davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

into details for organizing two teams.
everything appeared rosy, and we were
highly tubilant. A Tommy eased over
in our direction and innocently asked:
Il sye. Yank, isn't it necessary to ave
byseballs and clubs? We cawn't very
well ply without EN-
This was bombshe1l to us. In our
eagerness and excitement we had quite
forgotten that bats. balls and gloves
were necessary. l thought Stewart
was going to burst. Letting out a
We'll, I'll be blowed,' which nearly
blew the candle out. he turned q silly
look in my direction, and looked just
as cheap.
AT last the Tommies had stumped us,
and we could see our reputation fading
into nothing. A dead silence reigned
for over FIVE minutes. Then Stewart
started madly to open his haversack. I
thought he had suddenly gone crazy. l
reached my hand in the direction of
my bayonet, fearing that he was look
ing for Mills bomb. When he drew
his hand out. hanging to his fist was
a writing pad. let go of my bayonet
Borrowing pencil from me (Stewart
was always borrowing). he started
writing. ! thought perhaps he was
going to commit suicide and was writ
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

them. and so is Hoover; but. first Of
all. of course. the Hun must be con-
quered.
Living, no matter how many laws
are passed, will be dear throughout
the whole length of the war. II prices
will climb higher and higher.
But, as a committee of business men
stated. the prices the public will pay
for many articles which have impor-
lance in basic industries as well as in
war. and which enter into the neces-
saries of everyday life. can not be con-
troIled under existing legislation
This statement. then, answers the
South Bend woman as to bread and
the other woman's remarks concerning
sugar. Hoover. realizing his limfta-
lions better than does any one else. will
try his plan of holding greedy dealers
in check through the manufacturers,
packers, Gamers, millers and whole
salers. from whom the stocks of the
dealers are purchased. At best, his at
tempt can be no more than an expert.
ment.
The committee of business men, how
ever. wants law on the subject. Eng
land, they say, was eventually COM
PEELED to control prices. France, after
loss and hardship, was driven to take
the same action. Germany. always eff
ficient, began the regulation of prices
at the beginning of the war.
confusion and the means for it's pro-
lection. the committee believes. is a
small price-fixing board to be appoint
ed by the President This board could
deal with steel and wheat. as well as
with leather and meat and with ammu.
milton and potatoes.
Copyright. 1917. by James B. Morrow.)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

had to go up the line on working
party, one or two Of the players would
get wounded or killed; in fact. being 3
base ball player got to be perfect
Jonah. and the Tommies commenced
getting superstitious. II one Of our
team happened to be working among
ten or twelve other company men, ne
was sure to get hit. while the other
fellows came through without a
scratch. Stewart and 1 also began to
get frightened, and decided to chuck
up the whole thing before we got 1t
ourselves.
Then we went further back behind
the lines. During this stAy we rounded
out a passab1e team.
A Canadian battalion, Just sent out
from England, on their way to WHIP
ers." went into billets about mile
from u.s.. This was our chaAce. Stew
art went over and challenged them to
a game for the following Sunday. The
challenge was accepted.
We had a weeks time in which to
strengthen some weaknesses and to
teach the bunch a little inside" base
ball. Then the ink popped up again.
On the morning Of the game with the
Canadians. our cleverest fnfielder. the
first baseman, picked up an old Ger
man hand grenade and brought it to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

the billet. This man was great SOU
venir collector; always hammering al
"dud" shells. trying to remove the nose
caps.
Seeing him fooling around with the
German bomb. 1 told him to throw it
things, and that did not want to take
any chances Of losing a first baseman:
but being Of q naturally curious, dispo-
sition. he refused to do so. Taking the
ceeded to take liberties with its mech
ai1isn: result, right hand blown on
and another vacancy 10 be filed at
first base. What we said about him
The game was scheduled for
o'clock, and precisely at 1:35
Mr.. Fritz plunked stray. five nine"
she'll into our infield between home
enough for a Timber to hide in. This
meant picks and shovels for all hands
to fill in the hole.
By this time q large crowd of rooters
for both sides had lined themselves
along the foul lines. The compliments
the chaplain pack up and leave before
the game started.
Then the betting commenced 1t
waxed hot and furious. / don't believe
after all bets had been placed. Stew
art and 1 tried to discourage this bet
ting because we knew that If we lost
we would be ostracized from that time
on. We explained to the Tommies that
the Canadians were baseball players
and that we were in for an awful trim
ming, but they wouldn't listen. saying
that anybody who could make ball
curve in the. air the way Stewart could
was enough to win for any team. and
that all the Canadians would strike
out. We insisted no further
We came to bat first Our first man
up got beaned, and instead of taking
first base he went out into the pitch
er's box to lick the pitcher. After
little argument we managed to get him
on first.
The Canadian pitcher was wild. The
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

Only the Prussian beast can do that
by surrendering to civilization. But
Hoover can by good management, by
wise action and shrewd diplomacy
keep prices within certain bounds
Power has not been given him to say
to the retailer: You must sell potatoes
at a dollar a bushel. apples at rs cents
a peck and soap at cents cake"
x X
The zone, until lately. between the
consumer and retailer. so far as the
government is concerned. has been a
no mans land in a very practical sense.
1t can be entered. but not directly.
The wholesaler and the retailer, the
Gamer. grain dealer and meat packer.
whose business totals 100000 year,
must now obtain license from the
government. There were. by the
census of 1910. about 100000 retail
merchants in the United States Only
a few of them. however. annually sell
goods to the value of the sum stated.
Most of the food bought for con-
sumption in this country is purchased
at small stores and at stalls in city
markets. These places do not come
under the war laws of the United
States. Hoover has no way by which
he can regulate the price of potatoes
to the consumer when they are bought
by a small dealer from the wagon OF
farmer. The same is true of all
vegetables and of fruit. eggs and
poultry.
Indirectly, however, Hoover can and
will in the future control the retailer
to a certain extent. The prices that
the retailers pay the wholesalers for
standard articles of food. such as meat.
hour, sugar. potatoes. beans. butter and
apples, viii be printed each day In the
newspapers of the country. Thus the
housewife in Boston will always know
what her grocer paid for his cabbage.
The housewife in Philadelphia will
know what her grocer paid for his lard.
The housewife in Cincinnati will know
what her butcher paid for his beef.
The housekeeper in Pittsburgh will
know what her dealer paid for his
butter.
II the wholesaler, manufacturer, can
ner. miller or meat packer charges the
retailer higher prices than he should,
his license. issued by the government.
may be taken away from him, his stock
OF goods may be requisitioned and
sold. and he will, IL that Is done, be
put out of business.
The retailers cost prices being
known. the consumer can Judge for
himself whether he was Overcharged.
II he was overcharged. the food officers
Of the state in which he lives can pun
fsh the retailer. II the state author
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

ing a farewell letter home. and asked
him what was up. He whispered to
me:
Emp. we're two bloody fools not to
have thought of this long ago. All
we've got to do is to write home to
one of the New York papers. asking
the readers to send out base ball stun
to US, and 1t will only be q matter of a
few weeks when we VIII have enough
to equip two teams"
! offered to write the letter. and. with
Stewart bending over, me, / eagerly
wrote an appeal to the readers of a
New York newspaper and turned the
letter over to the mail orderly.
We then explained to the Tommies
that equipment was necessary and that
we had written home. but while wait
ing for the base ball stun to arrive We
would carry on with our instruction
classes.
The next day Stewart and I made a
wooden base ball out Of an old puttee.
fixed up q temporary diamond. and
showed the Tommies the general run
of the game. Their antics were awful.
II we had used a regular base ball I
don't think there Would have been a
Tommy in the squad without a black
eye. Did you ever watch a girl trying
to catch q ball? Well. a girls team
alongside Of some of these Tommies
would have looked like the winner in
our world series. 1t was hard work
keeping their interest up.
Two weeks later We went up into the
front line; then came back again for
another rest. The interest in base ball
was dying out and we were at our
wits end. Time passed. and we figured
out that we ought to be hearing from
our appeal. but nothing came. Then.
once again we went into the front line
trench.
The Tommies were very skeptical
and every time base ball was mention
ed they would gaze in our direction
with q sneering look. This complete
iy got our goats.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

and there would be a serious scarcity of
sugar. Under Hoover's advice the manu-
facturers of sugar are making contracts
for the beet crop Of 1918 at from So to
50 ton. Beet lands, consequently. will
not be turned into wheat lands. and
sugar will not be so dear as 1t would
have been had Hoover failed as a tao
tician.
Congress, guided by the wisdom of
Hoover. fixed the price of wheat at g
a busheI for the crop of 1918. Wheat
growing had to be made profitable If
the. United States. France. Great Britain.
Belgium and Italy were to eat bread.
Production. Hoover argued. had to be
stimulated. Doubling the normal price.
and more. would accomplish that OBJ
ject, he said.
But the certainty of 50 bushel In
1918 might induce the farmer TO turn
hoarder or Spectator and hold back the
crop of 1917 unless the 1917 price were
to be made higher. The duration OF
the war was wrapped In mystery. Al
the restoration Of peaee. the farmer un-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

balls, ard Stewart had speed. 1t did
my. heart good to see him dampen their
ardor and dent their anatomy at the
same time. The Tommies would see the
ball coming to them and would reach
up their hands to get it. Then the ball
would break" and hit them on the shin
or knee. After five or six had retired,
rubbing sore spots and cussing Stew
art out. no one else wanted to catch,
and the situation was saved.
Tommy is a natural born soccer play
er and clever with his feet, but stupid
with his- hands when 1t comes to base
BALL Several OF them had bad habit
of stopping grounders with their feet,
a hot grass-eater coming his way. then.
instead of using his hands, he would
put his foot in front Of it,. The ball
would climb his leg and get him on the
puffed-up lip and beautiful black eye.
he fatty refused to play unless I would
let him wear the mask. Americans.
picture a shortstop wearing catcher's
mask. and then sympathize with Stew
art and me. The shortstpp was SER
geant, and through diplomatic reasons
1 gave the mask to him. At this every
infielder wanted to wear it. Stewart
solved the problem by putting in an
other shortstop and giving me the
mask.
In England they have a game called
FOUNDERS" in which you are supposed
to hit the baserunner with the ball to
put him out. This is generally a ten
mis- ball and does not hurt very much.
Well. those Tommies had a habit of
lamming the base ball with all their
might at the unfortunate runner. Many
an early practice was broken up this
way, because the team would lose in
terest in base ball when they had a
chance to view a fight between a giver
and a receiver
After about ten days practice we had
picked two pretty fair teams and ar
ranged for a scrub game. Stewards
side won. due to his pitching.
Then. as is usual in base ball. things
began to happen. A jinx seemed to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

faces. Every eye was turned in the
direction of a heap of parcels. I
thought the quarter" never would
start. Even the captain could not
stand IL. and giving way to his eager
ness. said: Sergeant. you had better
issue the mail
Stewart and / were all anxiety.
Then, STOPPING down. the sergeant
took up a parcel and read off: '.Empey.
No. 5203," and threw il over to me.
I caught in on the fly. The sergeant
kept on reading out "Empey." and par
cells came through the air like bonn
bardment. The first parcel I picked up
was stamped. passed by censor" and
contained twelve-brand new base balls,
or. at least eleven, and the remains OF
one. This twelfth ball was stamped.
Opened by censor" but search as 1
could. I could find no stamp reading
"sewed up by censor" We did the
sewing up. but that ball looked like a
ducks egg when We had hnished.
Stewart and I roundly cussed the CEN
sor. Later. we both -cussed the inven-
tor of base ball. There was a reason.
The readers of the newspaper had
nobly responded to our appeal. There
were enough gloves and balls for two
teams, and even a chest protector and
mask The mask was an article Of
great curiosity to all. Some of them
thought it was bomb protector
Every one in turn tried it on, and
every one. upon learning that the
catcher was to wear the mask. wanted
Immediately to sign up for that posi-
ton. Stewart and / could have been
elected to parliament right there. if
these Tommies could have had their
way.
The next afternoon the candidates.
forty in all. and the whole company,
turned out en- masse on the base ball
field. which we had laid out during our
previous stay in rest billets.
From that day on. Stewart and / led
a dogs life. Though on paper every
thing looked brig}Rt, and the candidates
were letter perfect in the game. or
thought they were, on the field they
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

dugout Of the support trench: it was
raining like the mischief. and we were
cold and downhearted. Pretty soon the
rations came up. The ration party
generally brings the rations down into
the dugouts, but the two men carrying
our dixie" set 1t down in the mud of
the trench and almost shot the chutes"
down the entrance to the dugout. They
were breathless with excitement. One
of them yelled out:
"Yank, there's timber full of par
cells down in the reserve dugout.
They're all addressed to you, h'Empey,
and they're from America.
Stewart let out q shout and L felt
warm all over. How we lorded it over
those poor Tommies. That night we
were to be relieved and go back to rest
billets. We could hardly wait for the
time.
The next morning was Sunday, and
after church parade we made a mad
rush to the orderly room to get our
mail.
The quartermaster sergeant was
waiting for me. and behind him stood
every officer in the company. trying to
disguise the expectant look on their
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

almost as many insurance agents as
brakemen. The carpenters numbered
$4,000, but there were 921 900 sales
men and saleswomen. There were more
dentists than stonecutters. more ply
sicians and surgeons than railway fire.
men and conductors, more writers thar
paperhangers. about as many CONNER
cial travellers as there were brick and
stone masons and more than twice az
many lawyers and judges as plas-
tarers.
The $4,000 bookkeepers and CASH
iers, the $4,000 stenographers of 1910.
and the vast multitude of policemen
and fremen. of real estate agents, of
small oficials in cities and states and
at the National Capital, and Of the re-
tired and aged persons, male and fe-
male. living on the incomes from their
savings. are feeling the financial hard
ships Of the war. To them fifty-cent
pork and eleven-dollar Hour are grave
realities. And no relief for them IL In
sight. The President In thinking OF
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

derstood, prices would crumble. Fight
ing might cease suddenly. A guaranty
might tend to stop the marketing OF
this year's"crop.,
x X
The President, therefore, was given
authority to fix the price of 1917. He
called DR.. Harry A. Garfield into the
problem. and Garfield asked farmers,
workers. economists and business men
to help him with their counsel and in
formation. Such were the processes
by which the price, s2.2O a bushel. was
established.
The wheat of 1917 came out of the
fields and bins and flowed in a mighty
stream to market. Hoover's hand was
in all of these transactions. Then fol-
lowed his campaign to obtain a sup
ply of other kinds of food. Wheat
made a certainty, he Unanswered
against its becoming a monopoly on
the farms OF the country. Sugar.
Soldiers cannot fight without them.
The balancing of Hoover. sugar with
wheat. meat with wheat. and SO on,
proves his vision and craftsmanship.
Food Is dear. Hoover admits 1t. But
had Hoover remained in Belgium. Mr..
Wilson sent his war message to Con-
Rress on April 2. Hoover was appoint
ed director of food on May II. Be
tween those dates wheat shot up in
price from $1.57 to $3.50 a bushel
Flour was sold for SIT a barrel. The
present price Of flour Is 81 barrel
Americans are now eating 10000, 200
barrels in thirty days. Hoover be-
lieves that they are saving $60, zoo, 900
monthly through the right handling by
the government of the wheat situation
Il thought Hoover" says a woman
in South Bend to her grocer. was to
lower the price of bread" She is
thinking Of the loaf of 1918. Previous
to the attempt of the Huns to divide
the world among themselves. the aver
age price of wheat for six years was
81 cents q bushel The price this year,
again to state q gloomy fact, is $2.2o
q bushel.
AS to the bitter monologue of the
housewife in Massachusetts or Penn
sylvania. also addressed to a perplexed
Hooverixation by Hoover. II should be
remembered that German sugar. once
sold throughout the world. 10 now be-
yond the reach of the allies: that most
of the French sugar factories are
within the Prussian lines. and that the
consumption OF sugar In Great Britain
per person has been cut from ninety
three and q fraction to twenty-siz
pounds yearly. q
Hoover sannot restore old conditions
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09
Cheap and Unlikely.

MAYOR HYLAN of New York said a
Av4 a recent luncheon:
THE story about Germany being wen
nourished now is as credible as the
story of the Scotch restaurant
"A Scotchman dined in a Broadway
restaurant. and was Disguised when the
waiter brought him a bill for $3.?5.
Mon. mon.' said the Scotchman. e
could get a better dinner nor that IN
Scotland for a shillin'.'
All. come offv said the waiteu
What would they give you for . shill.
mgr
.Mon,' said the Scot, they'd gle me
soup, hsh, roast beef. chicken, Ice
cream. fruit. cheese, coffee and . cigar
Ny goodness, said the walter
Scotland Is III
- don't eknow. non.s said the. 0est
hut si1't - awful chsap2a
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

United States and $4,000 coal miners
War is reducing the means of the for
mer and increasing the prosperity of
the latter. In number, one class of
workers about equals the other.
= Much has been said and printed
about the locomotive engineers. but
there were more clergymen. $4,000
more, according to the enumeration
taken seven years ago. There were
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

tiles do not act. the government.
otherwise Hoover himself, will notify
ners and millers of the retailers ex-
tortions and will order them. under
pain of losing their licenses, to cease
selling him goods.
THE food administration Hoover
told a great meeting Of business men.
''is limited absolutely to the area of
commerce between the producer and
the retailer. We are stopped by law
within this area; we can only use in
fiuenoe on both retailer and producer
and depend on their patriotism"
Then he made an unpleasant revela-
ton. Let no one be under the illu-
sion," he said. that selfishness or
greed has disappeared from this great
daily sickening mass of individual,
sectional and class avarice and self
threats"
shutting the United States Chamber of
Commerce, 1000 in number, have sew
eral times declared that prices should
be established and controlled by the
government. They favor legislation
to that end. Such legislation undoubt-
eddy will be enacted at the coming ses-
sion of Congress.
Men who are managing the war, and
lncluueu among them are many of the
ablest bankers, manufacturers, trans
portationists and merchants in the
country. are determined that robbery
of the government and of the people
and of the allies by the bludgeon of
extortion Shall be made impossible.
They know that bread and meat, sugar
and fats are necessary to maintain the
armies in France and to preserve the
health and strength of the Americans
at home.
ut is my belief that food will win
this war;" Herbert C. Hoover said with
much energy. THE Germans are en-
deavoring to starve the allies by. sink
ing their food ships. The allies are
blockading the food from Germany,
and the surrounding neutrals are un-
der pressure to export their surplus
both ways.
"All nations" he continued. "are
faced with reduction of consumption,
stimulation of production and control
of. prices. The winning of the war Is
largely a problem of who can organize
this weapon"
1t is easy enough for the man in the
store or shop to sly that prices must
be regulated. Price-nxing however is
one Of the most intricate OF human un-
dertakings. Consider coal. for example
There are many kinds of coRi-hard
and middling hard, soft ana mi1dli3g
-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

was worth $40 and 300-pound SOW $BO
Farmers everywhere were selling their
brood animals. The pork supply was in
danger. Then came Hoover's sagacious
announcement. Meat would be dear, he
said, SO long as the war continued.
Ordinarily the farm value of ton of
beets is SIS. At that price, were 1t to
continue while the fighting lasted. beet
farmers would become wheat farmers,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09

this article tells and another American
introduced the British Tommies
with sdespling results Every and child familiar
with will this of under fire,
with delight this of
fun which much to mitigate the
and hardships of life the firing line.