The Robesonian., 1918-05-30
THE DANGER OF LOOSE TALK
Greensboro Daily News.

Greensboro Daily NEWS.
A year ago there was lot of loose
talk indulged in by persons with al
German leaning and much outspoken
bitterness against the President and
our war undertakings. There is less
of such talk today but there are more
people guilty of such utterances in
jail or headed for Jail than there were
IL months ago. The war was new a
year ago. People who had been in
the habit of saying what they pleased
and when they pleased found it hard
to hold their tongue. But the fire.
quent visits of federal agents to this
or that community and the subsequent
appearance before the courts of men
in the community of both low ard
high degree has had SOLDERING effect;
there is less outward bitterness to-
ward the war and officials in high au-
thority and less outspoken pro-Ger-
manism than year ago and if the
war goes on for another year there
will still be less a year from now, or
else our jails and internment camps
will be more thickly populated. Peo-
least keep quiet.
The old stall Of the disloyalist that
81 didn't mean it" doesn't go any
more. Down in Robson county that
was the plea of a white man and
negro preacher and although both ex-
pressed surprise that their loose talk
should be taken seriously both must
tell it to the court ard jury. The
Robesonian, referring to the two re-
cent cases says:
''F. J. Stahl and Rev. John McLau-
rim, the latter negro divider of the
Word, appeared to be vastly surpris-
ed at being caught in the tolls on the
charge of making seditious remarks.
Stahl was willing TO agree with those
who have placed his intelligence at
below par and maybe thought to es-
cape on that plea; and the colored
preacher said that if he had said any
thing that any ore construed to be
against the Red Cross he had not
meant it. Both must tell it to the
higher court. What has overtaken
them ought to serve as a warning if
there are others in this county who
are DISPOSED to talk loosely about the
war. Yaller dog talk is going to get
any man who INDUCES in it into trou-
ble."
In Kansas City there has been il
progress a trial this week attracting
nationwide attention. The defendar
was Mrs. Rose Pastor Stokes, VIII,
was charged with disloyalty. Mrs
Stokes is the first woman to be callet
to the bar of Justice for seditious ut
terances. Unlike Stahl or the negr
preacher in Robson county Mrs
Stokes seems to be woman abov
the average in intelligence. She i
a writer of ability and il was her lei
ter to the Kansas City Star, in wl,ic
she charged that the Red Cross an
fcod and fuel administrations wer
"war camouflage;" tha: tee America
soldiers had not gone to France
Morgan's millions and thai they we1
lured ty the slogan make TIE vorl
safe fo~ 1.mocracy." w;:ic,1 ca.sse
her arrest and subsequent ind ctmel
under the espionage ac5. Hiys. S-ol-t
is rarreser-ed t., able co13sa, w?
in AZ eT0r- to fraa tle:r c':ert, a
at:empting to twist her sentences
meaningless "alases ard hec CO
te.aptous # not sed:t;ous ut-e-aac
in.o l3yal words. E1e~ counsel eate
ed plea known in law as contest.
and avoidance" ard according to I
, ports Of TIE trial. practically adu
ted what was charged il t:.e i-i:c
ment, but attempted to explain
placing different interpretation
the words. Her attorney denied Il,
Mrs. Stokes IS rot for tie governn,e
and that by government" IN her i,
ter to the Star Mrs. Stokes r,ea
administration. AS far as the Pr
ident if for the profiteers counsel So
his client was against him.
1t is the high brows as well as t
Best Remedy for Whoop:ng Coug
"Last winter when my little /