Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-02
NATIONWIDE DRIVE
| FOR LIBERTY LOAN
BEGINS IN EARNEST
Tremendous Enthusiasm Re-
ported From Every Sec
ton of Country.
FAIR FlRST-DAY VOLUME
OF SUBSCRIPTION RECEIVED
Towns and Cities Welcome Be-
ginning of Campaign With Dis
tinctive Demonstrations.
MANY SPECTACULAR FEATURES
Ofi1cials Hope for $500, ,OOO,O 900 a
Day for Next Twenty
Three Days.
FAIR FlRST-DAY VOLUME
OF SUBSCRIPTION RECEIVED
MANY SPECTACULAR FEATURES
Officials Hope for $500, 200, 900 a
Day for Next Twenty
Three Days.
IBy Associated Press.1

[By Associated Press]
WASHI ING TON, October 1.-The
great Liberty loan drive started to-day
throughout the country with a rush.
Telegraphic reports to the Treasury
from every section indicate tremend-
Gus enthusiasm on the part Of tens OIL
thousands Of workers and a fair first
day volume of subscription toward the
$4,000. 900. 900 minimum which has been
set as the goal OF the four weeks
campaign.
Flags were flown. whistles were
blown, acres OF billboards blossomed
into rsd. white and blue posters. and
ttotsands of workers started the cam
paign with enthusiasm from New Eng
land to California. Everywhere, from
post st-offices, bank and store windows
railway stations, street windows, rail-
way stations, street cars and scores of
other public places. Liberty posters
with varied slogans were pasted up,
and workers began the task of ind
ing buyers.
Towns and cities from coast to coas>
welcomed the beginning OF the cam
paign with distinctive demonstrations.
Here in the capital street cars were
stopped for two minutes at noon, and
automobile horns and sirens let loose
bedlam OF noise as the field force
began Its work. In hundreds of other
communities the story was the same,
varied only by methods followed.
AIRPLANEs DROP LOAN
LITERATURE IN PHILADELPHIA
Boston reported a CHORUS of steam
whistles greeting the opening of tho
campaign. Mayor Mitchell. of New
York. started II there with an ad-
dress. Philadelphia let loose her fac
tory whistles at 10 o'clock. and two
hours later gazed skyward at a squad
ron OF six airplanes that circled the
tower OF tho City Hall. dropping loan
literature. while 5000 Boy Scouts
started collecting contributions.
Secretary McAdoo opened his trans
continental speech making tour in
Cleveland. where iris Speaker. star
outAelder of the Cleveland baseball
club. purchased the first bond. Lib
erty Bell at st. Johns Church, Rich
mond. where Patrick Henry uttered his
immortal Give me liberty or give me
DEATH" led the bells of that city in a
fve-minute proclamation that the drive
was on. At Atlanta the president OF
the Georgia Federation of Women's
Clubs called up the chairman of the
Liberty loan executive committee be-
fore breakfast to get his subscrip-
tion--and got 1t.
A flying squadron of nearly 1000
solicitors stormed Chicago as the bells
rin o{p n tot
ing. Minneapolis started with a pro-
gram OF meetings designed to reach
every man. woman and child in her
reserve district. Prominent business
men OF ST. Louis put on overalls and
pasted up posters. San Francisco be-
gan with luncheon attended by 500
mon and women. and Dallas and
Kansas City reported a similar spirit
Of enthusiasm.
WIDESPREAD ENTHUSIASM
AROUSED ON FIRST DAY
The spectacular features Of the first
day succeeded everywhere. reports to
the Treasury Department indicate, in
arousing widespread enthusiasm. To
keep alive this enthusiasm and swell
its volume till every person who can
buy Liberty bond does buy one is
the work to which the volunteer army
I is now devoting its attention.
officials here were not inclined to
! minimize the tremendous task A vast
amount Of hard work must be done
+ during the next twenty-three moro
working days by every person In the
ranks Of the great organization. An
average Of $125,0oo.oo0 a day in sub
scriptions for the entire period would
bring the total only up to the min
imum. What officials hope for Is to
make every day $20O.00o.0oo day, or
on, an eight-hour basis, $25.Ooo.O0 an
hour. This would bring the total to
: within hailing distance of the S5,00o,-
100000 which the country is expected
4 to subscribe.
With 100000 subscribers as the
goal, the average daily subscription
: list should show 100000 names Again,
computed on an eight-hour working
4 day basis, $4,000 men and women would
. have to subscribe every hour to bring
: the total up to expectations.