South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-08-17

Nv 7 ONDER Col Charles Arthur Carlisle, as
NV local administrator for the government
m the matter Of price investigation and
regulation, realizes the kind of hornets nest he is
getting nto,-which reminds Us of a story.
II Is a story that has been current for years; is
30 old and 'chestnuity" that Let of old men
laughed so hard that they kicked all the Stats
put Of the cradle the first time they heard IT,
but which gained such currency during the war,
and since that, perhaps, gentle reader, you can
tsnd it again; particularly since it is to be pre-
bented from a different angle.-whch the art
st behind the accompanying cartoon illustrates.
As the story goes, or has been going, Partic-
ulsriy recently, sometimes it is a niger and
sometimes stage coach driver, but it is always
plea for organization" Everyone who has
spoken Red Cross War Chest, Liberty
Loan or a Chamber Of Commerce meeting in
moons has had it to tell.
Whichever it was-"coon" or "coachman'-
he always expert with whip; could pick
leaf off from tree bud from a rosebush, flea
from mules ear and all that sort of thing
but when it came to hornets nest with nice fat
hornet perched at the "door of the Good" he al
ways refused to strike.
And the reason was obvious. Them things is
organized" the whp-shot would say.
. -II-
AUGH please The host is always supposed
L to laugh when guest tells a story-no
difference how ancient or how poorly executed
or employed. 1t IS a mark of hospitality,-but
right here beg pardon, for putting highly re-
spectacle citizen, recently deceased, but who
ordinarily could laugh and enjoy good story
as well as the next one, int the category of the
inhospitabes.
Reference is made to the late John F. Nuner,
superintendent of the city schools, and it
probably the last meeting of the Chamber of
Commerce that he ever attended.
TIE speaker Of the day was a more or less bill
ious gentleman from the Chicago Association of
commerce and head of of the ''Windy
City's" big trust companies; emissary of big
business'-qute without doubt.
Nothing had been going to suit him. The
duct of the war was all wrong; he was peeved at
the governments shipbuilding program; snarled
at the food and fuel administrations; saw no vr-
tue in the war industries or war trades boards or
war risk insurance; sneered at the president and
secretary of state as non-essentals at the peace
tables; the Sherman antitrust law was bad
enough, but the Clayton amendments were awful;
the administration IN Washington hadn't needed
TO mis- satisfaction the demands of group of Chi
cago capitalists for intervention In Mexico-and
&C he urged upon the Chamber of Commerce
strong organization to combat such evils;
strong that even the government would feel the
pressure, and, then he told the hornet" story as
an illustration.
And everybody seemed to appreciate it, at least
BE hospitable; everybody except Nuner When
pressed for an explanation of his seriousness, he
ventured:
81 have been amazed for the last 1001th times
that have heard that yarn, that intelligent men
should still persist In misusing it; unable to dis
tnguish between knock and boost between
criticism and compliment. The trouble Is that
we have too many just such hornets nests defy
ing the government. Who wants to be hornet?
They better illustrate organized band of high
waynlen, bank robbers, automobile thieves white
savers, political crooks, price boosters and
proiteers,-than what a self-respecting Cham
Der Of Commerce ought to be-"
''The good die young" John F. Nuner,
thereafter, went to join the stars in the firma-
I ment-