Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-04-25
II 's' II j. j. !. !. !. !. !. !. i. j. j.
Il SOME WAR VAGARlES. j.
IL + IL !. !. !. !. !. !. !. !. j. !. !.
(SOuthern Ruralist.)

1t is natural for many people un-
der sudden stress to lose their usual
good sense and equipoise. 1t is not
10 be wondered at, therefore. that
! the final breaking OF the war cloud
: should have resulted in disturbing
, the normal reasoning powers of
many good citizens. So many Of
these ragaries have been made pub
lie that we feel justified in an at
tempt at neutralizing some of the
,, possible effects.
We must first protest against any
remaining residue Of that insane va
porizing about the ability of this
country to raise an army of a mil
lion men in twenty-fonr hours which
/ could exterminate any trained army
; in the world.
The past few months with their
painful record OF slow recruiting
proves that we could not raise the
million within the time limit set by
the distinguished advocate Of grape
juice and peace. 1t Is equally cer-
tain that this horde when finally
raised, though composed Of the BRAY
est and sturdiest young manhood in
! the world, would remain for months
! but a mere disorganized mob as COM
/ pared with the great human fighting
machines against which they would
; hopelessly contend on any European
! battle front.
We have mere skeleton of an
army and the fully developed body
cannot be called into immediate eX-
! istence at the behest OF the Congress
OF the United States.
The effective soldier is trained
! specialist. 1t requires time to pro-
duce this finished product, exactly as
it does to train any other specialist
or to build any efficient machine.
! These are the reasons which have
! impelled us for the 'st two years to
advocate universal military training.
! Had the advice OF our best experts
been followed the present emergency
would have found us prepared in
stead or merely willing, but abso-
lutely unready.
Many people confiding in the as
surance Of ignorance still profess to
believe that this war, so far as our
! country is concerned, is to be a mere
summer picnic. Before long its scri-
BUSINESS will have forced recognition
from, p,nct cly
Reference to the sending Of our
soldiers to the French battlefront is
frequently met by the assertion:
''That Is not our fight" Those thus
| expressing themselves seem to feel
that we would be performing our
full duty by our friends in leaving
them TO fight our common enemy
while we use our navy to protect the
supplies we are willing to ship them
for a due consideration.
France did not reply to our faith
ers, THAT is not our fight" when
they sent Benjamin Franklin to beg
aid against our enemy.
We should recognize the fact that
lies in the invincible strength Of the
British navy which now protects us
against attacks Of our mutual enemy
Are we to be content with the hui
initiating role Of hiding behind the
mother country's naval petticoats?
Having entered the war for rea-
sons overwhelmingly convincing to
the President, Congress, and the vast
majority of the American people,
performance Of our full share Of the
labor Of conquering the enemy is the
only justifable course
One vagary Of special interest to
Southern farmers has been widely
disseminated through the press. 1t
is announced that the government
contemplates demanding that produ-
GERS Of certain war supplies forego
excessive profits on purchases made
by the government. The copper
men, for instance, are to sell to the
government for 16 cents the same
product for which they collect 35
! cents from the public. The lower
price is said to represent the cost Of
production and ii 10 per cent profit
for ten-year period.
The same system is to apply to
steel and other products. The pro-
position seems to us utterly indie
lensible in either logic or ethics. If
the government is convinced that 16