davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
Lady Bugs arc5 ate

To the Editor of The Tribune.
corridor of the Office building Of
great corporation. One was a nigh off,
cial of the company and the o5her
salesman. | happen TO know both men
and know both to be gentlemen, both 10
be well bred and we'll educated and aboas
the same age. To meet them on the
street one would probably picA the sales
man for the better man, ana maybe he
IS. He is certainly just as honest, just
as sincere and has worked just as hard
as the other. He is fully as bright, has
as much culture and much more expe-
rlence of the world and its affairs. Yet
ne IS a salesman and the other an official
Somehow the meeting Of these men
recalled to my mind something saw
last summer while out in the country
for few days. On the porch of the
house at which I was stopping was an
old-fashioned spinning wheel, and on
the rim of this wheel, wandering about
aimlessly, were dozens Of the beautiful.
useful and helpless little insects called
ladybugs. In spirit Of play | gave
the wheel a gentle SPIN, not wishing, Of
course, to harm the ladybugs, bat mere
ly to see what they would Go When the
wheel stopped part of the insects were
on top, part on the bottom. and Others
scattered on all the intermediate parts
of the rim. don't know what they
thought, but If they reason anything
after the manner Of humans those on
top were confident that by their own
superior strength and intelligence they
had climbed TO the high place
Fate plays with all Of us, and the
turn of the wheel tells where We viii
land. About all we can do is to hang on
and not get dizzy, so that we can strug'
gle on up a little higher when the wheel
stops. What lot Of foolish pride and
self-satisfied putting up we would be
spared, what balm for the burt hearts
Of those at the bottom of the wheel.
what hope for the strugglers part way
up, if we could only realize how little
we have to do with the turning or the
stopping of the wheel, H. D.
New York, May II, 1920.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
Mr.. Davison's Appeal

Every American with a sense Of
pity will be deeply moved by the ap-
peal for the relief of Central Europe
made by Mr.. Dawson. Aid to the
suffering is a duty laid on all civil
lized society.
1t is a great misfortune that this
appeal comes at a time when the
outside activities Of the United
States have been brought almost to
standstill. Mr.. Dawson says that
the government alone is equal to
the task of tiding the Central Euro
pean countries over their difficulties.
But the government is divided and
impotent. All the Administration
energy seems to be concentrated on
staging "a great and solemn referen-
dunn" on the question whether the
Presidents peace policy was the
only possible policy for the United
States. The Treasury has repeatedly
advised against any further loans to
Europe.
A great effort would be needed to
alter this attitude. Apathy at Wash
ington has resulted from a feeling
Of helplessness. If the government
cannot act and is at a loss even to
pay its own way at home, official
intervention seems at best dis
tant hope. But unofficial relief is
still possible. Like the great war
tasks, this task of succoring the
needy in Europe may have to be
taken up directly by the American
people, who, as always, are alive to
their duty to the forIorn and
wretched everywhere on the face of
the earth.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
The Best Thought of the
PARTY

In the work of the advisory plat
form committee the Republican lead
ers have installed a reform which
offers possibilities of far-reaching
improvement in our system of party
government. We venture to predict
that this voluntary development of
new machinery to correct an old and
serious defect marks a permanent
change in our popular rule. In years
to come no party will attempt to go
before the voters without platform
built upon these thorough prelimi-
naries.
There was occasional opposition to
the project when Mr.. Hays first pro-
posed it. Sticklers for time -honored
methods and prerogatives feared a
dangerous invasion of old customs.
These criticisms have been fairly
met and answered. No suggestion Of
invading the authority Of the nation
al convention or it's resolutions COM
mittee has been permitted. The labor
done has been entirely preliminary
one, an assembling Of the best
thought Of the party, an analysis of
the problems in issue by experts and
a presentation of all this ground
work in readily accessible form. The
work now going on in Washington
will round out detailed investigation
by subcommittee extending over
several months and will generalize
the results of over 100000 question:
laires sent out to leaders of the
party in every state.
This material can be of the great
est value to the platform builders at
Chicago. 1t settles nothing in ad-
vance. But it offers a wealth of fact
and opinion which the delegates will
find of the highest use The remain
ing problem Of Importance is how
the prospective resolutions commit
tee of the convention can best avail
itself of this fund of information
and expert advice. As we have al
ready suggested, an early assembly
Of the committee seems the logical
sequence for securing the full bepe-
fits from this new system of plat
form making. If these drafters
gathered about two weeks in advance
of the convention there would be q
far better opportunity for thorough
consideration and careful drafting
We hope that this reform, thus ad-
mirably begun, will be rounded out
by the party at Chicago.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19

ly enough, they begin where the task
looks easiest.
The oil wells of northern Persia,
moreover, may have as important
part in Bolshevist reckonings as
they have in British. Be that as it
may, the difficulty Of the British
position is obvious enough. BY ac-
quiring Mesopotamia and Persia
England has become land power of
the first rank in Asia. From the
point o. view Of defense India could
almost be regarded as an island.
With Mesopotamia and Persia q con-
tinental line of several thousand
miles has to be maintained and de-
Tended. The question in final analysis
is whether the people of Britain will
be willing to assume the responsible
tiles entailed by the enormous extern
sion Of British power in the Asiatic
mainland.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
Praiseworthy Pioneers

1t is highly praiseworthy note
that the BARRIERS of the Terminal
shops have sounded. Their decision
to keep on working and ignore the
strike of their fellow craftsmen
shows spirit Of fair play to the
public that is welcome shadow in a
thirsty land. 1t is also the soundest
kind of common sense from their
own point Of view.
The process of jacking up wages
to meet each new rise in the cost Of
living, thereby jacking up the cost
of living by just so much, and so on
od infnitum, is one Of the chief
causes of our present injusticcs Of
reward and general discomfort. The
laborer with the greatest effrontery
and the least foresight wins-wins
temporarily, that is. In the long run
this vicious circle helps no one, and
through disturbance of business and
wages lost while idle the trades
which have struck most have lost
more than they have gained.
The protest of these BARRIERS is
we'll put. AS they state, the barber
shop is not an industry of great pub
lie impo .ance. But the principle is
of vital Importance, and these bar
bers may we'll be proud of the lead
ership they have assumed.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
Pearse and a Picture
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In yesterdays issue of The
Tribune there appeared picture en-
titled "P, II. Pearse Singing the Ma
tional Anthem During the Ceremonies
Celebrating the 131st Anniversary Of
the Inauguration Of George Wash
ngton."
P. H. Pearse was the first President
of the Irish Republic and was killed
during the Easter uprising in Dublin
in 1916, having been Pres dent for one
week.
l have inquired into the matter and
have been informed by the Constitu-
tjonal League, with headquarters at
the Hotel Bristol, that the gentleman in
question is John Burke, the Irish tenor,
who is member of the Celtic Players
Company, which company enacted the
drama Of the inauguration of George
Washington on the steps Of the Sub
Treasury on April so for the Constitu-
tional League. The Celtic Players are
opening a summer season of Irish
drama on May "a at the Provincetown
Theater, 1873 Macdougal Street, and on
the opening bill is a one-act play by
Padriac H. Pearse entitled "The
Singer" which no doubt explains the
mistake in the title of the picture.
JOHN A. KELLY.
New York, May 10, 1920.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
The Bolshevists in Persia

The chief advantage of the Boil
shevist strategists who are now try
ing to realize their long advertised
plan for an invasion of Persia is
that their success need not be meas
ured in positive achievement 1t is
hardly probable that Trotzky. who
has his hands full in regions nearer
home, should seriously contemplate
overrunning, not to say retaining,
Persia. But as device to embarrass
Britain an attack on that country
has its manifest uses.
The British were just about set
Ting down to the peaceful and
profitable task Of Persian recon-
struction. BY the agreement con-
cluded with the Shah's government
last year they have gained control of
the immensely valuable natural re-
sources of the land. British admins
traitors were to build up a workable
governmental machinery, British
financiers and merchants were to as
sist commercial development, British
officers were to reorganize the army.
Persia has become, for all practi-
cal purposes, a British protectorate.
Whether or not this condition would
IN the long run benefit the Persian
people themselves is not for the Boil
shevists to ask. In the old times of
Anglo-Russian rivalry Persia was
regarded as the first stage of a Rus
sian advance toward India.
Ever since the Bolshevist military
successes last winter warnings were
i plentiful in one section of the Brit
j ish press that campaign against
India by way of Persia and Afghan
istan was one of the features taken
over by Lenine from the ancient
cZaristic program. From another
side the fears expressed were de-
rided as political hypochondry. The
reported crossing of the Persian
frontier by Bolshevist forces does
not, of course, mean that Trotzky is
on the way to Kabul and Kandahar.
1t does mean, however, that the Boil
shevists seriously intend to make
trouble for the British, and, human
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19

state, refuses to allow the passage
of foreign troops across her terri
tory or to permit her territory to be
used in any way as base for mill
tary operations. She has given no.
ticc, in accordance with her fixed
national program, that she will de-
fcnd her territory even against the
league Of nations.
Lodge has not been "beaten in
Switzerland" The ancient noun
tain republic has done. exactly what
the Senate has been trying to do,
Mr. Lodge and the majority Senators
want to Americanize the covenant.
Switzerland has Helvetianized it.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
MIR. Wilson's Gentle Art'

Like Canning's Friend of HUI
manity," the President apparently
finds it easier to cultivate fraternal
feeling in the abstract than in the
concrete. His visions of a world in
complete amity do not preclude the
indulgence of strong personal ami
mosities. In his scheme of altruistic
internationalism quarrels between
nations have no place. He has urged
again and again national self-denial
to this end. The duty of America,
in his opinion, is not to look after
her own, but to sacrifice herself if
need be for the general welfare.
His bitter opposition to reservations
to the treaty is ineligible only on
the ground that he fears it will OBJ
struct this purpose.
Vet While he is dreaming thus of
universal brotherhood he does not
hesitate to throw the apple of dis
cord into the international arena.
One after another he is attacking
the nations that were our "associ-
ates" in the war. The first victim
was Italy, whose just aspirations
in the Adriatic he condemned and
opposed. The second was France,
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
A Hopeless Ripple
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: There was time when a man
could buy two pairs of trousers with
one coat and vest, which was the equiv
alent of buying two suits of clothes.
If this could be done to-day it would
decrease the cost of mems apparel, say
35 per cent. In other words, you could
almost get the price of two suits of
clothes for one. But the consumer
to-day rarely asks for such a thing as
this-so seldom that the dealer no
longer carries his stock in this way.
AS near as can find, this is too simple
and direct a method Of saving to ap-
peal to the American public; and be-
sides that it would make too large
saving n the aggregate. What we are
out for is immense expenditure and
small savings, so | write this with a
very little degree of hope that you will
bother to publish it, or even if you do,
that it will make ripple after it is
published.
But as the spider tries twenty times
to spin his web we feel we must also
try to save the spinning of whatever
cloth is possible. W. D. BREAKER
New York, May Is, 1920.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
To Insult the Law
Why a Disillusioncd Paciist viii
Vote for Dcbs


To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: I'll say there Is sporting blood a.
plenty in The Tribune, but why does
1t never circulate in the editorials
Does the editorial writer ever read The
Tribune? l resisted the temptation to
reply to his Saturday attack on Debs,
but when he was reinforced this morn
ing by the Weary War Woman and
the Humiiated Hoosier, feel like get
ting into fight where l can bag three
patriots with one shot. The Humilated
Hoosier is easi disposed Of. His not
to reason VIII, 'ut to Justify yell
"Ship!" OF as Dump them in
mid-ocean!" ano {; nat sort of thing.
am not patriot; 1 was raised to put
the public good before my own person
al good as a bounden duty and rea-
sonable service and l don't bleat when
do it, nor reach out fox flag.
AS for the Arizona lady, I want to
say that I come of the best fighting
stock in the world, and though a paciist,
I'd be ashamed to take on so because
my country helped lick an already half
licked and wholly starved Hun.
But it is chiefly against the editorial
man that I wish to direct my attack.
He hints that If you don't watch out
you'll be suspected Of insulting laws
and persons connected with their admin
istration. Now, I mean to vote for
Debs, though not Socialist, for the
sole and simple reason that I desire,
above everything else, to insult the
jury that tried him, the judge that
sentenced him, and most of all the law
under which he was tried.
Of the alien and sedition law, the
comparatively inofensive parent Of the
espionage act, Thomas jefferson, whose
name is perhaps more familiar to 100
per ccnters than his principles, said that
no offcnse committed under that law
could be half so outrageous as the law
itself Debs said exactly what Lloyd
George said during the Boer War. Mil
lions Of worthy citizens believed and
still believe, and with every new war
revelations have more assurance for the
belief, that Debs was right about the
war. But many worthy citizens are cow
ards. Pro-war liberals in droves are now
coming over to the opposite camp,
though the news may not have pene-
trated to Arizona or Indiana.
And so long as Kate Richards O'Hare,
that splendid mother Of a young family;
Eugene Debs and their kind are in Jail
for their courage, every citizen who has
informed himself of the facts and ad-
mires courage wishes to insult that law
and everybody connected with its ad-
ministration, from Plotter Palmer down
to the least of his Secret Service men.
Like a steadily growing number of my
countrymcn, l am completely disillu-
stoned about the ballot, but if voting for
Debs can be construed into contempt
for duly enacted law" I look forward
to the November elections with genuine
pleasure. NANCY NJ M'CLOUD.
New York, May II, 1920.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
Ireland and American Sympathy

To She Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir; notice in your paper Of to-day
that at dinner given by the Womans
Democratic Political League Sunday
night de Valera said she felt sure thsT
most of the American people are IN
sympathy with Ireland's cause"
Being Canadian--a naturalized Amer
lean Canadian-I may be prejudiced.
But I fail to see where "de Valerians
are making any headway with the
American people. The politicians at
Washington show de Valera favors, also
the Democratic party at Albany, whea
they place Bourke Cochran, strong de
Vslerian, in high place among The
Presidential delegates.
The American people" 7 talk with
see great difference between an 'Irish-
man" and a de Valerian.
BLUE NOSE.
New York, May IT, 1920. j
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
The Cry of Schisna
DR.. Grant Declared To Be
NeedIessLy Alarmed
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The Rev. Percy Stickney Grant
whose sermon predicting "schism" h
the Episcopal Church you reported h
this mornings Tribune. does not repre-.
sent the consensus Of opinion in h.
church on any Of the subjects set down
III a-y~: 'fe erica to-day III.
bishops of the Protestant Epigcons
Church 9 are reaching for more author.
ity.' Perhaps they are; but 90 y,
cent Of our parish priests, out Of ths
fullness of their experience. agree ths
more authority is what the bishops nees
1t is a fact that there is scarcely
bishop whose candidate for a vacant res.
torship has any chance at al with TIA
vestry. Moreover, in most of our din.
ceses there Is equal suffrage, all man
and women members of parishes. unds,
proper canonicai rules, voting for war.
dens and vestrymen and deputies ii
diocesan conventions. These last ma,
cast the ballots Of their parishes for TIA
election Of bishops. If this be medieval.
ism, then the American Union IS me-.
di@val, and 1, as an American citize,
am q feudal serf.
He says that he is fearful of "th.
assertion Of episcopal authority. which
so narrows and hampers the growth ~
the Church" Where does It. Dr. Grant,
On the contrary, it is a fact that the
bishops are quite content to let a prier
and his parish alone IL good work !.
being done; and it is only when ser;.
Gus breach Of canonical law occurs that
the bishop may interfere. It would ba
well, indeed, if our fathers in God wopld
more often give US their "godly adnoni.
ton and advice"
He says: There are few grown pe~.
sons who join the Episcopal Church TO.
day, and few Of them upon any intel.
lectual persuasion" deny that. Work
in camp as civilian chaplain and exer.
cising my priesthood in large resort
parish have taught me the fallacv o.
such an assertion. am constantly ban.
tizing adults and presenting them 70,
confirmation; and they take these steps
because they feel the need OF religion in
their lives. And as a matter Of fac,
the Episcopal Church is one Of the few
American religious bodies which in tia
last ten years has reported an increase,
In the last eighteen months my Own
parish has has growth OF about Is
per cent in its communicate list.
AS a matter of fact. Dr.. Grant Ia
needlessly alarmed. Those OF The clergy
who are alive to their obliga. sons az
pastors and visit the people constantly
know the extreme need of relrion in the
lives Of the American people. And we
know, moreover, how the people are
beginning to respond TO a sensible pres.
entation of the fundamentals Of relig.
ion. Things are no better than they
should be, but they might be worse, in
both Church and nation.
These may be the sentiments of an
optimist. But only an optim;st can live
in America to-day and get any comfor.
out of life. The Church, having stood
trials of 1900 years, vail NOT split
on this point.
HIRAM r. BENNETT.
Asbury Park, n. J., May Il, 1920.
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
Switzerland and the League

~ A>>AA$4
In its zeal to make a point
against Senator Lodge and the Sen
ate reservationists The World eXults
over Switzerland's vote to enter the
league Of nations. 1t prints an edi-
torial entitled lodge Beaten in
Switzerland" Says The World:
"Switzerland may have had its
needed them not. BY majority Of
100000 it has voted to join the
league of nations, to sacrifice its
independence and sovereignty, as the
Republicans at Washington say, and
to accept ell the risks of association
with powerful neighbors who may
break the covenant any day and force
its brave sons to fight in Siberia,
Hedjaz or Azerbaijan."
Our neighbor seems to have for
gotten the terms under which
Switzerland enters the league. The
Swiss have century-old traditions of
nationality and neutrality. They
didn't surrender those traditions, as
The World seems to think they did,
when they accepted league member
ship. They insisted on reservations
before agreeing to take q plebiscite.
They have joined the society Of ma
tions without accepting "all the risks
of association"
At the meeting Of the league coun-
Gil in London last February Swiss
reservations were acquiesced in
which are much more drastic than
the Senate reservations which Presi-
dent Wilson has condemned as
"nullifying the covenant" Pro
visions of the treaty were also
waived in Switzerland's favor which
would not have to be waived in favor
of the United States.
The treaty contains no provision
forbidding reservations on the part
Of any Of the signatories. But it
says in Article Of the covenant that
only such neutral nations may be ad-
mitted "as shall accede without res
ervation to the covenant" Again,
Article provided that neutrals join
/ ing must deposit a declaration of ac-
/ cession "within two months of the
coming into force of the covenant. v
Yet Switzerland has adhered with
reservations and will not deposit a
declaration Of adherence until nearly
five months after the date set in Ar
ticle l.
Article X has been described by
The World, following the Presi-
dents lead, as "the heart of the
covenant" Switzerland has "cut the
heart out of the covenant" by re
fusing to accept any obligation "tc
preserve, as against external aggres-
sion, the territorial integrity and po-
litical independence of other mem
bers Of the league" if that obligation
commits her to the use of armed
force. She insists on maintaining
her historical policy of neutrality
Her reservation to Article X goes
much further than the American
Senate's reservation does, for the
Senate's modification would permit
the United States to use force when.
ever Congress authorized its use.
Article WI of the covenant re
quires members Of the league to pun.
ish a venant-breaking state Tha
members agree 'to take the neces
sary steps to afford passage through
their territory Of the forces of any
of the members Of the league which
are cooperating to protect the cove
nants of the league" But Switzer
land, besides declining to furnish
military aid against an offending
New-York tribune., 1920-05-19
The Worker Has the Capital

The man with the money of to-day
is not the capitalist-the man with
the money Of to-day Is he who works
for wages. He receives anywhere from
60 per cent to rs per cent of the total
income Of the country, and therefore
he Is the man who has to be thrifty
if the progress Of society is to
continue.
There is no getting away from this.
He is the man who has to save-for
the good Of the entire community and
for his own welfare in particular If
we do not have a large and continu-
ously growing investment in industry
if, for instance, we keep only our
present investment, then the natural
increase in population will cause the
investment continually to decrease per
head of population and, consequently,
production will grow relatively smaller
, and smaller until she lack of things to
buy will drive the unthinking mass of
mankind to the social suicide of
Russia.