The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1919-11-07
nur False Notion Of Liberty.

The innocent tricks Of years gone
were forgotten.
Bows, occasionally girls, young |
men and young women, in large
number showed themselves to be more
than mischievious; they were mean,
brutal and malevolent Windows
were smashed, rocking chairs
were taken from front porch
es and broken, telephone lines were
cut, the cords holding up street cleo
trio wires were cut and the lights
were permitted to drop to the ground.
This made danger to life and proper
ty.
Trolley cords were cut, tracks were
CREASED and stones were placed in
frogs so as to throw cars from the
rails. The situation became so bad
that street car traffic was suspended
on many lines after 10 O'Clock. II
rain had not prevented there would
have been more excuses, with pos
sibly fires.
In one home there was sick wom-
an. That house was Dombarded.
Friday night there was an exhibit
ton of rampant lawlessness, regard
less of life, limb or property.
What brought about the frame OF
mind of children and young people
that caused extraordinary excesses
Friday night over the usual Hallow-
cen pranks? AS are children so are
men; men are grown-up children.
A few weeks ago certain mem
bers of highly-skilled trades in the
city of New York, in defiance OF
their general officers and in violation
of their contracts, went out on a
strike. A few days later thousands
engaged in the business of loading
and unloading ships at enormous
rates of pay went out on strike
against orders of their leaders and
in defiance of an urgent request OF
the federal authorities.
In the city of Nashville number
cf men, in spite of contract and
against the order of their own lead
ers, quit their jobs. Six months ago,
in defiance of their general officers,
certain railroad workmen all over the
county struck. Coal miners OF the
United States, in obedience to their
leaders, are out to the number of
400, 900.
All of the departures from the re-
gular order not to be charged to
Halloween jewellers and laboring men.
There are more people travelling up
and down the United States than
ever before. Trains going in every di-
rection are crowded. Hotels in all
cities are filled to capacity. The
people going west meet people go
ing east. This travelling and moving
is in violation of the regular order
of things.
Men are going out of regular es-
tablished lines of business and going
into other lines. West Point grad
uate are leaving the army to get more
highly paid positions elsewhere. Uni
versity dons and public school teach
ers are giving up their work for
something else.
Doctors are laying down the tools
of their prof sion and going to oil
fields, or forming oil stock compa-
MES.
Farmers rae selling plantations
which they know and are buying
other plantations of which they
know nothing. Half of East Arkan-
sas and many acres of land in the
delta have changed hands during the
last year in the lobby of the Peabody
Hotel.
Everybody is driving something.
For the lack of something else to do,
millions of people are jumping up
and down in their own tracks.
The business of highway robbery
fourshes over the country. The big
rich are skinning other big rich,
and there are sharks for all suckers
that are born every day.
These sharks are working over
time. Some are promoters, some are
manufacturers and some are prof.
teers.
The present generation of men
and women are living in the frame of
mind Of the man who said, AFTER
us the deluge.' -
What is wrons with everybody?
What poison is in the atmosphere
that gets into the blood even OF
children?
Under the shoutings of making
ing the world safe for democracy
we have bastardized our democracy
into low form of demagogy.
We have confused liberty with
license
n. .s.okt.@