciting anything more considerable
than a mild pity plus a silent resolution to
avoid looking like her, whatever the risk
to life or morals or limb.
Yet to-day, with no trunrpets of reform
blowing and only stickful of news to
their credit, enter the women car cleaners
Of st. George, Staten Island, clad in over
alls. Occasional qualms there may be in
these new converts. Perhaps they have a
little sense of pioneering of stepping out
at the head of procession. But not for
long or deeply. How can they! All Eu-
rope now looks upon overalls or boots and
Dreeches as quite the commonplace way of
dressing for work. Steadily, shop by shop,
as women step into mems positions, the
new costume is adopted here. 1t comes
as a matter of course. Why not, and
what else?
1t is necessity that always does the final
work. The thin skirmish line of radicals
disappears on ahead below the horizon.
Good luck to theml The bulk of us sticl;
to our trenches until we are blasted out
of them and it is safer to run than sit.
That makes reform dull business, a nor
nal, tedious, unromantic thing of logic and
slow growth. But it makes it terribly
sure thing. Heaven help the conservative
who insists upon sticking to his spot when
the line is finally bombarded into action!
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
The Mayor and the Cruger Case

There will be general approval Of Mayor
Mitchel's fair and candid letter to Mr..
Cruger. 1t expresses the attitude of the
bulk of the city's population to-day. Com
missioner Woods has done too much fine
work to be hastily censured for the one
failure of the Police Department, shocking
as it is. His work shows in a hundred and
one improvements in our police force. 1t
is unquestonably cleaner, ADLER body Of
men than it has ever been before in its
history.
If, as now seems all too likely, corrup-
ton has again reached high in one branch
of the Police Department, the lesson is not
a new or surprising one. The activities Of
vice to corrupt and undermine police honor
are subtle and unceasing. For the gang
sters, the corrupters of women, the greater
and smaller criminals, the struggle is one
of life and death. The fight for decency
and honesty in the force which Commits
sioner Woods has waged has won much
ground. There is no question that the
standard of the individual policeman is
far above what it was a few years ago.
The influence and example of an incor-
ruptibe head have counted greatly. The
honest policeman has at last gained his
right to exist and survive and prosper.
There are two questions now before
Mayor Mitchell, as he has outlined in his
letter to Commissioner Wallstein. One re-
lates to the past and looks to cutting out
from the police force its corrupt and fes-
tering elements. The other relates to the
future. The problem of vice and its pur-
veyors is not a stable and hopeless one, as
the cynics argue The forces that make
for good slowly increase; the forces of evil
change their form, if they do not slowly
decline. The occasion is ripe for fresh
review of the whole system by which wom-
en- are corrupted. No light dismissal of
the question is to be admitted. The city
administration of the Police Department
will not be judged by its one failure; but
it will be judged by its handling of the
work of prevention and salvage in the
future.
Mayor Mitchell did well to order a full
investigation by the Commissioner of Ac-
counts. He must see TO it that the work is
done in the most thorough fashion with the
broadest aims in view. Nothing less can
be thought of in sight of the fate which
city's carelessness and wantonness melted
out to Ruth Cruger.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
The Mystery of Our Flag
Barring the Betsy Ross Legend, Its
Origin Is Quite Unknown
To the Editor of The Tribune.

/ o the Editor OF / ne lrlDune.
Sir: Your correspondent in Mondays issue
who spoke of the necessity of some commits
sion TO study the origin of the United States
flag touched on very interesting subject,
but one that has. think, been pretty well
covered. lloyd Balderston and Peleg Harri-
son have each written exhaustively on the
subject, and unless some letters Of Washing
ton or some other real authority turn up
with reference to the subject, it is not very
probable that we shall get much further on
the subject. Just at present the origin Of
the flag is really quite unknown. The Betsy
Ross tale is a legend which l have always
thought harmless, but unnecessary. The
connection of our flag with Washington 5
arms is undoubtedly pure fancy. Il must be
remembered that the Congressional records
of those days contain only the statute de-
scribing our flag. There is no report of a
committee, no letters from Washington or
any one else referring to the flag II seems
to have just come into existence.
Had Washington had anything to do with
il. he. who was a most volumnous writer and
one who gave great attention to detail, would
most certainly have mentioned it. For when
il came to colors for the army few years
later he wrote several letters TO the War
Board on the subject. | have never seen a
letter OF Washington's quoted on the subject
of the origin of the Stars and Stripes, and |
believe it is pretty we'll established by his
own papers that he was some considerable
distance from Philadelphia at the time the
Betsy Ross story makes him 90 to her house.
have gone into the matter of our flag
with considerable care, and ! am satisfied, as
far as its history is established to-day. that
nobody knows who designed the flag; that 1t
was not used extensively on shore during the
Revolution, whereas il was very promptly
adopted as the ensign for ships; that it was
not even carried by our infantry until lS4l,
although the artillery had it as color in
1894, while the cavalry did not have il until
1887. Very, very few American flags of Rev.
olutionary days have been preserved of whose
senuneness there is no question. and ! vent
ure to suggest to those who may want 10 take
up the study OF the history of our flag that
they approach it with complete disregard
of many a yarn told about il. They are in
teresting probably, but they are mostly not
true. GHERARDl DAVIS.
New York, June 90, 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
The Civic Concerts

This city is to be congratulated on the
opening of the second season of summer
orchestral concerts, this year under the
leadership of the brilliant French con-
ductor Pierre Monteux. A splendid service
is being done by the founders of the So
ciety, which makes it possible to give these
concerts Of the best of music, excellently
PLAYED, and with soloists of recognized
artistic standing. They gained a well
deserved popularity last year, which is GER
tain to increase in this second season, with
better orchestra, hall more suitable for
the purpose than Madison Square Garden,
and the inspiration of the new leader, who
shows an ability to get the best out Of his
players and enthuse his audience without
working for sensational effects.
In double sense these are civic concerts
now. AS Mr. Otto II. Kahn, their treas
urer remarked, "the flame of art must be
nourished in war time" and this they are
doing They are also to be used for fos-
tering patriotism, for at each one speech
is to be featured setting forth the practi-
cal war time application of each Ameri-
cans love of country. II this countrys
entry into the war is to make change in
the demand for amusement, it is greatly
to be hoped the new tendency will be
toward such wholesome and fine entertain
ment as these concerts provide-not high
brow" and yet unsteady good enough to
satisfy earnest students of the art and
habitual attendants at the best the ctys
regular season produces.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
The World Moves
the Editor OF The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Neither radicals nor conservatives
ever get what they want. The anarchists,
the nihilists, the socialists. on the one hand,
and the imperaists, the capitalists and the
Ieactonaries, on the other. fight and defend
without cessation. II you listen to one, you
will learn that his battle is eternal. If you
lend an ear to the other, he will try to con-
vince you that the foundations of society are
in constant danger
Nihilists. for decades, have hunted cars
with bombs The only car dethroned was
arrested as quietly as if he were a beggar
charged with vagrancy. The French people
for a lifetime, were classed as decadent, so
that their name was but another for frivol
ity And yet, of all the nations in this
world war, La Belle France leads in fneness
of spirit and all the virtues that make
strong souls.
The Prohibition party of the United States
only polled little more than l per cent Of
the popular vote last fall But more than
one-half of all the states dry as
bone, and sumptuary laws are so fashion
able that one wonders at the change. few
years ago suffrage for women was knocked
about as crazy notion attributed to short
haired females and long-haired males" To-
day it is quite businesslike doctrine, not
only preached but practised in three-quar-
ters of the states Of the Union, and the Brit
ish nation, that was forcbly feeding suf-
fragettes in prison four years ago, is now
calmly providing for equal suffrage
Most of us were brought up TO believe
that bondholder was some sort of SUI
peror person, who did not live on our street
and who either wore gloves the year around
or always wore spats. And here we are, all
of US bondholders, and all of us wearing
spats II is even more interesting to realize
that, after 40 years of freedom, raising
millions upon millions Of children to believe
that voluntary soldiers are the only ones to
have, we suddenly give the greatest exhibit
ton on earth OF selected service army so
vast that it awes the world, and that mag
nifcent draft of men in their twenties is
being made so quickly and quietly that the
only ones excited over it are those whom it
least concerns.
The world does move!
ALVIN NJ. HIGGINS.
New York. June IS. 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
A Parents Protective Association

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The sad and narrowing events con-
nected with the Cruger case have stricken
the minds of fathers and mothers with the
fear that similar fate might be in store for
their beloved ones unless there could be
some adequate protection for the young peo-
pie of this city, which up to the present time
has manifestly been lacking from our police.
Could not a protective society, such as the
Jewellers Alliance be formed. TO be COM
posed of fathers, mothers and relatives, in
fact, of all who love the pure beauty Of our
American girl? Membership could be
divided into various classes, and moderate
annual dues charged, the amount so realized
to constitute a sinking fund from which
officers and detectives could be employed TO
seek out and prevent any such criminal act
as has Mortified your readers.
There is not father or mother who would
not gladly register themselves in such an
organization. a FATHER.
Brooklyn, June 20, 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
The Vanishing Whale
From The Vancouver SUM

Unless whales are protected by interna-
tional game laws. properly enforced, the time
is not remote when these magnificent NAM
mails will soon be as scarce in the sea as the
buffalo is on land.
No one knows this better than the whaling
companies, of course, who have millions Of
dollars invested in plants which could prob
ably be used as fish reduction plants in case
of the exhaustion of the whaling grounds
below a paying yield.
1t is said by some that when ground is
abandoned on account of exhaustion the
whale will breed back. But modern steam
whaling is so annihilating that it will not
leave enough whales 10 breed back.
The determination Of the mammoths Of the
sea would be lamentable loss TO mankind,
not only owing to their great commercial
value, but because they are among the
nobest of creatures.
Steam whaling and the business of convert
ing every part of the whale into commercial
products are one of the profitable industries
of British Columbia. II would be reasonable
TO suppose that the whaling companies would
be in favor of prolonging their profitable
business by the conservation of the whales.
This conservation would have to be one OF
the larger movements Of the kind, which
have international scope like the sealing
laws. and the proposed agreement between
the United States and Canada 20 conserve
the halibut by a closed season.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
Beer or Bread?
New York, June IS, 1917.

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: have two sons who have left school
to work on the farms. Two of them have en-
listed in the United States Naval Reserve
force. The day on which my sons Joined 200
out of 216 men were rejected as a result Of
liquor. cigarettes and vice.
Now, if | interpret rightly Mr. Hoover's
appeal through this mornings Tribune, the
condition is just this: There are four
bushels of wheat TO divide between Mr.. Smith
and myself. As things stand to-day, Mr.
Smith gets three bushels in beer and one
half bushel in bread, while get only one
half bushel in bread. And now Mr. Hoover
asks me TO cut down on this one-half bushel.
I protest against this. but Mr.. Smith says
Beer is bread
will not quarrel with Mr. Smith as 70
whether beer is bread. But before | do cut
down on this one-half bushe demand Of
Mr.. Hoover-not a check that says so many
loaves of bread-but rather check that says
beer OR bread.
Do / demand too much?
MRS. s. o. RUSBY.
Raritan, y. j., June is, 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
One Satisfied Inventor
Tor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Referring to the letter Of "Dayy
Jones' in your issue of June d. rejecting on
the sincerity Of the Committee on Marine In
vestieation. permit me to relate ny own ex-
perience.
short ,:mo ago | conceived method
which thought might be effective IN meeting
the submarine menace, but had not the M
terial resources-dynamos, submarines pen
scenes etc.-with which to test 1t OUT there
fore. my invention" was purely Theoretical
I wrote to Mr.. ". L. Saunders, chairman o.
the Naval Consulting Board, briefly outlining
nv idea. In the course Of week or so re-
ceived a most polite letter from Mr. Saunders
giving me the names of various technical eS
merits of the board both in Washington ana
New York and inviting me to present my plan
in detail TO any one of them. Mr. saunders
even went out of his way 70 apologize fof
his delay in answering my letter sooner owing
To pressure of business. | accordingly inter
viewed William T. Donnelly, of the board
and was received with the utmost courtesy
After explaining my plan | was informed
would be tested out by the board at the car
nest DOSSlD4t UlOIltAS anu 'NN''N w.
advised if the device proved practeaoN
Meanwhile, had also received letter IRON
Admiral Rousseau, chairman of the Ship rro'
lection Committee, thanking me for my sug'
gestion and also assuring me 1t wouId "
tried out without delay. | fail 70 see no"
any one could have been treated with gres,e,
courtesy and consideration than was aceoros'
to me and, as | remarked before, ny sugses'
ton was based solely on theory and hsd no.
been advanced TO the stage Of practical tes~
1t seems to me very much as though "Da'!
Jones" were suffering from complaint e0'n'
mon 10 nine-tenths of the inventors "a"
met. viz: an exaggerated idea Of his OWE I'M
portance and Of the value Of his inventions
or else possibly he was Withholding any oe.
tails of his plans for the sake Of dicEerns
for financial benefits. In the latter event. ~
might have received greater consideration u
like myself, he had been willing to trust "
the generosity OF Uncle Sam in case MS u
ventions proved eificacious.
J.ACTON LoMAX
New York, June IS, 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
Our Law-Abiding Democracy

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: After having read Are We 10 Wv
War;" and pondered on that very inter es"Ilss
paper written by Ray Stannard Baker, cow
not Immediately refrain from coa0.-
whether such an article-however aos
trusty il is-was not unreasonable ana Oh,a's
to the great policies OF our Distinguish,
President IL sounded 70 me like soneV's s'
had read as coming from the "holh'S'''
Zeitung"
However that may be, there is, at any TO-
one extremely refreshing and inspiring -
preston that any intelligent reader ca" o..
must derive from the said quite eoh''H1'".
article, viz, the certainty OF a very
future in store for a nation that mas sue"
deep sense of obedience TO the law as 70 80
nit. though regretfully. 10 its dictates ",
perfect composure, equanimty ana s 'lsT
And this all is the more admirable Oe'"- :,
have read, in the past, thousand tiHs' :,
democracy can never obey as DO pe0P,e
an autocratic government. To make II So,
wish simply 70 emphasize that most .ue ~.
aging fact, that American democracy IKE -.
Swiss. is showing itself every day as 80,
full of law as the most eXacting aulo''s>s
can pride itself on having compelled iS w
pie TO be- .h;,s
As understand it, that is the moral W",..
Stannard Baker has, | suppose, "isheu - ~.
press on the readers OF your most au,,,p
paper. CHARLES Ed W
Ottawa. Ont, June Is, 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
Cleveland's Hopes
lFrom The Clereland Leqaerl


II the population Of this city and the
county in which it stands is nine times the
number of men registered, then Cleveland is
up to or very near the 100000 mark. which
means a gain of about 100000 in the last
seven years. And if there are 100000 human
beings living in Cleveland there are at least
900 900 in the county
Three years more Of growth will certainly
carry the city up TO or beyond 100000. The
county will as surely pass the million mark.
II is entirely possible, or even probable, that
there will be $4,000 residents of the area
now inside the municipal limits of Cleveland
and 100000 in Cuyahoga County
That will mean million or more in the
real Cleveland. It will insure an official rec
ord Of 100000 or better if the contiguous
suburbs which are parts of the city now in
everything but legal status will come into
the fold before the taking of the next cen
sus, in the spring of 1920. Nothing else will
be needed.
The talk of 100000 Clevelanders in 1920
has been no dream. II can. be made n reality,
in the official records as well as in a COM
nonsense view of the greater Cleveland Of
that time, if the residents of outlying munich
palities who make their living in the city
will only vote themselves in soon enough 70
insure Cleveland due credit for what it really
is, in population and all other tests OF civic
greatness.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
The Punishment for a Death Trap

Only a few months Of two years are
lacking since the disastrous factory fire
in Brooklyn which cost twelve lives and
brought about an investigation revealing
shocking laxity in inspection by employees
of the State Industrial Commission, and
an utterly inadequate system Of caring for
the safety Of workers. The law has been
slow in taking its toll, but the plea Of
guilty entered by Mrs. Diamond, owner Of
the building, and the sentence a short time
ago of Barkin, lessee, who kept locked
the trapdoor TO the roof, thus directly
causing the loss Of life, make certain more
punishment for those responsible in this
case than has been the rule.
The community can feel no qualification
over having these unfortunate individuals
in Jail; but il seems eminently necessary
10 impress on factory owners and factory
officials by severe punishment where the