The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-12-26
SHORT SHR|FT FOR
SPIES DEMAND
OFFICIAL PATIENCE EXHAUST.
10 " FREQUENT ACCIDENTS"
IN WAR PLANTS.
BALTIMORE FIRE THE CLIMAX
Court. Martlals and Daybreak Firing
Parties Needed--AlIen Enemies to
1e Removed From the Zones--Army
May BE Given Control.
BY EDWARD q. A

Washington.-"Any person who In
time OF war shall be found lurking or
acting as a spy In or about any OF the
Notifications, posts, quarters or en-
campments, Or elsewhere, shall be tried
by a general court-martlal, and shall
on conviction thereof, suffer death
AMY person brings within the ju-
risdiction all persons OF whatever ma
tionality or civil status who may be
a~ccused."-U. 8. Articles of War.
A drumhead, q thirty minutes court,
a verdict, and a shooting party mt day
break.
Patience seems to have reached It's
limit In oficialdom. For seven months
the government has been benevolent
minded. Recent happenings apparent
ly have stirred even mild civilian OFF,
Gals.
The usual firing party when a trail
tor pay the penalty Is composed or
twelve men, eleven of whom have rifles
loaded with bullets, while n has q
rifle loaded with q blank. The tenn
per OF present things toward treason
was shown the other day by the words
of an officer who said that I'm our firing
squads every man of the twelve should
have a bullet In his cartridge, for fear
eleven might miss the mark,
Few Believe Them Accidents.
Fires have occurred at a dozen DIFF
ferent places along our coasts. New
York suffered heavily and now comes
Baltimore. The soft word has been
accident" Some persons have De-
lieved the soft word. but few In Wash
ington believe 1t today. Energetic Of
1cials of the government have done
what they could to induce the taking
of proper punitive action, but mercy
heretofore has ruled the day. Mercy
to the offender, II seemingly now Is
felt, is not mercy TO the offended.
Accident" was responsible, so II Is
said. for the blaze In New York which
destroyed thousands Of bushels or
grain intended for the allies; 1t was
responsible for the blowing up of three
munition factories making shells ell
Their for Great Britain or the United
States, and for t~wenty-four hours II
was said to be responsible for the de-
struction Of $5,O00,000 worth of food
munitions and shipping at the docks
In the city of Baltimore. 1t is curl
u that accidents" happen only In
places where war material Is stored or
Is under process of manufacture.
Patience has quit the officials and
soon 10000 alien enemies who have
been working along the docks of the
cities of our seacoasts will be turned
away from the n
England and France have had their
disasters at home, but England early
took hold of her alien enemy problem
and solved 1t. and England had more
enemies to the square mile thar we
have, though not so many, perhaps, as
far as sheer numbers go. There has
been d succession of atrocities In this
country. from the destruction Of cattle
In the West to that of the British ship
at the dock In Baltimore, but so fai
as anybody knows, and the facts In the
case could not remain hidden, the ar
rests made have been principally those
Of preachers and not actors in the field
Of treason.