davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
The Great Flight

1T seemed as if there was not a thrill
lett in the world when the Great War
was done But yesterday every one, old
and young, fresh and jaded, hung
breathlessly upon the news from the sky.
Was there ever a greater suspense, a
stronger tension of nerves, than that of
waiting for the great flight of Harry
HaWker, as an arrow shot from bow.
to reach its mark of success or failure
The good wishes of all the world we're
with this young Australians desperate
venture. We Americans had hoped that
ours would be the first planes to cross.
But when the Sopwith plane hoped off
on that strange do on die flight, there
could be no question of national envy or
petty rivalry. In risk, IN deliberate haz-
ardlng of all on the chances of a grea,
success, there has been no venture to
equal this mad winging across / 900
waste miles OF ocean. Our hats are off TO
the sporting courage behind such daring.
Our sympathy goes out to his failure bv
such slender distance, and our heartest
congratulations follow on the whole
splendid deed. We can all be thankful
that luck answered daring in the end.
There are those who see in such at
tempts only foolhardiness that gets the
world nowhere. On its face, the Iiawker
flight seemed much like deliberate sui
eide. The plane could not alight upon
the sea. and if it made land it lacked
the usual carriage for alighting and
faced an almost certain smashup. which
only the utmost skill could prevent from
being serious. The risk certainly seemed
eXtravagant. Yet we think such vent
ures do help the world along and that
it is small and unimaginative view
which thinks otherwise
The whole race, every Individual in
the race, needs every last scrap of
daring and courage that we can mus
ter. BY such feats we know wnat the
human race is capable of. 1t is not
question of physical skill or engineering
craft so much as of that sum of all our
human elements which for convenience
sake we call a soul. The same sort of
criticism was levelled at the first f1iers
who risked and lost their lives, one after
another, IN developing the new-found
wings Of man. There was scientific
knowledge, slowly gained, by all these
attempts. Even so desperate a chance
as that of Hawker's may well bring us
data of those uneXplorcd air strata far
above sea level upon which future
flights may proceed. But that is the
lesser gain. The heroic deed, the COM
mon property Of all mankind, is the
great achievement, the flight of a human
being, in the face of wind and storm
and death and destruction, to an un-
daunted end. In the tidngs of it we
all, in our small, several ways, fly higher
and do more bravely.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
The Insurance Blow Up

Soldiers and soldiers dependents who
have vainly waited for the postman will
not dispute the conclusion reached by
Colonel Lindsey, head of the War In
surance Board, that his bureau did not
90 the things for which it was created.
The bureau" said the colonel, as
he made for the door after filing his
resignation of disgust, "s not in good
repute with soldiers and their families"
The government sold insurance at a lower
price than any private company, for the
government met all overhead expenses:
but cancellations swept in. Money due
was not forthcoming. The men did not
know the reasons, but they recognized
the effects, and did not like the way the
government did business.
1t IS of course inconcevable that either
Mr.. McAdoo, the former Secretary, or Mr..
Glass, the present Secretary of the Treas
ury, Intentionally made botch of the in
surance business. Every consideration,
moral and political, selfish and unselfish.
urged them to expedite payments. But
red tape was too much for them. 1t was
impossible to speed up. A government
bureaucratic machine is operated bv
practised "buck" passers. The business
of avoiding responsibility has been de-
veloped into a science. "Rules and Regu.
latlons"-those are the gods idola-
trously worshippcd, for experience has
shown it is not safe to exercise discre-
tOD If {hovo &c
bordered by triplicate receipts and any
thing goes wrong no excuse is tolerated.
Looked at in vacuum, there is no dis
cernlble reason why man who has
managed a private concern efficiently
cannot manage government bureau
equally we'll. But successive explosions
at Washington leave no doubt that per-
sonal ability and zeal at the top are not
enough. The whole governmental system
must be rebuilt and charged with new
spirit. AS long as it is the habit to pre-
scribe in book Of instructions how
everything must be done false motion
and excessive slowness are inevitable.
Government operation has been given
blow whose effects will endure for
many years Not because ineffciency IS
inherent in public management, but be-
cause it has no fair chance unless there
is first an introduction Of elasticity into
its methods. Before government owner
ship is feasible there must be admins
trative independence and a riddance had
Of the interlocking and the all round
vetoing which are inseparable from man.
agements by "rules and regulations"
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
The New Congress

The new Congress, if it's leaders are
wise, will never forget, but ever remenl-
Der, the atmosphere of the times.
Never was the country less inclined to
the old-fashioned politics under which
one party did something and the other
party necessarily brandished a shillalah
Traditional partisanship is wellnigh
gone-dead or dying because divisional
issues are no longer clear and definite
In party's house now are many man.
slons. Consider what it means for Hiram
johnson and Robert NJ. La Toilette to
wear the same label or Boies Penrose
and Reed Smoot; or for Woodrow Wilson,
William J. Bryan and William Randolph
Hearst to be all members in good stand
ing Of the Democratic family.
The old methods will not avail in
graphing with the new conditions. The
best politics to-day is to play no politics
Oh to avoid the repute of so doing.
Man@uvring with respect to next years
election is Of course inevitable, but it
must be we'll screened to be successful.
Measures must be judged on their
merits. There is no formula or platform
that can be invoked as substitute for
thought.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20

ing. Taste has found it's way into COM
merce, and there is it's great chance.
Furniture, wall papers, plates, cooking
utensils, there is hardly single article
entering house to-day that does not
show the touch of genuine artistic ad-
vance Even those horrors of horrors,
family lamps, have lost a portion Of
their squirming irrelevancies. The auto
mobile is ahead of the day, because it
stands in the national spotlight But it
records very interestingly the trend of
the popular mind. Graceful, fitting body
design is now an essential selling point.
Cars are advertised by their "silhou-
ette,' their streamlines, their "beauty."
We strongly suspect that here is an
other case where the advertising expert
has done real service to his country.
Advertising has become real art, in
volvlng the best in typography and
steadily improving art Of the poster.
The needs of advertising copy have
reacted upon the product in respect to
beauty as in respect to so many other
clements. Watches, beds, clothes,
planos-there is an endless list of arti-
cles that have become the pictorial en-
tertalnment of the reading public in
phrase and in picture. And the adver-
tlslng mans picture has forced an ad-
vance in the shop original, an advance
swift and sound and permanent.
Here, we think, is the truer basis of
our national taste to come Only our
national advance in architecture can
rank as an equal influence with the i'm
ploVement in the familiar furniture Of
the home. For architecture is a perma-
nent art exhibit that enters into our
daily life. We have lost the old artisan
ship OF handcraft undoubtedly the
Sounder road to a diffusion of beauty
and taste. We have in it's stead the
marvels of machine production, which
can reproduce beauty upon a fabulous
scale and disseminate it in million
homes while you wait. Let us make
the most of it.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
Art for Points West

The plans Of the American Fedora
ton Of Arts to take the fine arts on a
transforming tour of the supposedly
blind and heather towns of the West is
all we'll as far as it goes. But we sus-
pect it does not leap as far as it sounds
toward nation of taste and artistic
appreciation.
Ihe influence Of art museums and of
art exhibits is not the essential expe-
rience out Of which taste forms. 1t
helps set standards; it educates the few
actively and well. 1t leaves the bulk
or people untouched for the simple rea-
son that no occasional glimpses of
beauty can overcome an habitual life
amid ugliness. 1t is precisely in that
everyday life that the greatest oppor-
tunity lies, and VIC are glad to see that
Mr.. Rossiter Howard, educational di-
rector Of the Minneapolis Art Institute,
laid stress on this aspect. He urged
that, rather than paintings or sculpture,
the things of the home, rugs, curtains,
jewelry, be exhibited, to inform and
educate public and manufacturer Not
your art museum catalogue, but your
Sears-Roebuck catalogue, is the true in
dex Of Middle Western taste
Fortunately, as these catalogues re-
veal, 1t is not only upon non-essential
and intermittent examples that the
artistic progress of the country is build
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
A Determining Factor

Later on in the war, as it became more
and more convincingly apparent that AL
lied anti-submarine tactics were outpacing
the Uboats and that the blockade of Eng
land and France was ineffective in that
American troops and supplies were stream
ing to the Western front, the German staff
modified their views and came to the con-
clusion that holding tactics would not
avail-that speedy and sweeping victories
were necessary to gain peace in accord
with German ambitions. The result was
whelming defeat.
The editorial in question goes on to say
that "the was left to be decided on
land" and concludes: "Sea power helped
to win the war, but land power was the
ultimate determining factor" Is this en-
tirely correct in perspective, and is it ex-
actly fair to the fighters of Jutland and
to the Allied sailors, both naval and mer-
chant marine, who were engaged so long
and so desperately with enemy subma-
rines, and who at no inconsiderabie cost
finally overcame them? The achievements
spicuous as the victories on the Western
'front.' but did they not also constitute an
ultimate determining factor? In this war
more than in any other has the use of the
sea, transportation along the ocean lanes
of communications, controlled strategy
and shaped the issues. History will note
the complete vindication of the teachings
Of Mahar
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
Had Germany Prerailed at Sea

Herein appears that most Elusive of all
fallaces, the half truth-an inference
formally correct, yet incomplete in that it
fails to consider the question from all
angles and brushes aside essential uua!ifi-
cations.
The part that enemy sea power took in
the successful German campaign in the
south and east against Serbia, Rumana
and Russia is not generally appreciated.
Enemy control of the water communica-
tions to Russias Baltic and Black Sea
ports brought pressure on Russia and Ru-
mania very similar in its result to that
which Allied sea power exerted on the
Central Powers. Had the German battle
cruiser Goeben and her consort, the Bres-
lau, failed to reach Constantinople, and
had the Turks also been deprived of other
naval assistance in the shape Of torpedoes,
mines and submarines under German di-
rection for the defence of the Black Sea
entrances, it is probable that Allied sea
power could have opened this important
line of communications, the obstruction of
which served the enemy the double pur-
pose of cutting off Russia, at the same
time safeguarding the flow of men and
supplies from Asia Minor. Again, it was
the High Seas Fleet which protected Ger
man shores, kept open communications
with the northern neutrals, and blockaded
RuSsia's Baltic ports
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
Plugging the Leaks

This Congress undoubtedly will make
start toward the Introduction of a
rational budget system. The present sys-
tenn of haphazard estimate and appro-
priation and loosely checked expendi-
ture broke down long ago President
Taft made an heroic effort to provide
something better, but Congress was
apathetic and its apathy turned to hos
tility when the House became Demo-
cratic Now nearly everybody admits
that a change must be made.
Our plan Of government does not lend
itself to the creation of thoroughgong
budget system, such as exists when par
1iaments make and unmake cabinets
The strict separation Of legislative and
executive powers which our Constitution
imposes interferes with surrender bv
Congress of the function of framing
appropriation measures. But a begin
ming can be made at the other end.
Though the Executive must submit esti-
mates and Congress prepare the appro-
priation bills, responsibility for the
preparation Of estimates can be central
ized. The Executive should be held ac-
countable for the balancing Of expected
income and expected expenditure, and
should be obliged to recommend addi-
tional tax legislation to overcome def
icits The burden of proof in all mat
ters of expense and taxation ought to
be on the Executive.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
Socialist Nights
By Chester M. Wright

Let there be no room for secessionists or
separatists in our ranks. Yours for tho
cause, Executive Committee, Local New
York, Socialist Party"
SO closes long proclamation just issued
by the New York Socialist organization. 1t
is interesting. 1t is amusing. 1t is rem
niscent of childhood's dilemmas.
1t is a sad state of discontinue that fa,
come upon the Socialist party of New York
in these days of Bolsheyism and of fright"
and Cleft" wings. What with "Comrade'
"Jim" Larkin on the Job in Brooklyn and
Morris Hillquit on the job as one Of Nh
Lenine's lawyers in New York, the Social
ist party has entered upon days of predica-
ment and nights Of perplexity.
When, along in January and February,
1917, there came up in the New York Social
ist organization the question of whether
the party was to espouse the cause Of Sc
cession from the American Federstioa Of
Labor, there were those who pointed out the
fatal danger of such policy, the inhssent
wrong of it and the plain danger Of it
But" said the good "comrades"-such sin1
PIE and honest souls were these!-"seces1
sion may be necessary and the seceders
are our comrades and we open our arms to
them," which was done after some consid-
able rumpus.
Latterly, the course Of events has changed
Bolshevist propaganda has come along. The
Socialist party opened wide It's doors. In
go - {Lo .rtn
game of promoting Bolsheyism. It set up a
worship of the Russian "soviet republlc" that
was wonderful to behold. It was captiyaated
by the new notion.
But the dance could not be danced without
hquidating for the jazz--and that's whers
the rub is coming. One wing of the party
it seems, firted with Boshevism merely as
something with which to bring discontinue
to the hated capitalists ard the bourgeois
United States government, which has oeea
conducting such bad war against such
nice Kaiser. 1t really didn't want TO go aa'
further than that. The other wing--'h'
cleft" wing-wanted to go beyond that pom.
and shape the whole party course in asc0''
with the very newest and latest from @o''
cow NO more poutlcal ACTON 4oi -
rough stuff from here hence
SO came the war into the Socialist pS'''
of New York There have been riots hi'
tweaked noses. Comrades" have beat '"'
eternal tar out Of other comrades Tess'
ings have been broken up by fnternec'a'
squabbling.
LEFT wingers" have formed an orgaa'.e'
tion within the organization, and hpa"'
have seeded from the regular organiES'i0as
Right there is where the good "comfso's
woke up and saw new kind of red. Se's''
sion? Name of namel 1t snail nos ="
Mon Dieu! By the great chin wnisA'''
there must be no secession!
The organization that rose up IN s"s
when IL was question Of secession ft0A
the ranks Of the hated American Feders''.
Of Labor, justifying it by all that is WIZ.
in the great creed book and by all tns'
found in the sacred dogma, now finds ~ "
comfortable shoe on its own tender c'l"'
and it yells and howls long into the nj 'ses
1t is queer how amcnable soc.aA~ -
tions are to whatever wind happens - y
blowing against Socialist sails.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20

the armies had to do was to hold their
own in the field until the U-boat, the only
naval weapon Germany was able to use
forced decision favorable to Germany
Although the German armies had been sue
cessful on all fronts and had conquered
entire countries, still did the dominance of
sea power evidence itself in this inclina-
ton of the Kaser's staff toward even so
uncertain naval weapon as the U-boat
for hope and respite which the VIC
torious Teutonic armies could not offer.
Nor was this hope without foundation.
Judging from the experience of past wars,
Germany's contention was not unreason-
able that America would never dare her
gigantic transatlantic troop transportation
in the face of the submarine hazard
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
Sea Power in tie War
BIZ Commander C. C. Gill, U. s. ~,
Author of "Sea P0aOer IN the War"

A N EDITORIAL under the caption
~ "Sea Power in the War;" appear
ing in recent issue of The New
York Tribune, opens: "Some extreme
Mahanites continue to say that Allied sea
power won the war. This distorts the
true perspective" Then in the ensuing
presentation of corrective argument ap-
pears the sentence: Looking at the
facts fairly, it is easier to prove that
sea power lost the war for Germany
than that it won the war for the Allies"
Briefly, the point made is that German sea
power, instead of promoting the aim of
German militarism, by its unwise U-boat
campaign against commerce invited the
final debacle.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
The U-Boaf Duel

Turning now to the submarine question,
the value of the U-boat commerce destroy
ing campaign, from purely military point
Of view, constitutes an extremely intricate
problem. 1t would appear, however, that
it has an important bearing on the state
ment that "she Germany had only to
fight France and Great Britain to a draw
on the West front in order to consolidate
the middle European and Asian empire
which she had set up"
In 1915 the Allied blockade was pressing
so effectively upon the vitals Of the enemy
that the German staff felt the imperative
need of q counteripg diversion. A U-boat
blockade of England was the only plan
that seemed to hold any promise of sue
CESS. 1t is significant and not at all to the
disparagement of the influence of sea
power in tho war that Hindenburg Ger
many's tlrst soldier took the Etand that all
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20

place and dogmatism about what the
nation wants scarcely is out of place,
men may we'll differ on the matter
Of whether the covenant Seeding is
worth watering. It's friends may de-
vote themselves to sober justification
of their hopes rather than aspersions
of motive, and similarly opponents of
the covenant will do well to avoid
everything savoring of hysterical de-
nunciation.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
Team York Wors

This, however, does not in any way detract
from the splendid and essential services
performed by the armies on land The
forces of the army and navy fought as
one team, and success-both on land and
at sea-was essential to the cause. Let
US, indeed, keep a correct perspective and
avoid comparisons from which invidious
differences may be drawn. There is credit
enough for all.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
Why the Germans Don't Understand

Sir: From Allied point of view the peace
terms are not SO harsh as the Germans assert
lher unreasonable attitude may easily be due to
thelr not understanding the terms. For example,
il the 'o0OO words Tor is it 100 900 y include the
word |ug, m. oes, p Zuge), the Germans may
not know whethersit means (see Heath's German
dictionary drawing, pulling; pull tug; march
marchlng passage Through country. progress
expedition; excursion; passage (of birdsl flight
migration; herd, flock 70 fbirds etc J shoal (of
herr'ngs) flight, (of clouds ; current (of
water) channel, bed (of a river) draught strong
current (of air) blast (at the mouth of fur
cavacade range (of mountains) row (of
houses) migration removal; troop; platoon
squad third part of company (M) team
couple, span; string, train (of artillery etc.
railway train band, gang hue stroke. dash (of
PEN line; touch: feature lincament; trait
lof characer) move (at chess etc. ); ; draught (of
hsh) bias attraction, sympathy; bent leaning
impulse; disposition; characteristic the power Of
drawing; draught, pull (n drinkng) Whit (of
smoke)i set (of strings, chords, etc.; (wre
string, etc. contrivance to open street door or
gate from within; (bell-) pull: pulley; extension
'Mech.)i wire drawing implements for wire
drawing stop, register Tin organs ; pedal (of
piano. slide (of flute, etc J drawer Joint
TOT teescopes); piston; drawstring lin dresses
etcD; dress pulleys (by which skirt can be
lifted); (pl) grooves, rifing lin gunbarrels
etc. shelves Gin stove) or agonies of death
Naturally, when the Germans are held to strict
accountability for the Zl@ of Belgium they do
not know whether they held responsible for
the invasion of Belgium, or for tho migration or
removal from Belgium, for wire pulling, or
for shoat (of herrings). AS their interpreta-
ton will probably be the shoal of herrngs).
that being mild and in keeping with the German
idea OF German gentleness they will naturally
rebel at being penalized for the invasion of
belgium The Peace Conference should there
lore be conducted not by professor of history.
"u' Wy professor OF German. r. 6PnLMAa.
The first time most of US gave thought
to the Salvation Army was when we saw
"The Belle Of New York;, the second time
was at the front in France.
The third time is now. And the s. A.
deserves something more ponderable than
a thought F.P.A.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20

The Rev. DR.. John C. Straton is need
lessly-like most who think we are on the
CREASED toboggan toward Gehenna-exer-
cised over the extreme and immodest styles
in womens dress" But when he speaks
of the woman with her "dress cut 'C' in
front and W in back" we object to the
misquotation of Old Hec Turnbull's death
less line. The dress was Lo and Behold
in front and V de Boheme in back.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
The Comnloat SIaneler

Sir: Why does the versatile Haywood Broun
object to the double 't' in Burke's "Attaboy" Z?
/ thought the word youthful variant of the cry
that frequently interrupted the forum speakers
"attamcn.
Caverley commented on attumen, but thought
it false reading in the line mil mihi rescribas
attamen ipse voni," when reviewing a new edition
of "Heroides." He suggested attagen. 20 you
duck come yourself" SEC
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20

Whether, as DR.. Straton asserts, many
young couples mortgage their furniture to
buy automobiles we do not know Most
families have too much furniture anyway,
and the automobile may put another check
on its large credit slate if it causes
diminution in the amount Of furniture the
average family has accumulated.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-20
The Spirit That Gets There
(From Ths Tndinnnnou. Ne,

(From The Indianapolis Nesos)
To an unprejudced Hoosier it looked ms
II that Indiana army with base hospital No.
82 70 care for the wounded would have been
about all the army Pershing really needed.