Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-06-05
CALLS FOR DRASTIC ACTION.

What is the position OF the Ger
man army and the German navy to-
day? For the past month our army
and the armies OF the European allies
have awaited the stroke Of the Ger
man forces. No man on this side OF
tho Atlantic has reason to critojse
either the measures or the manner
OF defense by which this great Ger
man drive has been met. Person.
ally, the editor Of The Courier has
every confidence in the ability of the
allied commander to take care Of the
situation with the allied and Ameri-
can forces at his command. We have
confidence in what we believe to be
his plan of defense--to wear down
the German forces. or rather to let
them wear themselves down, in their
offensive movements against the al
lies, and finally to deliver a master
stroke that will not only bend the
German lines, but break them in
twain and lay the groundwork for
final complete victory for the armies
defending liberal and popular GOV
ernment.
But n new blow has been struck.
this time on this side of the Atlantic
and through the agency Of the Ger
man submarine, and directly against
the American naval forces, or at least
within the realm Of their home activ-
tiles. The raid last Monday on Amer
lean shipping was not altogether un-
Looked for by our people, nor was 1t
altogether, 1t seems, surprise to the
authorities. 1t came more in the
nature Of probability transforming
itself into stern reality that had been
looked for but not adequately pro-
vided against
This attack seems to us to indi-
cate one Of two things most conclu-
sively: Either the German army is
weakening faster than we had SUP
posed, and this across-scas effort Is
a desperate chance taken in the hope
Of divertingI attention from hard
pressed armies, or Germany is much
stronger to-day than we have been
led to believe. TO our mind the most
natural conclusion is that the Ger
man army and the armies Of her al
lies are weakened far beyond what
they care to admit, and this attack on
Shipping Is made as n fcint to cover
up weakness at another point. and to
halt transportation Of American
troops to Europe.
However that may be. the situation
must and will be dealt with promptly
and efficiently, we believe. and we see
in the attack on our own side Of the
water matter only for regret and not
for any great degree Of alarm. The
warning has been given us, and it Is
our place to take advantage Of 1t and
prevent occurrences OF the kind I'm
the future.
Almost simultaneously another
mode Of attack against our govern
mont has come--a mode Of attack
far more menacing and Of much
more grave import to our country.
We refer to the appearance OF strikes
at various points, some Of them in
quarters where tho cessation Of labor
vitality affects the government. We
see In thees strikes the hidden hand
OF the German propagandist and spy
and the insidiOus work Of the I.W.W
an organization that we have long
since looked upon as more anti
American than pro-labor in charac-
ter.
The laborers Of America should be
given to understand that they consti-
tute vital part Of our government
that these are war times, and that
the interests and welfare Of labor as
a whole will be safeguarded by the
government to the extent Of its abil-