davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
Undoing a Bad Mistake

Governor Whitman's veto Of the Brown
bill authorizing the Industrial Commission
to suspend the labor laws during the war
undoes one of the worst mistakes of the
Legislature which recently adjourned. The
measure was unjustifable on any ground.
1t was not such legislation as the Federal
Council of Defence had suggested; 1t was,
in fact, directly opposed to its sugges-
tions. 1t was not demanded by the neces-
sites of the industrial situation. SO far
as could be ascertained, the only persons
who really wanted it were the Gamers,
who for two or three years have been en-
deavoring by hook and crook to break
down the restrictions of the laws against
woman and child labor, and some other
manufacturers who saw profit in sweating
unprotected workers under the guise OF
swift production of war supplies.
The Governor has taken the rational
and the really patriotic view of the sltua-
ton. If the time comes when the demands
of the war on the states industrial system
cannot be met within existing law, ample
warning will be given by the Federal au-
thorities of the emergency. Then proper
steps may be taken to meet that emer-
gency, such as authorizing longer working
hours for men, perhaps even an extension
of the limitations on the work of women in
factories. That time is not now, however,
and it may reasonably be doubted whether
that time will arrive for this country,
which has had the benefit of the expert
ence of Great Britain, where production
was found to be hampered and retarded in
the long run by over-long hours and omls-
sion of the weekly day of rest.
Those who serve in the mill and the shop
are going to be just as loyal and do their
utmost with as great good will as those
who don the khaki. No good will come,
however, of undertaking to drive them
beyond human capacity under any circum-
stances. To place on the statute books
such measure as the one the Governor
has vetoed would be merely to sanction an
exploiting of the helpless and a wastage
of human material wholly objectionable.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
For Steel and Goethals

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Apropos the Goethals-Denman con-
troversy, permit me to call TO the attention
Of your readers the following extract from
a memorandum written October 3, 1775, by
John Paul Jones, and addressed TO Joseph
Hewes, of the Marine Committee of the Con-
tinental Congress-:
Il is seldom, even in England,
that private shipyard is intrusted with the
building Of a lne-of-battle ship. In the
dockyard is always an accumulation of tim
Der Of the scantling sizes required in such
ships, which is kept seasoning for years be-
fore being put into frames and siding Of
ships. We have no dockyard, no seasoned
timber Of scantling sizes suitable for ships
of the line. Hence, if we build them-whic
few of our shipyards can dove must put
green timber in them, fresh cut from the
forests. Ships so built must be most per-
ishable'
The vessels above referred TO must be at
least Of 1000 to 1850 tons burthen,' yet
Denman cries out for cargo vessels of up
ward Of 5000 tons. But perhaps our Cali
fornian is a better authority than the late
Commodore, L. 5. n?
II. d. BRANDYCE.
New York, June 2, 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
Partners of the Nation
But the Peoples Loyalty Is Being
Slapped by Anti-Conscriptionists

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: About anti-conscriptionsts, | attend
cd an extemporaneous meeting at-the corner
Of Second Avenue and Tenth Street the other
night, and had my eyes opened. The speaker
appealed to the lowest instincts of the crowd.
He did it wisely and well. He used English
of a simple, direct and yet picturesque form
the English Of the East Side. He said, as
Socialists will, that this was capitalists
war. He pictured Mr.. Vanderbilt-any Mr..
Vanderbilt-as safe from gunfre in trench
dug in Forty-second Street. He said that IN
this free country some men were making
millions and others, these others, were asked
to be happy at Sl2 a week.
He did not suggest that If they were worth
more than this they would be paid more than
this And this was not understood by the
crowd The fight is carried on-if we are to
believe hm-for the greater benefit OF those
who already possess a surplus of benefit by
those who, even in peace, are giving their
best blood for their enrichment. He did not
suggest that great many of the sons OF the
Mr.. Vanderbilts were already at the front;
that with every nation in this war the rich
mems sons, whenever lNele was q N''''NN'
we're the first to answer the call of the gov
eminent; that Hamilton Fish, jr., was one
Of the few men killed in action during the
Spanish-American War.
lie did not tell these people-and nine out
of ten were Russian Jews-that the liberty
in this country could at least be compared
fayorably with that of their fatherland. He
did not remind them that the sidewalks we're
free to them here, that policemen protected
their interests, that the law saw that they be
treated much as are the sons of the Wander
bits. He did not remind them that they
were now listening TO an attack upon the
government made in one Of the governments
own highways And they cheerpd when he
said: Let us stand together and fight con-
scription."
There are partnerships and partnerships.
These men as voters are partners or the
nation, and as partners, owe her allegiance.
They were not asked to be honest partners
they were asked to be dishonest partners.
Except in a prejudicial way there was not
given single picture of the other side.
Would it not be wise for the government
to do a little talking now, in order to save
a little shooting a little later on?
GUY PENE DU BOTS.
New York June 2, 1917
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
Under One Flag

Somewhere in one Of Henry Sydnor
Harrison's novels there is an appealing
statement of what the Civil War meant to
the South. 1t was fought in the South.
1t was fought along the roads, across
the fields, in the homes of the South.
What to the North, or most Of the North,
was a terrible but distant monster was
familiar and devastating scOurge to Vir-
ginia and the other border states. There
was the same essential difference then that
there is to-day between the point of view
Of France and the point Of view Of Amer
lea with respect TO the Great War. lmag-
ination can never take the place of cold
steel was the point then as now.
We of to-day, in reading Of the Confed-
crate ceremonies at Washington, will do
well to bear this in mind. We are playing
at war as yet. We are trying to imagine
what the word Sacrifice" means while the
nation of Joffre is bleeding hour by hour.
We are talking in long words Of human
ity while the greatest sacrifice ever made
in the name of civilization is being poured
out on the fields of France.
Plain humbleness of spirit we should
take from the spectacle of gray and blue
uniforms uniting in a march up Pennsyl-
vania Avenue this week. These men gave
to their faith the last measure of deyo-
ton. They passed the one test by which
people can prove itself and the works Of
civilization be preserved. Each side haz-
arded its every possession of life and hap
piness. And if these two enemies, the one
victorious and the other defeated, can to-
day Join hands in celebration of the united
nation they now serve, how small our
present-day chickering's and personal fort
unes seem by comparison!
1t is a long road we must travel before
we can claim the right to march abreast of
these veterans of the COS. May we never
show less courage, less free-handed giving
to our cause, than did these soldiers of the
South And may we ever be grateful for
the splendid spirit that brings them and
their sons and daughters under the one
flag in this the day OF its greatest peril!
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05

measures are now law, one of them passed
over the veto of the Mayor. If the OF
finger bill hastens a removal Of the west
Side tracks by any plan which will satisfy
those who protested against the Mayor S
plan, the general public will be quite con-
tent to overlook the violation of home rule
involved in setting aside the local authori-
ties for state officials. The probability IS,
However, that any plan which would put
spades into earth as soon as the Mayors
plan would have will not satisfy the pro
testants against that plan, and any ar
rangement whatever which would satisfy
them would be contested in the courts by
the railroad company.
The public must hope for the best out OF
this muddle, but the prospect is not con-
ducive to optimism. The Tribune believed,
and still believes, that the Mayors plan,
as finally amended was and remains
pretty good bargain for the city, and one
which after years Of dickering gave prom
ise of the early beginning of work on track
removal. If the Public Service Commls-
sion can wheedle or eXtort better ar
rangement from the railroad company,
naturally every one will be glad the OF
finger law was adopted. If track re-
moval is held up by lawsuit for long
period to come, JOY will be distinctly a
minus quantity. Whatever the result, the
responsibility rests now on the Public
Service Commission and on the Governor,
who took the problem away from the local
authorities.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
That Year Book
Its Publisher Undertakes Its Defence
in the Name Of Germania

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The issue of your esteemed paper OF
May y reached me just now, in which you
take exception to my editorial, "Thc Future
of Germanism in America to be published in
"The Year Book of the German-Americans for
1918" of which am the editor-publisher
While | appreciate the correctness of the
translation of certain parts of the editorial
have to protest against the unpatrlotic spirit
attributed to my editorial. and have to ask
Won. therefore, kindly to publish the following
lines:
Il seems to me that such efforts only could
and should be branded as unpatriotlc, and Tor
that reason discouraged which endeavor to
bring this country by any name or title under
foreign influence While. on the other hand,
overv earnest effort to add to this country the
very best that can be found with other peoples
deserves unqualified support 1t is immaterlai
TO me whether or not the American press
RACES against the Hohenzollerns; | myself am
not in love with them. But for the Republics
sake I most earnestly object TO the crusade
AGAINST the German spirit and against the
German language.
The Romans were warning eteIHdlly oh NhS
Germans. and yet Tactus, the foremost
Roman historian, praised in his "Germania"
the German social customs, the purity of Ger
man family life and the unfaltering readiness
Of Germans TO respond to the call of duty.
This spirit would like to see cultivated in
America for America more so because our
own history and daily life teaches us that
Anglo-Saxon individualism is identical with
utter selfshness, which prevents the members
Of the great American national family from
being or from becoming interested in the af-
fairs Of all for the benefit of each and of all.
And as to the German language, beg leave
to refer you to one Of the foremost Americans
to Moses Stuart, who in the first decade OF
the nineteenth century wrote to the editor of
1.-THE Christian Review: "Those who decaim
most against the study of the German lam
guage are usually the persons who have little
or no acquaintance with it, What
Cicero said of a knowledge of Greek in his
day we may now say OF the German: II is not
so much matter of praise to be acquainted
with il as of shame to be ignorant Of it,"
Should the great Moses Stuart be denounced
by his own posterity l65 years after his
death? DIR. MICHAEL SINGER.
Editor and Publisher of THE Year Book of
the Communications for lOlS.'
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
a Last Resort Only

With some of the contentious OF MI.
Samuel Gompers, speaking for organized
labor. The Tribune has been unable 10
acree hut it takes the greatest pleasure IN
;Ydorsinc thoroughly and completely ms
protest against the proposed suspension OF
the Federal child labor law. As ne truly
saws. this nation is not facing such an eN-
tremitv as to justify this course. mere
is = shortage of labor in certain skilled
trades and branches of industry, but moth
;,c, that children can directly supply. AS
tho eole,tjve draft comes into operation
there will be an accentuated shortage Oh
male labor in many industries. But stlii
This will not be anything which children
can make up directly, and assuredly 1t VIII
NOT nroduce an extremity for which they
should be taken -
Labor shortage, where it exists, VIII
have to be attacked at first in number OIL
chv;ous WAYS. There will be curtailment
Of Messenger service on the railroads and
The elimination of parlor car and dining
car service. as the New York, New Haven
Hartford Railroad has already an
nounced. There will be substitution where
,ossiblo of women workers for men. There
will be overtime work, within the iimita-
tons of existing labor laws. There VIII De
curtailment of the production or IuXurleS'
from women's hats and suits, according TO
fashions changes, to jewelry and hmou-
II
eating these dispensables will be SHIFTED 10
tho manufacture of articles really neces-
cary 70 the life of the nation. And while
all or any of these changes In the lndus-
trial world are possible, it is shortsighted'
foolish. even wicked, to talk of taking chill
dren ont of school to put them into mills
and factories.
The children of to-day are the nation OF
Tomorrow. This country has entered the
war that future generations may ENJOY
without limitation or curtallment the
rights and privileges of democracy as
America understands it. 1t would be a
sorry mockery, indeed, of the principle Tor
which we fight if the country's children
we're to be hurried into shop and foundry,
r,;ll and quarry, deprived of the opportu-
nifty to gain sound minds and sound bodies
cheated of the protection by law which the
kindest and wisest sentiment of the land
has demanded and obtained. That would
he bad enough at the worst, as a last re-
sort. The country, fortunately, is far
from that. It has resources uncalculated'
industrial capabilities scarcely dreamed OF,
without feeding its children into the ma
chinery. When all else has failed-if such
a time should ever comet would be time
10 talk of suspending the child labor law.
Until then the whole proposal is gro
tcsoue, monstrous.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
70 the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: Twenty-Five years ago | happened to
be present at the annual banquet which
closed the session of the Diet of Brandon
burg, at which the Kaiser delivered the
speech referred to by Mr.. r. D. Harlan in
his article in to-days Tribune. The Kaiser
was fond Of making sensational speeches at
these banquets, at which he appeared as
Marsgraf of Brandenburg, probably the old
est title of his house.
His utterances were even more emphatic
than as quoted by Mr.. Harlan. What he
said was, as giebt nur einen Herr i'm Lande
und das bin ich. lch dude keinen Anderen
neben mir" ("There is only one Lord in this
country and | am he. | will tolerate no other
near mel
The Kaiser's face was crimson with wrath
rs he uttered or rather shouted these words
In fact, his majesty was so excited that a
silence of stupefacton reigncd for a couple
Of minutes among the whole company after
he sat down. G. GORDON SMITH,
-
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
Women Workers in the South

fFrOm Tho PrOridence JOHrhdp
Shortage Of man-power is reported from New
Orleans, and women arc already taking places
formerly held exclusively by men and boys.
One Of the larger hotels is employing girls
to operate its elevators, and the management
has announced its plans 90 put on bell-girls
in place Of bellboys as soon as they are OBJ
tainablc. 1t is expected that other hotels
will follow this lead shortly.
Women in the South have not been en-
ploycd in the past as freely as they have
been employed in the North, but the war
promises a change in this condition. Many
industries and institutions have already lost
considerable number of their male en-
ploycs through the volunteer system Of
creating an army. and with the draft system
soon TO be in effect they anticipate losing
many more Naturally this will leave many
places open for the employment of women
workers, but the prejudice against the latter.
even on the part Of women themselves, must
T.. oyerroms and M doubt IL will bo.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
"The Woman Citizen"

Its very name is an omen and promise
of its future-"The Woman Citizen" Suf-
fragists in christening their new journal
have looked beyond the short period which
will elapse until their fight for equal repre-
sentation at the polls is won to the years
in which their task will be not to get the
vote, but to train the new citizens in using
the vote, and through them to lead the ma
ton to a new understanding Of the vision
of democracy.
It is not an easy task. Probably never
again will the womanhood of the country
be so tractable as it was in the days when
the revered "Woman's Journal" was the
oracle for all. In those days most women
thought Of suffrage as children do of fairy
land.
The vision blinded their souls with its
beauty, and they forgot the practical de-
tails They questioned the inspiration Of
their leaders little more than children con-
tradct the story-teller who places the fair
les behind the rainbow or at the golden
door in the sunset. Those were the days
when women dreamed and hoped for suf-
frage, but few dared proclaim their belief
from the housetops. Their journal was a
heroic thing in spirit, but in fact pathetic
record of a few converts in high places,
and much brave argument to which all
nodded assent.
To-day "The Woman Citizen" takes up
-, 4lo cto hac q
/ Presidents words to faunt on its first
page: 1--WE shall fight for the things which
we have always carried nearest our hearts
for democracy, for the right of those
who submit TO authority to have a voice in
their own governments" Its editors have
the calm certainty in their hearts that ere
that President retires from Office he will
make good those words in reference TO
women.
When that time comes the task of "The
Woman Citizen" will be still TO lead and
| inspire the thought of the women citizens
women who by now are fearfully skilful
in thinking their own thoughts without
leadership. Already the suffrage world is
divided into two apparently irreconcilable
camps. Already those who are voters in
the Western states have divided along po-
ltical lines of cleavage devised by men.
Nobody may say what influences Of the
war may tend TO separate the women into
still more new schools Of thought.
u is an unknown and dangerous terri
tory for which "The Woman Citizen" has
set sail, but fair winds Of public sympathy
ara speedlug her on, and With high hearts
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
Confusion Worse COMPOUNDED

By signing the two bills comprising the
"West Side legislation" Governor Whit
man has definitely taken out of the hands
of the city administration the problem Of
removing the West Side tracks from grade
and undermining the freight facilities of
the New York Central Railroad. He has
given to the Public Service Commission
veto power over any arrangement the
Board of Estimate and Apportionment
might make with the railroad company;
he has provided for a general investiga-
ton Of the whole question by a commission
of legislators and laymen.
The situation has thus become confu-
sion worse confounded The law of 1911
authorized the prosecution of the West
Side improvement by agreement of two
todies-the Board Of Estimate and the
officials of the railroad company. The
present law necessitates the agreement of
three bodies, the two foregoing and the
Public Service Commission. Human nat
ure has never been able to agree better in
trio than in duet; and recognizing this the
new law permits the Public Service Com
mission to impose terms if agreement
should not come within a definite period.
The inevitable outcome of such procedure
would be a lawsuit, carried to the highest
court.
Meantime, there is the added element,
the general investigation. This, Of course,
can have no definite effect on the outcome,
since the findings Of the commission can
be merely recommendations, and there
seems little likelihood that it can possibly
shed any new light on a matter which has
been investigated, raked and probed by all
kinds Of bodies, official and private and
semi-public. Why the Governor signed
this particular bill must ever remain a
mystery, for even his apology that it can't
do any harm II it doesn't do any good
isn't quite accurate-the investigation as
suredly will cost many thousands Of
dollars.
II is futile 10 inquire how much Of all
this is doe 10 political antagonism 10
Mayor Mitchell on the part Of those at
Albany The fsss RUtinsnt 10 that these
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-05
The Long-Lived Farmer
lfrom The Iroreester reIegranl

)FrOD The Worcester telegram
Man armed with a hoe protects himself
from the agencies of death more completely
than man with any other life defence
weapon. The United States Bureau of Sta
tistics has discovered that important fact
by study of the records of life insurance
companies Then "the hard life of the
farmer" is longer, not because it simply
seems longer, but because he lives in the
midst OF protective agencies. The statistics
Of the entire country show that farmers live
longer than all others, ffty-eight years be-
ing their average span of life. Bookkeep-
ers and office assistants live the shortest
lives, thrty-six years being their average
limit of endurance. Among the Office work
ers tuberculosis is the worst enemy of life,
80 per cent of them having died of that dis
ease. Among the farmers heart disease
caused the most deaths, IS per cent of the
total. II is one of the good finds of this
year that the lives of men who till the soil
are longer and freer from disease than any
other people. This is the great American
farming year of all others, when nearly 30
per cent Of the population Of the United
States is to take some direct interest in pro-
ducing crops from the soil. There is a
large chance that the boys who go out on
the farms and work will have better foun-
dation of health for the years to come.