The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-04-12
RELYING on II TENTIONS.

~ i ' GAN AISA>os /
b. "a r. "a
There are millions of Americans, perhaps, who
believe that our entrance into the great war will
mean that Thomas A. Edison or somebody like
him will invent something to "revolutionize" it.
The average American would rather depend
upon the genius of some inventor than upon the
genius of a general.
Before we entered the cory maelstrom we in
vented two contrivances that are being used dill
igently in addition to the things we invented years
ago that are part of the equipment of the Europ-
can forces.
Recently, when the submarine menace became
acute, an American tipped the English off to the
chemical smoke screen, which is done by burning
along the side of the ship, creating a
dense smoke that hides the vessel from subma-
rines. Ships passing through the submarine zone
are using the contraption with evident success.
Another enemy Of the submarine we invented
has been the so-called "sub-chaser," which word
is, of course, a contraction of "submarine-chaser.
These yachts cannot help being marvelously ef-
fective and are already in use in the barred zone"
n e n "a M "a ia
OUR MACHINE GUNS.
When the recent trouble with Mexico was "un-
der way and the national guard and regular army
were hurried to the American-Mexican border, our
machine gun equipment was so slender that we
had to borrow 324 of them from England. The
facts just became known the other day and indi-
cate how unprepared we have been in the past.
Worse still, the guns borrowed from England
were the so-called Lewis machine gun, an Amer
can invention that was turned down by the Amer
lean general board because they didn't think it
good enough for the American army. England
investigated the gun and bought the patents and
has the exclusive rights to make tor at least,
an English firm has these rights, which amounts
to about the same thing.
Indicating that in addition to unpreparedness,
we have been remarkably inefficient in the past.
and navy officials improve the record! Which they
probably will do under the stress of necessity.
"a "a "a "a m A
WE ARE BORN AGAIN.
E zsah IA
The sterling manner in which our nation has
taken hold of it's new tasks precipitated by its
entry into the great war indicates that American
patriotism still is dominated by the spirit OF
1776."
When aroused, we are a fighting nation; we
always were and always will be.
Perhaps we are "fat and prosperous" more
so than is good for us, as a nation. But we are
willing and able to train down to the fighting
weight demanded in 1917, and are doing it.
There has been an awakening of the Spiritual
consciousness of the nation. We are proving our
selves to possess the soul speakers and writers
doubted six months ago. ~@
We are born again..
"a "a "a Ia IA R "a "a
UNUSED LAND.
"a "a =
Only half the arabic land in the United States
is under cultivation. This astonishing fact is
vouched for by Secretary Of Agriculture Houston,
who has gathered statistics proving it.
In these days of intensive farming, when every
back yard and every vacant lot should be c~ultivat-
ed, what about the millions Of acres held by spec
~ulators that are not cultivated?
A movement is afoot in congress to tax all I'M
used land so hard that its use will be forced.
BY the way, a man owns land and deliberately
witholds it from cultivation, is like the man who
fails to answer his country's call.
"a IA Pa IA IA "a Ea IA n
China is to become the greatest market in the
world for patent medicines, the department OF
commerce announces. Skin and eye diseases are
particularly prevalent throughout China, and n.y.
GENE is practically unknown At present the pat
ent medicine trade in China is in it's infancy, but
"the trade" is already sending statesmen to the
Celestial kingdom to study conditions and the best
.,o,, +o ro;,, nn on{rarco RI this Immense market
N IA M ~ n
They never have many tornadoes in France.
$50 Germany is furnishing several hundred Of
them in its retreat on the west front.
u IA
The, annual cost for food Of the average Amer.
lean family 10 nov $425, not including such lux.
jRsisS " potatpss end sgss. !.
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