The Little River news. (Ashdown, Little River County, Ark.) 1897-current, 1918-02-27
ARKANSAS PEOPLE AND
the BIG WORLD war
Have Been Meeting Obligations In
Various Actiyities-Meet All
Issues With Grim
Determination.
(By Clio IIarper)

nGeQS OF the ndIlOu, Tie Sts1 IA l1olt
ties of the war are being brought into
the lives of the people of Arkansas.
When the casualty list of the Tus-
cania becomes known, it will probably
| be shown that ten or a dozen Arkansas
boys lost their lives on the Inflated
liner. The identity of some Of them
is already known, and communities
are in mourning for young men who
| in similar cause, met a like tate
as herocially as did Kitchner of khar-
toum.
1t is not known definitely how many
Arkansas fighting men there are al
ready on the firing line, and engaged
in the no-less hazardous engineering
duty back of the lines, bGt it is GER
tain that there are several hundred,
and on all occasions they have given
good account of themselves.
At home three regiments have al
ready gone into the service and are
ready to go abroad when called upon,
and a fourth is being completed, and
will soon be federalized.
When the two thousand negroes re-
port this week under the Selective
Draft, the state will have nine thous-
and men in the National Army, and
they are rapidly being disciplined into
splendid fighting machine.
Then there are hundreds of others
in every branch of the government SER
vice, probably a grand total OF thirty
thousand in all classes who have Of
fered their lives as bar against
Prussian aggression.
Service flags are everywhere display
ed from those with single star for
some patriotic mothers only boy, to
those with one hundred or two hun
dred representing the enlistments
from some educational or commercial
institution.
Arkansans are practicing two things
that are a revelation of their adapt
ability to their country's need:
They are giving, giving-liberally
generously, willingly, and preparing
to give more and more.
They are economizing, saving, con-
serving-to the limit of actual sacri-
fee
The fact that conditions despite
the war have made everybody more
prosperous, money more plentiful
work ample for all ans wages higher
than ever before, helps very material
ly.
For it is a fact that the people OF
he state have not been 50 prosperous
in years, Il ever, notwithstanding the
prices of all the Iuxuries of other
years.
Millions are being spent in the state
by the Government in the preparation
of the Grand Army which it is propos-
ed to hurl against the Huns, and other
millions must be spent.
The conservation and the increas-
ed production of food and fuel are
being taught the people and they are
earnest pupils of the new order of
things.
These are lessons that will not pass
with the war, for there is an abid-
ing value in them which will become
permanent, and will forever overcome
the extravaganza and wastefulness OF
the antebellum period.
Arkansas have oversubseribed its
quota in two Liberty Bond issues, is
buying millions of dollars worth of
War Savings Stamps has opened its
purse-strings to the call OF the Red
Cross, the Army Y NJ c. A, the War
camp Community Service, and other
worthy calls, and is prepared for the
next Liberty Loan drive in April
In fact, they are becoming so ac-
oustomed to such things, that they ac-
cept it as a matter of course, and
rather like it.
And when we see the names of peo-
pie we know figuring prominently in
the War over there" we feel closer
to it.
The people of Arkansas are delight
ed to know that Major General Robert
l.. Billiard has been made second in
command to General Pershing-Gen.
Billiard was in command of Fort Lo-
gan II. Roots for several months,
made many friends in Little Rock,
and his career will be watched with
deep interest.
The man whom he succeeded, Major
General w. L. Sibert, now in command
|of the Department of the Southeast
used to be Capt. Sibert in charge of
the U. S. Engineering office in Little