Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-04-30

A man wearing convicts stripes and
a black derby hat appeared on Marietta
street in front of the Bijou theater. He
carried a black leather travelling bag
and a little shelf with folding legs
People stopped and stared at him.
Picking a gap in the automobiles
parked at the curb. the man unfolded
the legs of his shelf and set it up. He
placed the travelling bag on the shelf
and opened it. He took out a service
flag with two stars, one of them gold
and hung ii on the side of the travelling
bag which faced the sidewalk. He took
out a sign and set it against the travel
ing bag below the service flag. On the
sign was the familiar slogan, wv. s. S.
For Sale Here. Also Thrift Stamps" He
took out a heavy steel cuff like con-
victs have worn i'm some penitentiaries
and laid it on the shelf beside the trav-
cling bag. He took off his derby and laid
it on the shelf Then he went into
a store and borrowed an old chair, and
placed il behind the shelf and mounted
it. By that time a crowd had gathered
around him. curious to hear what he
was going to talk about.
Liberty in America
MY friends" he said, brushing bach
a mop of gray hair from his forehead.
81 have served terms in five peniten-
tiaries, but in spite of my servitude,
which was a punishment for crimes :
had committed, 1 have enjoyed more
liberty in this country than a law-abid-
ing citizen enjoys in Germany. You are
enjoying right now the greatest liberty
that any race of people ever enjoyed
on the face of the earth. Your liberty
is threatened. You are going to lose ii
unless the kaiser is crushed. These SOL
diers here in this crowd are getting
ready to go to France and fight for
you and your children. and some of
them may never come back. What are
you doing to back them up? Are you
loaning money to your government to
prosecute the war? Do you think your
liberty is worth Is cents? If you do.
give me a quarter and take this Thrift
Stamp. It's a government bond, bear
ing compound interest Buy more and
paste them on the card. Come on. who'll
be the frst?"
He held up a red folio filled with
thrift cards, each card having a Thrift
Stamp pasted on it, and took out one of
the cards and opened it.
'TGive me one" said a soldier, stretch
ing out his hand with a quarter in it.
Thank you, boy, God bless you" said
the man in convict's stripes.
Now, who'll be the next? You fell
lows are not going to let the soldiers
buy all the Thrift Stamps, are your
Crowd Bushes Him
They rushed him, crowding so fast
that he couldn't serve them, and a
couple of small boys close to the trav-
cling bag jumped out and helped him,
fetching the quarters and taking back
the thrift cards.
Il don't get penny for this" said
the man in stripes. I'm doing it for
my country. 1 have a revolving capt.
tai of SIS. I invest it in Thrift Stamps.
sell them to you, invest il again, and
sell the stamps again. 1 don't get a
penny. If / bought the stamps for a
quarter and sold them for 26 cents, I'd
be a CRATER on my brother who has
given his life in the service" Here he
pointed to the little gold star. And I'd
be a CRATER on my other brother who
is now in the service. I'd be a CRATER
on these soldiers, a CRATER on my gov
eminent, and a CRATER on God, for God
is with US in this fight"
His stamps were gone in little while
Then he offered them a little leaflet