The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1918-04-24

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month 10000 car loads of material.
Within two weeks after war was de-
clarcd contracts had been made COW
erlng the requirements of an army
OF 100000 men. The government
has taken over and is operating 26O,-
00O miles of railroad, employing more
than l,00O,0O0 men representing an
Investment of nearly 20 billion dollars.
Outside of the loan to the Allies the
| United States spent IL billions of dol
lars during the first year of the war.
| we loaned nearly 4 I-2 billion dol
lars to the other countries engaged in
tins war. The government has insti-
tuted system of war insurance to
ten pension system and in one year in
surance policies have been issued for
millions of dollars and also about 90
million dollars paid in allotments to
the. dependent families of the sailors
and soldiers. When it seemed that we
would not be able to send our prod
ucts abroad on account of the high
rates charged by insurance compan-
les the government stepped in and
gave US war risk insurance at greatly
reduced rates and are actually making
profit out of it. Cotton went from
seven to thirty-three cents. The great
est achievement | think of the govern
ment IS the conscription act. It is the
most wonderful piece of legislation
or It's kind that the world has ever
known. What becomes of those that
were running around over the country
crying out against the draft act and
predicting all kinds of evil? There
mas been no riot and in less time
than three weeks the men of this
country to the number of 10000 900
presented themselves before these
boards and wre registered at cost
per man for those accepted for ser.
wee of $3.50. Our weak point has
been the lack of ships, we were pre-
vented by narrow partisan politics
from developing an American mer-
chant marine. The great trans-con~
tinentai railroads postponed for 80
years the construction of an Isthmian
cahai ana an American merchant ma
fine. 1t was their purpose to force
the movement of freights east and
west instead of as nature intended
north and south the way that our
mountains and rivers run. Their in
terest was at Boston and New York
and not at South Atlantic and Gulf
forts. know to my sorrow what it
cost, 25 years ago, for man in the
United States senate to advocate shin
subsidy with both parties dominated
by this selfish railroad trust. In one
year the subsidy principle has
brought into the service of the coun-
try l,l45 steel ships and 500 wooden
SHIPS aggregating abuut 10000, 900
TONS. an increase of about 600 per
cent IN one year in the american mer-
chant marine. With the plar low
on foot, it is safe to say that a -,
end OF another year we will n
tleet OF ships that will exceed Tat of
any other nation on earth and that
never again will we witness the hu-
mlllatlng spectacle of American pro-
ducts depending on foreign ships to
IND the market. When this war is
over American ships CARRYING Amer
lean products manned by American
Seamen will be seen at every port
in the world.
The World Needs Wilson
This war is changing our very form
or government, we have found bv
practical experience that a republic
with its full liberty to the individual
ctlzen is unable to wage successful
war with an autocracy. TO great
extent new government is being
built up outside of that provided in
the constitution. The government
has charge of the railroads and shjps,
II is fixing the price of products and
telling us what to eat, when to eat and
"hat TO pay for it. In another wear
or war the government Of this country
Will be practically in the hands of this
extra-constitutional machinery. 1t is
gong TO take the wisest statesman
snip, the keenest sense of justice and
The most exalted patriotism to do this
successfully. We need brains for this
purpose as much as food for the SOL
dlers, and executive ability as much as
guns. Russia had 100000 soldiers
under arms, countless guns and more
raw material than any nation on earth
and yet she is today from lack of
constructive craftsmanship prostratcd
with the heel Of the Kaiser on her
neck.
There can be no peace between
German and American ideals of gov
ernment. We are fighting today for
the principles Of the Democracy for
which Christ died on the hill of Cal
vary. The right of every nation to
1--we its own life in its own way. We
are now writing the most tragic chap
ter IN the history Of man and all the
NATIONS are being punished, but out
or this supreme agony new nations
strong in youth and energy will arise,
Not even Germany can destroy the
spirit of freedom. I believe that out
OF this war will come a great brother
hood of nations. There is a deem
significance in the appointment of an
army composed Of the flower of the
troops from the Allied nations. The
ideal which found expression in the
worlds peace congress at the. Hague