The Prescott daily news., 1918-10-03
By JOHN Nj. SIDDALL Editor Of the American Magazine

I have just had talk with Floyd Gibbons, the famous war pond ent of the Chicago Tribune, who pushed so far to the front for news that a German machine gun peppered him in the arm and side and put out one of his eyes
 "TeH me about our boys over there" I said To which Gibbons re- piled:
 Well, listen to this true story Of 2 German major who was taken pris- oner by the Americans We asked him for his impressions of Americans as fighters He said that he knew nothing whatever about the fighting qualities of the Americans, He added, however, in perfect English. that he had found them extremely per suasive
 Then he described exactly how he was captured He said that during a terrific barrage delivered by the Al- lies he was in an underground com partment with 42 wounded German soldiers When the barrage ceased the Americans came over The German majors first look at an American sol dier came when one of our boys. pri- VGte. appeared al the opening to the underground compartment. The very thought of that fresh private with his undignified informal manner seemed tc have gotten the very goat of the major. For. according to the major, the private appeared with a hand grenade if each hand and his tin hat pushed back on his head Armed and rigged in that manner. he looked down the stairs into the face of the German major and yelled at him. Come out of there, you Dutch blankety blank or I'll spill a whole basket full of these things on top of your bean
 No. sir, there was not the sign of a smile on the majors face as he told cf it, Not a trace of humor was in him. Just plain disgust The very idea of taking a prisoner that way-and 8 high and mighty major al that"
 There you have he difference be- tween the United States and Germany ia a nutshell II is tLe difference be- tween free people and a people who get down on their knees and bow and scrape before the idea of authority. It ls the difference between people who stand up and express their real thoughts and a people who suppress them.
 That private was spi|line hand gren- ades. but he Was also spilling his mind in the good old American way-eX. Rctly as he spills it on the street cars or at a ball game or at the factory. | This does not imply that te does not know how to obey. Look how he Is obey ing in the world today But just because he obeys is no reason why he should give up the right to think for l himself and to speak what is in his mind, in the language that is in his mind. He delivered himself as he is without fear and without disguise. The war is a war between these two ideas-and Germany was doomed the minute she found herself lined up against nation that produces that 1 kind of men. Because with the free dom of speech so comically illustrated in this story there goes freedom of action that sweeps everything before | 1t Men who are free to think for themselves and speak for themselves also act for themselves. They develop amazing self-reliance If their leaders are killed or injured those below them have the initiative to gather up their | forces and go forward They do it here at home and they are doing it 1 over there
 1 The United States is a country ! where ht~~an beings learn to travel under their own power-without the aid of tugs or other towing machines. | The private who captured that major
 so impudently would step right up and collar Hindenbure He only wishes
 he could get the chance Buy Liberty
 Bonds and make his job easier.