davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
THE WORLD MOVES.

Students of history are well aware of the
great change which has come in the power and
freedom of the common man. The days of
feudalism were very dangerous to the common
err He might at any time be summoned to fight
for the feudal lord against another chief Or
escaping this peril he might be called upon to
bear arms for the overload of his feudal chief
Or escaping that he could be conscripted to fight
for his prince CT his king. That is to say, add
ing to the ever present danger of having to
fight to protect his own life and property, the
man who lived in Europe five hundred years ago
had four separate chances of being killed in
battle.
Civilization moves slowly. And it is good
from time to time to look back and make sure
of this fact
Property rights have been made secure under
law, and mans life and the lives of his dear
ones guarded by the commonly supported
law. That danger has been largely removed
The feudal system has been broken up and
no man has to fight at the beck and call of an
other man. That danger has been removed
And in this country no man is called to fight
at the whim of his governmental ruler, but the
ruler is governed by congress of the COM
moner's representatives.
Is it unlikely IN the course of years, possibly
few decades we shall have largely removed
the one remaining danger, international wars?
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
Advertising as An Asse..

Marshalltown Times-R Republican:
When the nation was at war and the
German subs were sinking the ship
ping Of the world, when we had 10
have ships by the millions of tons in
burden land the government itsen
took over the building of ships 20
win the war, Edward N. Hurley was
placed at the head of the United
States shipping board. This same
man whose judgment was sought IN
the hours of the nations peril now
tells the AID Club of America that adj
vertising is not only a necessity but
an asset. He says:
Advertising today is necesslt!
and an asset. The time has arrived
when the manufacturer and the mer-
chant must carefully figure advertis-
ing costs and carry it in his budget
as an expense just as essential as
rent or labor. Advertising has been
hurt by emotional appropriations
by spasmodic flares. For instance
some men still advertise only when
they have spare money and never pu.
out line when times are dull ana
they need business The amount ana
nature of advertising Is to be planned
with the production scale. Only
then can we stabilize manufacturing
merchandising and advertising"
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
Prices Will Be Lower.

Report of National City Bank of
New York: The textile trades are
still very much disturbed, with the
jobbing trade almost at standstill,
and general suspension of produc-
ton in wooden goods. Buying for the
fall trade is very light and nothing is
doing upon goods for spring delivery,
the main trouble. apparently, being
that nobody knows what the prices
ought to be. There is a prevalent
feeling among distributors that the
peak has been turned and tat goods
will be lower; large share of the
orders placed in the spring for fall
delivery have been cancelled. and al
though the merchants expect to need
the goods for their trade, they are
afraid to take them on the old price
level. They are largely over the fear
that there will not be goods enough
to go around.
Mr.. J. +. McElwain. head Of one Of
the largest shoe manufacturing com
panies, has given out a statement in
which he sums up the situation as
follows:
Although the public can expect
some reduction in the price of shoes
for fall, this, ! fear, will be moderate
as compared with expectations
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
The Knockers.

Farmer and Breeder (Sioux City,
In walking up and down in the world
and going to and fro in the same, the
most conspicuous phase of human
psychology is the number of kickers
you will meet. II is not easy to find
a man who has no crouch against
somthing or somebody. The easiest
thing any man can do nowadays is to
criticise. Nothing escapes. The
chap who carries card in the knock
ers' union registers a protest against
the government, the railroads, the ho-
tells, the churches, the suffragets,
the boss, union labor prohibition, boot
logging, the weather, and generally
against the well known earth upon
which we live and have our more or
less uncertain being
What does it all siguify-this eter-
nal negatfon? Doubtedless it is the
natural reaction from the war that
left in its wake a humanity unnerved
and turned aside from it's true pur-
pose in life. Universal unrest re-
yeals itself chiefly in destructive crit
icism rather than in stern determine
ton to say nothing and saw wood.
Yet, after all, isn't that precisely
what this weary old world most needs
at this stage of the game? Is it not
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
THE PASSING OF THE RED.

The Sun and New York Herald:
They die hapd, these fads and
fashions in military millinery. The
French chung to their red breaches in
the very face of the slaughter they
invited in these days of long range
weapons pf precision. Red had 10
give way to the horizon blue and
the neutral khaki shades in the end:
but the old-fashioned military figures
still chung to them for dress occa-
sions. Marshal Joffre was resplen-
dent in them in all of his public ap.
pearances during his wartime visit
here. The carmine radiance Of his
sturdy legs against the greensward Of
the parade ground lent vivid dash
of color to the spectacle when he
reviewed the West Point cadets ana
when he mounted city hall steps to
grasp the mayors hand.
Now the red issue is up in England
in acute form. Our spondent
says one feature of possibly I'M
pending cabinet crisis is the question
of keeping English soldiers in g. ont
of red coats. The cabinet, 1t seems,
has committed itself to red coats, has
backed up the commitment with a
S., 100000 order of red coat uniforms
and will stand by its red convictions.
There is loud popular cutlery against
the abandonment of khaki with the
attendant expense of extra red coat
revival. But the cabinet is firm. 1t
resolutely refused to let it's common
sense get the better of it's emotions
Yet who can doubt that the dull
khaki drab or olive green will win IN
the end? In modern war there is no
stage for the fiauntings of kaleido-
scopic military plumage. Taxpayers
staggering under the burdens close
to back breaking have little sympathy
with proposals to spend millions for
military forgery which must be
scrapped the moment real military
work is TO be done.
So. ultimately. the red coat will go
the way of red trousers. And with
them will go. too, something of the
stirring significance Of revolutionary
war popular literature of days gone
by, when RED Coats" was anything
but term of endearment in our
Yankee vocabulary
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
Wet Issue Fiattens.

Cedar Rapids Gazette: Governor
James M. Cox, according to predic.
lions concerning his acceptance
speech, is going to puncture one OF
the alleged tissues" OF the presiden-
tial campaign when he tells an
anxious populace that If it wants a
change in or the repeal Of the Vol
stead act, which forbids the sale OF
liquor containing more than one-half
of one per cent. alcohol, the voters
themselves will have to elect a con-
gress that will do their bidding.
Since the nomination Of Governor
Cox at San Francisco there has been
more or less vigorous effort by
political prohets to convince the
voters that the liquor and league OF
nations issues will largely be deter
mined in the presidential election.
Over those who had been hoping
that Governor Cox really represented
the 'swets" is thrown a wet blanket
by the Ohio chiefs assertion that 1t
is the election of congressman which
determines the fate Of the Volstead
act. rather than the election Of the
president.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
Ignoring the First District.

Burlington Gazette: As far as the
republican party in Iowa is concern
ed, the first district is not on the
map J. F. Deems, candidate for
governor, who if elected would have
provided the state with the business
administration which it so sadly
lacks, was turned down fatty by the
republican state convention in favor
of Nate Kendall, whose main qualih-
cation is silver-tongued oratory.
Then at the judicial convention in
Cedar Rapids Tuesday, Judge w. s.
Withrow, one of the ablest jurists in
the state, with gratifying record on
the supreme bench, was shelved no
doubt because he lived in Henry
county.
The Gazette regrets the failure Of
Judge Withrow to secure one of the
nominations. 1t feels that the con-
vention made serious mistake and
republicans in the first district are
becoming duly incensed at the ring
of republican politicians who manipu-
late party favors to the exclusion of
this part of the state. They will ex-
hibit their resentment next November
when they elect q. w. McManus to
congress.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
NATURE A LAVISH SOWER.

Detroit Free Press: 1t was merely
a bit of thistledown, blown along a
city canyon through an open window,
resting moment upon a desk, then
as idly drifting away on a passing
gust But it brought to the beholder
a vision of grazing stubble fields
shimmering with heat waves under
an August day, and of painted
ladies'" lowering over arid waysides
where the thistles grow from whose
guarded sheaths float the delicate
periphery of fairy balloons, ballasted
by plump brown seeds.
This little voyage is but one If
the mythical ways in which nature
provides for the perpetuation Of
species. She has no end of devices
for sowing the seed she provides so
lavishly; single plant of pursalne
will produce over a million seeds.
The dandelion's hoary head is a
sphere of seeds, each of which has
feathery pappus as sail; the pod
of the milkweed contains a perfect
cone of overlapping brown seeds
until it opens and each seed floats
off under it's own parachute. The
willow hero's silken hairs float away
in clusters, several helping to buoy
the perfect seeds. At one time the
theory of spontaneous generation was
held to account for the deciduous
growths which followed forest fires.
A better knowledge of natures
many and ingenious methods of seed
distribution soon disproved it The
very character of the new growth
showed it's source; mostly willows,
poplars and birches. the seeds of
which are specially constructed for
aerial journeyings. The nut-like
seeds Of the Eastwood are attached
to bracts which are, like seeds, swept
by the wind over the snow. Engi-
neers who insure the safety of ships
by constructing bulls of watertight
compartments may have studied the
fruit of the bladder-nut, which is in
three sections: If one is broken the
seeds in the others remain unframed
All the family of burrs, stick
tights" "pitchforks," attach them
selves by hooks to animals or to
clothing and thus are carried long
distances. Nature even provides for
planting seeds; some species have
bearded points, with screw-like arms,
which bore into the earth, anchoring
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
THIS LIFE IS LONG ENOUGH.

There probably always has been a temptation
Ito believe that if the human lfe-span were long
Ter all men might get more wise and that prob
lens now constantly arising in the experience OF
mankind mi ght have been solved long ago. The
scriptures do not warrant such assumption, for
the records show that men did at one time live
to be nearly thousand years old and yet kept
on being just as big fools as the kids OF their
tremendous households in their personal con-
duct, and they surely did not work out much IN
public aaffirs or else their descendants would
not have just as much trouble with what we have
come to call the science Of economics and gov
eminent as Methuselah probably did when he
cast his first vote.
We imagine that a life-span of thousand
years did not help man much except, perhaps,
in the art of lying around comfortably; nor did
it help posterity much, for the payable total of
grocery bill is still the sum Of all the items
thereof and with all the added machinery of the
present day we do not get off cent cheaper
than Noah did when he was provisioning his
ark. 1t is true, of course, that lying around a
thousand years apiece by our remote ancestors
did not seem to facilitate star gazing and though
they did give lovely Arabic names to many of
the stars, and though they made star maps,
which may still be useful in descriptive astron-
omy, these millenial loafers could not save their
descendants from the belief that the earth is
flat and the moon is made of green cheese. In
fact as we look back to those old patriarchs who
lived long enough to pull the ears of their de-
scendants to the twelfth generation, we cannot
see that their great age did much for the world,
except, perhaps in the line of population at a
time when there was great need Of it.
No; it probably is true that much later con-
ception Of 81 short life and a merry one'' is
better for the human race--both individually
and in the aggregate. But, of course, this con
ception has only been half attained thus far;
we have the brevity all right; perhaps posterity
will add the merriment The present verdict
seems to be: Such as it is, this life is long
enough.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
Only a Pun.

Blandinsville Star-Gazette: ut is
reported that Blandinsville Masonic
lodge recently initiated into the order
lady, which has been contrary 10
the working of the fraternity since
the first lodge was instituted, more
than 500 years ago"
The above clipped from the Garth
age Republican has been run in near
ly all our exchanges and the Lord
knows how widely it has been circu-
lated by others that we have not
seen. Our new furniture man and
undertaken, Will Lady, is a Mason
who belongs to the Macomb lodge and
has visited the lodge here but was
not initiated. Any Mason reading
the article would know it was rot
true, but might not know that it orig
mated in a weak attempt at pun by
some would-be wit, and not In a de-
liberate attempt to deceive.
1t must be very annoying to a per
son whose name suggests very evil
dent pun. Every man he meets
springs it, thinking he originated
something funny, but the owner Of
the name after years Of 1t must get
very tired. OF course no woman ever
joined the Blandinsville lodge of
Masons, and every editor that ever
clipped the above knew 1t. Mr.. Lady
has been Mason in good standing
for some years.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
BETTER THAN PRIMARY

the candidates for the higher
positions such as governor, lieu
tenant governor, congressman
and United States senator, to be
named in the primary. There is
a sentiment now In favor OF going
farther and of putting more OF
the state candidates under the
convention system. The failure
of the recent primary to designate
the candidate for governor, as
must be the case in any cam
paign when there are four or
more candidates in the field, con-
WINGED many sincere people that
it would be better to adopt the
representative convention than
keep the state wide referendum
on candidates. The judgment dis
played by the general state con-
vention added to the sentiment
against the primary law. The
results Of that convention clinch-
ed the sentiment Of MANY VINO
had believed the primary had
merits which should be left. The
judicial convention added to the
sentiment in favor of the deliber-
alive and consultatory method OF
choosing candidates instead of
the isolated and guesswork
method which the primary cleo
tion booth compels. All these
things combined have added i'm
petus to the spreading sentiment
in favor of the convention sys-
Each is an educative force in
reaching a state wide conclusi IN.
The primary has fewer and less
enthusiastic supporters than IT
had before the delegates at the
two republican conventions proved
the advantages Of that plan over
the one which SO signally failed
in June.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
BIRDS AND BUGS.

Manson Journal: Do not begrudge
the birds the few cherries they may
pick from your trees. Just remember
that these little fellows have been
working for you ever since the frost
went out of the ground and will con-
tinue to work for you until the
ground freezes again next fall.
These little fellows are up early
every morning to search through
your trees for insects and worms.
and but for their industry there would
be few cherries for any Of us.
Now do not find fault with nature
for the insects and worms that infest
your trees and garden. If it were
not for these little pests the birds
would have nothing to live upon, and
it certainly would be a lonesome
world without them.
Nature has supplied the birds to
brighten our field and gardens with
their beautiful plumage and cheer us
with their sweet songs. In order to
supply the birds, it is necessary that
nature provide something for them
to live upon, and so the bugs and in
sects- Nature also provided the trees
and foliage that the insects might
light. 1t is only when man attempts
to regulate matters that the balance
between the destructive worms and
the birds is lost and trouble comes.
Nature has way Of adjusting mat
tiers that will nearly always work out
all right IL left alone.
We often hear people complain
about fruit trees not bearing as they
should, but they say nothing about
the ugly boxelder that is robbing the
ground so the fruit has no chance to
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31

Sioux City Journal: The tickets
named by the state and judicial
conventions prove that better re-
suits are secured under the party
convention system than under
the statewide primary system.
The expenses are less and the
candidates are a more composite
choice of the whole state. These
things ought to be arguments to
urge the next general assembly
to change the primary law to suit
the needs Of the state and the
times. The primary was an ex-
pertinent in government. 1t was
a response to a theory that the
more people who participated in
the primary selection OF officials
that is, in the selection of can
didates for Office the more repre-
sentative of the people the can
didates and, therefore, the off,
GERS would be. The experiment
has been given a thorough and
honest trial. If it has not pro-
duced the results its sponsors
contended it would; If it often
gives the least competent the
position over the more COM
petent; if it breeds campaign ex-
travagance and requires the ex-
penditure of large sums of
money; if it makes the candidacy
of the poor man difficult, If not
impossible, because of the ex-
penses Of reaching and interest
ing the voters, it is not because
the law has not been given an
opportunity to demonstrate that
it would produce the reverse.
IF the law has been failure,
and it cerainiy has, it should be
changed. The bill which failed to
become a law at the last session
of the general assembly only left
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
TRUE TO THEIR HERITAGE.

News OF what the Girl Scouts are doing the
land over is interesting. One OF the major pur-
poses OF this organization is embodied in it's
educational program under which some eighty
six thousand girls are now at work The sched-
ule includes twenty-five subjects and badge,
a golden eaglet, is given for proficiency in each
subject. A census has just been completed
which shows that some thirteen thousand such
eaglets have been won for proficiency in child
care, cooking, sewing, nursing and house-keep.
ing; a comparatively small number of students
have sought and won distinction for outdoor
proficiency in nature study, bird study, swim
ming and outdoor housekeeping 1t would
seem that young girls are tr'1e to their herit
age and as a matter Of choice averse to aban-
doning tradition.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31

the seed. One most interesting
method of disposal is that which re-
sembles artillery fire. The spores OF
some mushrooms are thrown eight
or ten feet; seeds of the garden
balsam are discharged, when the pod
bursts, like miniature machine gun,
while the witch-hazel's nut goes off
like a cannon ball. often thrown a
distance of thirty feet.
Nature makes lavish provision in
seeds, but concerns herself in no way
about their future fate. Her work is
done when she has given them a
chance for life. In that respect she
parallels some human parents who
dismiss their children to the arms OF
chance.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31
TODAY'S BIT OF VERSE

AFOOT.
Comes the lure of green things growing,
Comes the call of waters flowing
And the wayfarer desire
Moves and wages and would be going
Long the quest and far the ending
When my wayfarer is vending
When desire is afoot,
Doom behind and dream attending!
In his ears the phantoms chime
OF incommunicabe rhyme,
He shall chase the fleeing campfires
or the Bedouns of Time
Till upon the outer bar
Stilled the moaning currents are,
Till the flame achieves the zenith,
Till the moth attains the star.
Till through laughter and through tears
Fair the final peace appears,
And about the watered pactures
Sink to sleep the nomad years.
Charles G. D. Roberts
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31

This is the only considerable menace still hang
ing over the lite OF man. Is it SO great, so deep
ly intrenched, that we shall never remove it,
Looking backward one might doubt the pow
er Of man to throw off the incubus OF private
war and the feudal system. Y ct it was done.
Looking forward, one is optimistic enough to
believe that the future has more JOY in store for
us than is now practicable.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31

develop and bear. Even IL the fruit
tree does not give large yield It
is a better ornament than many OF
the other trees that are allowed to
grow and smother the yard and make
the home dark and damp. Less trees
and better ones would go long way
to improve the appearance of Man
son.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31

O-'~~|| N~~NNN - ~~O~
Washington Journal: The absolute
ly perfect candidate is never Sc
lected.
Boone Democrat: The pessimists
have their place. for they point out
great evils that need correction.
Dies MONIES Capital: The man who
will suffer most during the campaign
will be President Wilson. He will
be out of humor because he is not
bossing everybody. 1t will be tmpos-
sible for him to read Governor Cox's
utterances before they are made. A
person can very well imagine that
the president will have a notion that
his proxy is not saying the right
thing.
Des Moines Register: Mr.. Bryan is
still on the democratic band wagon,
but looking mighty uncomfortable.
Marshalltown Times Republican:
Seems from the record that Harding
was Just the regular American boy.
went to work like regular American
youth, succeeded like regular
American man and would make a
regular American president.
Davenport Democrat: Even though
we ought to be distressed by the
amount OF fighting going on in
Europe, it is easy to forgive the
Greeks for the trouncing they are
administering to the Turks.
Perry Chief: The c. P, meaning
the confirmed pessimist, is laying
awake nights trying to find some
thing wrong with the Iowa corn crop.
The only thing he can think of now
is that the cribs and elevators will
not hold the crop.
Davenport Times: 1t is certain that
changes will be made in the primary
law for the purpose of eliminating
expense and to make sure of limiting
party activity to members of the
party concerned.
The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-31

All Gods pleasures simple health the rapture
Of a May morning. sunshine the stream blue and green,
words benevolent acts, the glow of good humor
Robertson