Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-05-30

was flooded with dispatches from
Washington-whet official or not we
do not know, though they bore every
ear-mark of oficialdom-tha buying
OF the bonds was pouring in at such
rate as to issue a heavy oversubscrip-
ton, and people were warned that if
they wished any of the bonds they must
come in quick or else they would get
left. This was certainly calculated to
discredit the whole matter and neu-
tralize, if not completely kill, the de-
sire of the people from patriotic mo-
tives to invest in these, bonds.
This is the common talk in all fin
ancial circles and every man familiar
with fake promotions and legitimate
financial undertakings realizes that
the whole work must be done over
and that an entirely new effort must
be made to awaken new interest in
the subject Whether the Treasury De-
partment was buncoed by some incom
petent publicity agents, or whether
some of it's under officials did not real
ize how great a blunder was being
made we do not know; but the blunder
was permitted, and the country is suf
fering from it, Properly handled, this
entire bond issue could have been
oyersubscribed with a rush. Instead
o. that, the people are now being beg
ged to take bonds, and the Secretary
of the Treasury finds it necessary to
travel throughout the West and make
speeches in favor of the bonds-a
lamentable situation, which would
never have come about under intelli
gent handling of the proposition.
The effort to censor the press and
tc withhold from the public all news
calculated to stir the patriotism of the
nation is another illustration of in
competency to understand the situation.
No possible good could have come to
Germany by the knowledge that some
CT our naval boats had sailed for Eu-
rope But the news was suppressed.
ard American people were left in utter
ignorance until the announcement
came from Europe that some of our
torpedo boat destroyers had joined the
English feet. A great spirit of patri-
otism would have been created
throughout the land if the sailing OF
these boats had been made the occa-
sion for giving the public information
to the effect that our navy was be-
ginning to take its part in the worlds
struggle.
This country is determined to know
tie inside of what is going on in
Washington other than the things
which must of necessity be withheld
from the public because improper in,
formation might be withheld from the
public because improper information
might be given to our enemies. But
all the efforts that will be made to
suppress knowledge of what is being
done and what is not being done, or
Why the men called into advisory coun
ellis have no authority to act, but must
be subject to the orders of men whose
business experience is a baby's com
pared with the great business leaders
| il these councils whose hands are tied
! hy Government red tape
The issue is too great Too many
millions of lives are at stake for such
shortsighted, narrow-minded ,incompe-
tent work. Your boys life, the life OF
somebody else's boy. and of millions
of boys may be forfeited by reason OF
these conditions which demand
change If there is anything that the
Government at the present time needs
To do, il is to give its confidence TO the
nation. to stop much OF the tomfoolery
that is going on in public affairs. and to
invite into some board, cabinet or