The Green Forest tribune., 1917-10-26

est interest in the subject is taken by the surgeons of the service In Wash ington; that they are familiar with the claims that have been made for nikalgin; that they have read the ar ticle setting forth In detail its virtues. and the specific cases in which 1t has been used. and that reports on the subject are to he made to the medi- cal department within short time.
 There are certain things concerning this discovery for which so much has been claimed. that must he said as un. questionably refiecting the views of Uncle Sam'S army surgeons. They will decline. as they believe the medical profession elsewhere will decline, to experiment on soldiers with anything new and untried. A wounded man Tn the midst of his suffering is not. ac- cordIng to their belief, one upon whom experiment should be made. The known agencies of relief only should be used.
 There are other ways of trying out the virtues of niknlgin and they will he used. In fact the American Medical association. according to information given to me by surgeon of the serv- ice, already has investigated nikalgin and eXperimented with it. The assO- citation, l am told, is now conducting another series of experiments because. so the word is, the first trials did not bear out the claims which were made
 It Is known that representative of the British medical department. who recently came to the United States, has told the surgeons that up to the time he left the home office nikalgin had not been given q trial there. 4 French surgeon recently arrived has said the same thing but as soon as the story of demonstration of nikalgin In Eng land and in France was read, reports from the medical officers of the two countries were asked for, and soon will be received in Washington.
 Almost Fear to Make War Talk.
 One reason for the desire of con gress to have some weeks intervene between the end of one session and the beginning of the next is
 
 Democrats and Republicans, can go forth into their districts to talk to their constituents on the war and the necessity of driving if hard to a vic tory for democracy.
 Republican congressman, and par ticulariy those who represent western districts, are q trifie disturbed over 'hnt q deaf to the summons, and yet they fear that the results may be damag- ing to their political fortunes. It may seem curious that any man can think that his appeals to people to stand by their country may work anything but good to him and his cause, and yet there seems reason in a way for the fear of some of the members that they may lose by their efforts.
 In order that I might get the real basis for the fear that political ill-for- tune may await the Republicans who volunteer to speak In behalf of vigOr- ouS war measures, l sought out a member of congress of that party from a district in New England. where the
 
 West, and where, presumably. speak ing member could not suffer by telling his neighbors that they must stand for war as mighty nation should con duct 1t.
 The New England Republican to whom talked will be candidate for reelection next year. He said:
 "There is nigh war spirit in nearly ali parts of my district. There are some sections, however, where the peo- pie need information in order to bring them to the point of willingness to sanction all the government measures necessary to put through this big thing in which we are engaged. The mere preaching of driving war in behalf of democracy will not hurt me at the polls, but there is something which is likely to hurt me and every Repub- lican candidate In the country.
 ''rhe people in the main do not diff ferentiate between the government, or, to put it better, between the United States and the administration. There is no party of opposition in congress today-that is, no party of opposition to war. The men in congress who are opposed to the war are to be found In both parties, and there are only few of them.
 Dilemma of the Republicans.
 When we Republicans go out to speak in behalf of hearty support for the government. many of our hear CTS will take this to mean that we desire hearty support for the admin istration. So we will, In way, but we will not mean that we are pleading for the support of the administration in it's endeavOrs along lines which have nothing to do with the war.
 We cannot expect. however. that the people will make this distinction and they are the more certain not to make it because we would destroy all the force of what we have to say if we tried to discriminate between an en- dorsement of the administration in its war efforts and an endorsement of its other efforts. If we did this We would bef0g the issue and be charged with playing politics"
 It can be said that there Is belief in Washington that the Republican fears will be found to be misplaced and that all congressman of whatever party will be given credit solely for their patriotic efforts and that my politics in the matter will be cut from consideration.
 
 Most Convenient
 "Sir, why did you hit me on the head just now?"