The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-02-19

land actually made an exhaustive
study OF our method of licensing con-
troi, under the war trade board.
strengthened it and rushed the nee
essary legislation promptly through
parliament. 1t will be followed by
other drastic legislation to protect
olhef Key industries, particularly the
glass industry, which is particular
OBJECT of German exploitation.
1t is significant that it is in the
great basic industries which by COM
mon consent would determine victory
In another great war that the SHINES
group are specializing. A prospective
enemy can be undermined by propa-
ganua or he can be undermined by
destruction of the industries on which
ne would depend for carving on
war. The allies at the peace confer
ence appreciated the miraculous
achievement of the Germans in ex-
tracing nitrate from the air. They
required that they divulge their sec
ret process. They have not done SO.
apd 1t is in nitrates also that they
plan conquest Of world markets
Sodium nitrite would seem to be of
minor importance, but il involves fix
alton of nitrogen from the air, and yet
since the first of the year the Ger
mans have glutted the American So
dunn nitrite market threatening TO
destroy the hitherto prosperous Amer
can industry, and no relief has yet
been obtained through the war trade
board.
II is not however, in one industry
or i'm two industries .hat the danger
lies. What the Germans propose Is
to prevent the enactment of any ade-
quate protective legislation by the
American congress. They have studied
the American legislative process
They know what the capacity Of an
individual senator for obstruction is
They are adopts in assessing the worth
in dollars of every days delay in the
passage Of a bill. They know how
easy it is to obscure the issue. They
will stop at nOthing-they have stop
ped at nOthing-to anchor the United
States to the same sort of trade un-
preparedness as in the case of mill
tary unpreparedness Note the amaZ-
ing strength and audacity of the prop
agandists who are already spreading
abroad the noxious theory that pros
perity in the United States can never
be until We open our markets to the
Germans-as if the days of our great
est prosperity were not when we dealt
not at all with Germany
There are some men in congress
who conscientiously are opposed to
protective legislation. But intrigue
has so wrapped itself around the
problem that there Is no man in con-
gress who can oppose defensive leg
tslatiOn who does not expose himself
thereby to the suspicion of being SUBJ
ject to German influence. He may
not be, but conditions make him an
object of suspicion. And wilful per-
sistence In the employment of tech
nical devices to prevent enactments
which are recommended by executive
heads, based on official reports which
,an leave no doubt whatever Of the
malicious designs entertained against
The trade integrity of this nation, Is
presumptive evidence that German
propaganda has not lost it's seductive
properties. ..
1t is sheer madness to talk about
not enacting a tariff bill until next
fall. 1t is almost treason, in view
Of the facts presented, to fail to en-
act promptly at least some tempor-
ary measure which will serve to
prevent the immediate campaign
against us. In the key industries 1t to
betrayal Of the national interests to
delay enactment of extraordinary
emergency measures designed to save
essential new industries, without
which the nation, in case of war,
would be at the mercy of an enemy
The well-being Of every workman
in the United States and the ulti-
mate safety of every individual in the
nation is threatened by the German
war--the new kind of German war
We are fOrewarned The Raleigh ar
ticle sounds the tOcsin-Or echoes the
tocsin President Wilson sounded more
than year ago and has since repeat
ed. Let America no longer sleep. Let
congress wake up and erect the bar
riers which are essential. Let us not
be deludcd by pleas of mercy into
forgetting that new thunderbolt of
destruction Is being forged against us.
We. must and shall prepare against it,