The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-07-17

Encourages Hope For Future-Trans-
port Service May BE Taken Over by
Navy-lmplication That Nation 10
Drifting Toward Autocracy.
BY ARTHUR W. DUNN.
Washington, July l4-GSpecial. j
Those who realize Just what an effort
1t was to land the first contingent of
American troops I'm Europe-the care,
the attempt at secrecy, the necessity
for safe convoy, etc.-may be able to
get some idea OF what II win mean to
land 100000 men In France. Ii is sup
posed that only n small number of
men were landed for the first expedi
ton. OF course everything will work
better in the future, but the people can
see that going to var Is a very serious
business. particularly going 10 wal
1900 miles across the water.
A Navy Problem.
When the bill was passed providing
for Temporary officers In the navy 1t
was expected that quite a number of
merchant officers would avail them
selves OF the opportunity to become
naval officers. But 1t Is not going to
be easy to get such officers to leave
their present duty and enter the navy.
The pay of civilian officers for mer
chant and transport ships Is 70 high
lhnt txuxxa1 Snrxinn t1 NOT oIlnrtnu fan
tnins OF big ships get $4,000, while
naval captains get 5000. Other OH
GERS pay Is correspondingly high. And
i'm the matter OF crews there is the
same difference. Sailors on merchant
men get 500 per month for the same
service that United States jackies get
$50. That makes IL difficult to get men
to enlist In the naval service.
There Is a suggestion hat all the
transport service needed for the army
and navy will have to be taken over
by the navy.
Autocracy and Socialism.
Those who take a real gloomy view
of the situation. those who see i'm
mense powers conferred upon the pres
ident to be exercised by men whom
we may appoint to administer the
laws, are Of the opinion that we are
fast drifting toward two things-au-
tocracy and socialism. There is an i'm
piled opinion expressed In the debate
on the bills which have been pending
In congress that autocracy is ahead OF
socialism and the present war In going
10 leave the United States with It's af-
fairs largely centered In one man and
those whom he selects as his subordi-
mates.
But the war will not last forever,
and many OF the laws will end with
the war.
II Isn't What They Say.
Senators sometimes betray their feel
ings by what they do rather than what
they say. When Senator Nardaman
had read a telegram he had sent To a
constituent I'm Mississippi in which he
said that the good ship Prohibition
had been Summarized by the president
OF the United States" the senate made
no audible comment. unless laughter
could be called comment. Nearly ev-
cry senator. ever the most solemn
members of the body. smiled broadly
Then a lot OF them from time TO time
went over and slapped Vardaman Oh
the shoulder or laughingly exchanged
comments with him.
"Wise Old Head"
Ii vas Senator Reed, the frequent
orator OF the senate, who interrupted
Senator Page of Vermont and said he
would like to know what was In that
wise old head" lie paid quite a trib-
ute to the sagacity of the vermonter,
who Is a business man and not IA law
Yer. who does not talk long or often,
but who always has the respectful at
tention OF the senate when he has any
thing to say.
Against Decorations
The first attempt TO allow an Ameri
can official to accept a foreign decora.
ton met with strong opposition. 1T IL
well known that IL N troops are sue
cessful in Europe. If they perform eff
cient service and their officers achieve
distinction, the foreign governments
viii offer to convey their appreciation
by offering distinguished orders and
decorations. And 50 the first attempt,
that to give Minister Brand Whitlock
a decoration, met opposition. This
congress might as well now protest
against anything of the kind" said
Congressman Emerson OF Ohio. THE
title business Is one in which the rich
daughters of America have a monop
oily. The wealthy girls without brains
buy these titles"
Not the Newspapers.
From the beginning of the war when
there was talk Of censorship up to the
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