davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
OUR NATIONAL GOOD NATURE
Where 1t Is Deteriorating Into Reasonable
Indifference TO German Activities

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The American people are gifted with
good nature It is fast deteriorating into
reasonable indifference to the welfare OF our
country. Confident in the strength OF our
government. and in its ability to care for IT.
solf. we 81. silent while reasonable utter
ances 90 unrebuked. Franz Bopp' Consul
General Of the German Empire. accredited to
San Francisco has been. as you know. tired
and convicted in San Francisco under the
laws Of our country. His successor, Mr..
Erich Zoepfel. no sooner arrives IN san
Francisco than he makes this reasonable
statement in a public interview published IN
The San Francisco Chronicle
II understand Consul Ropp and the Others
viii take an appeal. The decision may be
reversed :, may not; but if they were
guilty their acts were prompted by the tru-
est patriotism
Believing IL impossible that openly and
avowcdly the representative OF the German
Empire could make the statement that the
truest patriotism TO his own country in
volved breaking the laws Of the country TO
which he is sent, / wrote privately to ask
him to deny this report of his speech. In my
letter stated:
Il believe it is Of serious public moment
that the citizens Of san Francisco should
know whether you were correctly quoted
Getting the quotation. If YOU were incor-
rcctly reported it is my belief that you
should make correction of this in the pub
lie press"
His sole reply to me was as follows:
81 beg to thank you for calling my atten-
ton to the article in The Chronicle
The day after this answer he again appears
at the German House. on a semi-public occa-
sion. the celebration Of the birthday OF En-
peror William, and again glorifies Bopp and
calls attention to the promotion accorded
also to Austrian and German officials in this
country Ambassador Dumba and Captain Won
Papen. who were dismissed by our govern
mont because of infractions of our laws.
We are too proud to rebuke reasonable
utterances. The German government does
rot instruct its foreign representatives to
break the laws OF the country to which they
ere sent. but some of its representatives. are
not too proud TO break our laws and glory IN
il, while we Americans take it all without an
act or a word Of condemnation.
OSGOOD PUTNAM.
San Francisco. March :, 1911
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
What Every American Knows

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: Your correspondent. Herr Won Os-
born. Of Newark. talks about the average
American" as knowing "full well that Ger
many has no desire to harm this country
or is citizens, but in her desperate straits
cannot be punctilious in observing all the
rules" | should hate 10 think that the
average American of which ! am one,
with 200 years Of average American" an
cestry back of me-had as little common
sense as he is given credit for by our Ger
man-loving. peace-promoting friend from
Newark. What he calls the "pro-British
press Of America" does genuinely represent
the best thought and feeling Of the average
American" who would be as pro-Gcrman
as he is now pro-Ally if the Allies had been
guilty Of the innumerable, unnamable crimes
that Germany has committed against the
God" they pirate so much about. against all
law. human and divine. in general, and
against the government and citizens Of the
United States in particular.
We can understand. Of course, why Ger
mans sympathize with their fatherland; but
any pro-German American should be ostra-
cized from decent society. At any rate, II
war should come, We know what kind of I'M
hyphenated and forceful treatment will be
handed out by average Americans" 10 Ger
man sympathizers. even if some OF the latter
do put veneer Of patriotism on their leu
tonism by the use OF such expressions as,
THANK God we have q President who does
not want war;" W. II. ".
Haledon. y. j., March II, 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
Thaw's Insanity

Once more Harry Thaw is adjudged in
sane-this time by the Court of Common
Pleas in Philadelphia-an his mother is
appointed custodian of his person. Her
counsel remarks that Mrs. Thaw and her
family all desire, if possible, that the mat
ter may be dropped" which is understand
able it is well to remember, however,
that had it not been for the mischievous
activities of Thaw's relatives the matter
would have been dropped long ago. 1t was
their pernicious and persistent agitation,
backed by abundant means and supported
by the ignorance and folly of men Of law,
that procured the release Of this dangerous
and revolving moral degenerate.
An effort will doubtless be made to force
another trial by jury in this state, but such
experience as we have had so far in this
way is not encouraging. The judge re-
sponsible FOR releasing Thaw in July, 1915,
took the verdict of jury "by way of adj
vice and aid" and the result was what
every intelligent psychiatrist plainly fore
saw. Il was not for want of warning that
he let the man 90, for he had been solemn
~ cautioned by men with lifelong expert
ence of the insane and the mentally in
ferior that one with such history and so
many evidences Of degeneracy could not
safely be released.
Like too many lawyers, he adopted a
supercilous air in dealing with expert dag
nosticans. lie thought common sense a
safe enough guide in determining whether
a man was right in his head or not, and so
for days he countenanced the ridiculous
process Of calling up the friends and
acouantances of Thaw and asking them
if they thought him mad" They were
not asked whether they had any clinical
experience as they undoubtedly would have
teen asked if it were a question Of estab-
Hghing the presence Of tuberculosis or can
Ger. 1t was enough for him that the wit
resses were men Of large experience and
women Of high repute." for such men and
women, must, as he pat it, know the
difference between sane and an in
sane man
All the mischief that has followed il a
natural consequence Of this blindness and
folly. physicians who know Tbaw's his
tory we , we'll aware Of the dangerous risk
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
The Great American Habit

Not poker nor the movie nor good nature
nor detachable cuffs, but the telephone.
should be ranked as the chief of American
habits. Just about 3O,O0O,O00 telephone
calls day were handled by the Bell telc-
phone system in 1916. That is one hun
cred calls year for every man, woman
and child in the country-excepting those
members of families who are too young to
be held up TO receivers.
Like most habits. we take the telephone
for granted Yet anybody beyond the ripe
age of thirty can remember very handily
when there was no such thing save as
public curiosity. If you wanted doctor
YOU ran down the street to fetch him; or
if YOU wanted a man for luncheon you
dropped a note the day before And like
all the other inventions which have speeded
up our means of communication, the teie-
phone has done something more than mere
" compress life; it has changed the quail
ity. subtracting certain elements and add
ing others. You simply cannot be elab-
oratelv courteous or impressvely dlgnl-
fed in world that knows the telephone.
Those impressive Napoleons who make 1t
a rule not to speak over the phone are
following a sound instinct-as are also the
very toplofty princesses Of society with
similar edict.
1t has also perceptibly reduced what
little was left Of solitude The great
novelist or the great composer can afford
telephoneless hut or flat, and 50 gain
enough peace and quiet to think. Plain
Americans must have the telephone at
their elbow day and night or 90 out Of
Enthusiastically as well as CONNER
cialIy. The ioyousness with which Ameri-
cans have welcomed the telephone to their
ears and lips no doubt flows in part at
least from our national distaste for pri-
yacy. We don't pull down our shades at
night and we hate hedges and fences. If
open plumbing is not an American inven-
ton it ought to be. On any future shield
of these United States the tile bathroom
and the telephone instrument ought to
share the glory.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
Electric and Geared Drives

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: have read with interest IN reeen'
columns of the New York dailies letters ana
editorials pro and con on electric or gesrea
drives for our new battleships.
The broad problem simply stated is que
ton of the electric drive and the positiohin.s
Of part Of boilers. in consequence above wv
waterline of the ship. as IS shown m our ~.
battle-crusers. or, on the other hand, us''S
the gear drive and having the constant pos
biity Of stripped gears caused by the TERM
strain Of man@uyring.
The ultimate solution of this entire pfVD
lem lies in the use Of turbo-reacton mo",.
directly connected with the propeller sn9',
and capable of running on crude or low graz
distillates These motors operate on s.'D
Diesel two-cycle principle. The unique ie
IRE of these motors regarding their direct ~
plcation to n ships propeller is their e'ss go.
drive" derived through their own "o'N'- -s
fluid, using neither gears nor electro s,v
and operating the propellers through ~
ratio from / To ! TO 1 to 1000. m aeeoiuS" 3,
with their design. These motors wouD
used in tandem each screw operated by "a
units ,.uers
These motors should do away with oos.l
and oil firing. and al steam pressure - Ne
ing the standby firing losses. Ihey %" .sll
started almost instantly from cold "
load. ,s,s,
The real solution Of many prooieh,, V,
lies not in lighting over doubti1l "i.' mi,
tive. which at best is a makeshift' as !" hgA
case the effort 90 utilize eonstan, az.
speed steam turbine for variable spee1 IS
in which tho L. 2 NJ. must be very hit u,
compared with ;he speed Of the turo'ne,
on the other hand. in developing ana ''S Isot.
motor for our navy that is essent'ally mi.
ed to the basic requirements in hShu. ,,Iou
motor is the elastic drive turoo-t''
motor operating on a semi-piesel eys,irs
NATHANIEL b. WAb'S
Detroit, Mich, March s, 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
Digging In

~ Tho Detroit J0nrhdN
The American Consul at Treblzond re-
ports that the Russians, who occupied the
city about a year ago have established
newspaper, two pages on weekdays four on
Sunday 1t is the distributor of the war
news in its part Of Asia Minor, than which
nothing else is Of such Importance TO the
newcomers.
A newspaper is an institution that has to
have pretty solid foundation. 1t cannot
be fed and watcred one day and hurried
away to strange parts the next 1t can
flourish only in an atmosphere that con-
tains security and stability. Il may be as
sumed. then. since the "Trebidonzky Voenni
Listok" has come into being, that Trebizond
itself is quiet and that its new rulers con-
slider they arc there to stay.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
Unmanifest Destiny

lEeprintcd al the request Of reader WHO feel
THAI n offers some hope 10 those OF uF who arr
impatient at the hesitancy and delay al washing
ton
To what new fates. my country, far
And unforeseen Of foe or friend.
Beneath what unexpected star,
COMPELLED to what unch0sen end,
Across the sea that knows no beach
The Admiral Of Nations guides
Thy blind. obedient keels 20 reach
The harbor where thy future rides,
The guns that spoke at Lexington
Knew not that God was planning thei
The trumpet word Of jefferson
To buglc forth the rights Of men.
To them that wept and cursed Bull Run.
What was il but despair and shame?
Who saw behind the cloud the sun?
Who knew that God was in the flame,
Had not defeat uTon defeat,
Disaster on disaster come,
The slaves emancipatcd feet
Had never marched behind the drum.
There is Hard that bends our deeds
To mighter issues than we planned.
Each son that triumphs, each that bleeds,
Ms country serves IT'S dark command.
do not snow beneath what SKY
Nor on What seas shall be thy fate;
only know IL shall be high.
/ only know IT shall be great
1925. RICHARD HONEY.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14

episode. An almost pathetic comment OF
BRAND at this time discloses the situation;
How can a minister conduct a war, how
can he perform the duty of governing,
when all his time must be spent in meeting
the attacks Of politicians in the Chamber
and all his energies devoted to political
considerations and not to those Of national
defence?"
But for one circumstance BRAND would
have fallen in January. All the selfish
politicians are united in the campaign to
weaken him. but no one Of them desires
to take the post Of danger now, no one OF
those who have the smallest qualifications
for the post BRAND stays because France
las no real second choice and none of the
little men who arc swapping at his heels
care risk the dangers of office.
The situation was somewhat cynically
described by Caiilaux, the champion Of
reace and alliance with Germany and OF
hostility to Britain, at the time Of the
Rome Conference Then he told Italian
friends BRAND will fall and Clemenceau
or Painleve will come in. They will make
great offensive against Germany and 1t
will fail Then ] shall come and make
peace" 1t is worth noting that he had
to deny this assertion later, fact which
indicates how little real sentiment there is
for peace in France.
The present crisis seems to have result
cd from a determination on the part of NJ.
Priand to force his enemies into the open.
Without caring or daring to overthrow
the ministry, they have steadily weakened
it and kept up continual fire upon 1t
from cover. 1t is clear that BRAND pre-
fers now TO go out of power rather than
to continue under the present crcum-
stances, and demands that he shall have
real support or clear opposition. Some
thing like the same situation is plainly
coming in England, where Lloyd George
may have recourse to a general election to
dispose OF a Liberal hostility which is
adopting the tactics of the opponents of
BRAND.
Fundamentally, however, it is essential
for Americans to remember that France
and England are both struggling with the
same kind of politicians who arc with us
in Washington. politicians who at mo-
ment Of national peril think of their own
political fortune and of the power and Of
the prestige which they deem their right.
They do not represent the nation. In
France recent political maneuvres have
discouraged both the army and the people
and weakened to some extent the fine con-
fidence excited by the recent victory at
Verdun. In Paris one hears it frequently
said eve have two enemies: the Germans
at Noyon and the politicians at the Palais
Bourbon"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
"But How Can Man Die Better"

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: Was Macaulay's hero addressing an
cient Rome or modern America when
out spake brave iIoratius.
The Captain of the gate.
ITO every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late,
But how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temples of his Gods.
And for the tender mother
Who handled him to rest
And FOR the wife who nurses
His baby at her breast.
And for the hoy maidens
Who feed the eternal fame
To save them from false SeXtus
Who wrought the deed Of shame?'
). c. X.
New York. March ., 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
Wait Until You See the Wake of the
TORPEDO

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: ! read the notices sent out by the
English government relative 10 the shooting
on sight Of the German submarine. Now. |
certainly hope our esteemed President will
not give any such orders ! admit however.
that If any submarines attack any steamer
without first warning the same, as they have
been doing. then shoot. But not before.
NATIVE BORN.
New York March -. 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14
Amen 10 the Cod-Giyen Submarine

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Wake up To-day IT is Germany with
her God given submarine who is putting up q
glorious fight in behalf Of new era OF
freedom for tho human family. She is fight.
ing for the freedom OF the seas.
God strengthen her arm and may holy vic
tory take up It's abode IN her democratic
little submarine. Amen
MARY IVES TODD.
Brooklyn. March II, 1917.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-14

Entered a. IN. Posio,k. q, New York as Second Gas
Nau Nstfe-.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-03-31
TRACY'S TRIAL BEING.
HE'D 4! SEATTLE
No Sensational Developments So
Far on Part of the
\Prosecution, :: .:* 4:

SEATTLE. Wash, March "a
Slowly the history of the foul attacks
on Free Speech ana the right of labor
to organize is emerging in the course
OF the trial Of Thomas Tracy, the first
OF "a workingmen charged with the
killing Of Deputy jeff Beard on the
waterfront of Everett, WASH, on
Bloody Sunday, Nov. S. These "a
men are tried for the killing of one
deputy. Nobody, however, is being
tried for the death Of five working
men on that red day. The trial of
Tracy is, in reality, the trial Of labor.
One of the star witnesses for the
prosecution was Mayor Merrill of
Everett. He didn't turn out quite
such a star as they thought he would.
Ernest Shellgren, engineer on the
verona" a witness for the state, did
not do much good for the prosecu-
tion. He said he saw only two guns
on the boat and saw only one of these
In use. He also mentioned the ter
rife hail of bullets which came from
the deputies on the dock. The cross
examination brought from him the
admission that, when the shooting
started, a crowd of men rushed down
to the engine-room and said to him:
For Gods. sake 60 up and tell
them on the dock to stop shooting"
The second gun he saw was used
on him! He stated that a man came
to him, held the gun in his face and
commanded him to reverse the en-
gines and back the ship out Of the
death-trap. Altogether, Shellgren's
testimony was far more favorable to
the defense than to the prosecution.
He was also unable to locate the
place from where the first shot came;
and it is upon the contention that fire
was opened from the boat that the
entire fabric Of the states case ress.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-03-31

Prince Lvoff, the premier, represents
the great landowners. against whom
the peasants have for twenty years
for "land and bread"
Rodzianko, who was president of
the Duma' when the worlxingmen Of
Petrograd won the troops over to
their side, and made the revolution a
success. is characterized as the Har-
rison Gray Otis Of Russia. He well
coined the revolution because it freed
the hands Of the big BUSINESS men of
tho empire, but he is absolutely op-
posed to any scheme of Industrial
freedom or OF political democracy.
First Test of Strength.
The first test Of strength will come
on the question Of an early election
of the members Of the constitutional
convention, as demanded by the
workingmen: Woman suffrage is in
sisted upon by the workers, and the
ministers will probably have to yield.
Then when the convention meets, If it
is permitted to meet, three big issues
will be brought forward by the work.
ingmen's delegates. Distribution of
land from the big estates to the peas
ants; organization Of an absolutely
democratic republic, on the lines of
the Swiss government; separation of
church and state, with the withdraw,
al OF all governments subsidies from
the support Of the Orthodox Greek
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-03-31

ing the assumption Of power by the
supreme court. rather than to supine-
']y permit the court to curb the free
dom Of the masses-the workers?"
To Organize Committee.
TO prove that this is not mere
rhetoric. there is to assemble in
Washington on April a large COM
mittee invited by Mr.. Gompers on
behalf of the advisory commission of
the Council of National Defense, to
organize itself into g. committee to
conserve the welfare Of the workers.,
in time of war and Of preparation for
war. Labor union spokesman, en-
ployers and students of industrial
problems will form this committee.
Mr.. Gompers will try to get them to-
urge congress to protect the rights Of
labor rather than to further invade
those rights as suggested by the su-
preme court. He will present the de-
mands issued here on March ~ by
the emergency conference Of trade
union officials. Chief of those de-
mands were the recognition Of the
organized labor movement as the
agency through. which the govern
mont should deal with all wage-earn-
ers, and labor representation in the
making Of all industrial policies.
This committee to be organized as
part of the force of the Council of
National Defense will have some in.
Ahuence with the new congress-, par
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-03-31

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn, March 20.
Louis Harthill, chief OF police,
after making an investigation into
the causes of crimes against children
which are being committed in the
Mill City, has decided to secure bet
ter cooperation between the citizens
and the police department., in an ef-
fort to stamp out those crimes, and to
that end is carrying on an educa-
tional campaign, particularly among
the teachers and children in the pub
lie schools.
Chief Harthill is trying to dispel
the belief Of children that policemen
are their enemies whom they should
fear, and instead plans to instill in
them confidence in the guardians of
the peace, to whom the children
should look for protection
while it is true," said the chief,
that this campaign is unique and
has never been carried on in any city
Of the United States, to my knowl-
edge, still feel that it is campaign
that is absolutely necessary, for we
are not accepting the traditions Of
the past, but introducing into the de-
partment our ideas and ideals that
we believe will give the city, of Min
neapolis the best police department
in the United States"
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-03-31
By Special Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, March 29.-Not
satisfied with the way in which the
proposed compulsory delay of strikes
was killed in committee in the senate
and house at the recent session, the
supreme court has gone out Of it's
way, in the course of it's decision on
the Adamson eight-hour law, to sug-
gest to congress that all railroad
strikes be prohibited. It denies that
these workers have any liberty to
quit their jobs, because they are in a
public service, controlled by the gov
ernment under the interstate COM
merce clause Of the Constitution.
THAT right Ito strike) is neces-
sarily surrendered,'' said Chief JUS
tice White in the majority opinion,
when the men are engaged in public
service. They are comparable to SOL
diers in the ranks who, in the pres
ence of the enemies of their country,
may not DESERT
This doctrine of industrial feudal-
ism, evidently bound to prejudice the
wage earners against all government
operated enterprises by a threat Of
involuntary servitude and q loss Of
democracy, is so far more damaging
/ to labor than the notification Of the
Adamson law would have been, that
it. has created deep indignation at
labor headquarters and in progressive
circles.