davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
TO THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Announcement comes from Wash
ington that in the opinion of the
American delegation to the Conference
on the Limitation of Armaments there
is little use, from present indications.
of calling another conference In the
near future TO deal with submarines
and auxiliary craft. The American
delegates believe that until France
changes her mind about her need for
90, 900 tons OF submarines and 300,0
tons of auxiliary vessels there is not
much use i'm repeating the opportuni-
ties for her To refuse an arrangement
which the other naval nations regard
as equitable.
While much good has been accom-
plished by the present Conference in
securing the acquiescence of accred-
tied delegates from limited number
of leading nations to the approval of
some kind of program leading away
from war instead of encouraging war
by great preparedness. II is apparen,
| that not much of practical value, in
effect, can be expected from such bod
les. What is needed is n conference
organized by authority, with all tn,
participants bound to accept It's de.
crees. acting in accord with prior un-
/ derstanding to this effect. With oui
country associated in such an organi
zation, embracing all the other ma.
| tions OF any consequence at this time
there is no doubt such a frowninf
Efront could be erected against wal
and war preparations that both woulC
cease to be disturbing factor in tn,
worlds affairs.
Such an organization the League a
/ Nations, already doing a good. prac
tiCal and authorized work. would be
come simply by our country taking IL
place as a member. II would imme
iiately become the leading and mos
influential member, and with such
powerful aid the League of Nations
would prove an absolute assurance
against devastating wars in the future
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
THE EVENING SMILE.
THAT FELLOW FEELING.

You admit you were speeding?'
Yes. your honor"
"A frank confession goes a long
way in this court. What excuse have
YOU to offer for exceeding the speed
limit?''
"A man in little old rattletrap
fiivver drove up behind me and
bawled 10 me to get out of the way
and let somebody use the street who
could get more out of one cylinder
than ] could get out of six"
"Umph. l do a little motoring my
self I'll let you off with the mini
mum fine this time. e."-Birmingham
Age-Herald.
A Michigan paper has discovered
that a boss is a man who gets down
early when you are late and late when
you are early.-Buffalo Courier.
Shopper Cooking at socks)-"Aren't
they rather loud?" Shop Assistant
''Yes, sir. They are specially made for
people whose feet are in the habit OF
going asleep.-Judge.
THE mind reader says you think
we'll of his act" Then he's not much
of a mind reader. Louisville Cour.
ier-Journal.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
WHAT WOMEN MAY DO.

In the course of a very thoughtful
editorial allusion 10 the political cam
paign that will be conducted in our
State next year, the Newark Post
emphasizes the Importance of the rank
and file of political parties-men and
women yoters-giving serious atten-
tion TO the party primaries, the selec-
ton Of candidates for public office.
This State" says the Newark Post.
can have as its national, State and
district representatives whomsoever
the voters want. This Is not a plat
form platitude. but definite and seri-
Gus fact. The great ma jority of vot-
ers leave the selection of candidates
to the party committee or ciiques, so
called, in control. This makes the
choice OF the vote often a mere mat
ter OF choosing the lesser evil. The
power OF the voter is not so much in
the election of the ticket as in the
selection Of the men who make up
that ticket. The farmer or business
man having a civic and patriotic in
terest in the government. desiring
only that his party be represented by
men best equipped and by expert
ence best qualified. can. through the
primaries, absolutely control the sit
uation i'm making his choice Of candi-
dates to be presented at the polls. No
greater opportunity ever presented it
self to the present voting generation.
For with the women. honestly desirous
Of expressing an influence worthy OF
/ power, the ordinary citizens, unused
to political mechanics, can control
| primaries, conventions and election"
This is good. practical advice, and
truthful. IL applies with especial apt
ness 10 prevailing conditions in
/ Republican politics i'm this State. as
the Republican party, with complete
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
OPPOSES THE CHANGE.

Editor Every Evening I'm the
committee OF the whole. last night, the
Council decided TO get back OF the
Street Vnd Sewer Department. in it's
plans for the new river boulevard.
but they narrowed II down 10 eighty
feet.
Edward r. Mack, Charles NJ. Up
ham. Harry l.. Maier and Charles r.
Grubb. engineers of park, State. city
and county, staked their official repu-
tations on that boulevard being one
hundred and twenty feet wide, be-
tween Eleventh and Twenty
streets. yet City Council takes IL upon
itself TO narrow II down TO eighty feet.
Wilmington is fifty years behind the
times--ln some things. II Is not n
leader I'm anything; and just as long
as II Is possible for hatred, animosity
ill-will, self-adulation of little office
holders to pre-empt themselves Of
plain common sense, just so long will
Wilmington be afflicted with made
quate highways.
II the night schools could only be
opened, and "A class In civic planning
made compulsory for city Council
men. good might result.
The public is not ready. and Coun-
ell is not Mt, 10 be shown the whole
project under way.
| If Andrew l.. Johnson, u. Henry
Grier and Frank G. Sparks are com
! PEELED TO accept notifications I'm what
! Engineers Grubb, Upham. Mack and
| Maier advise. Il is unfortunate. A
sad mistake has just been made IN
! Washington alley. leading TO the new
memorial bridge over the Brandywine
| and II is too bad IL Council lacks tn,
/ vision to allow Messrs Johnson, Griei
and Sparks 20 do what Messrs. Grubb
! Upham, Mack and Maicr have ad
/ vised.
Why should an east side project b,
hamstrung?
/ Holmes Jones.
Wilmington, December 30, 1921.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
JUST FOLKS
THE OLD YEAR.
By Edgar A. Guest.


l heard the Old Year talking, and he
seemed TO say TO me:
I'm what mankind has made me, not
what ] hoped to be:
did not bring the failures, my days
were bright and new,
! was the time allotted--the work was
mans to do.
Il am what others made me, had no
will or choice,
Through all the days of trial was not
given a voice.
If victory came, man earned this
was the faith and power;
II sorrow came. God sent it-I furnish
ed but the hour.
II came here empty handed, a year
that was to be,
And what | am in passing mankind
has made of me;
am their petty failures. their glory
their success,
am their souls advancement, their
shame and happiness.
by the stars,
i brought To none high honors, tc
others ugly scars;
Only my days were numbered, / wa
the time fer toll,
And each has reaped the harvest as
he has titled the soil.
II am what men have made me, not
what ] hoped TO be
And so shall be the New Year which
soon shall follow me.
Our days are good or evil, as each
man serves and strives,
For years are but tho records on which
men write their lives.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
i1ACRAMENTAL GRAPE JUICE.

Ralph A. Day. prohibition director
for the State OF New York, says that
the department is working on the
theory that fermented wine Is not
pecessary for sacramental purposes.
The proposed plan has the tentativS
approval OF Commissioner Roy A.
Haynes. who contemplates the sub.
stitution ef specially prepared fruit
juices for fermentod wine.
ave are planning TO do away with
saciamcntal wine fer all faiths" Mr.
Day Is quoted as saying.
They are planning to get everybody
into a great deal OF trouble and have
selected a fine place to begin. New
York is one-third Jewish, one-third
Roman Catholic, and the other third
mixed.
The prohibition directors say In ef-
feet that they intend to interfere with
the sacraments of the Roman Catholic
and the Jewish and what are sacra-
ments for some of the Protestant
churches, notably the Episcopalian.
They might as well interpose their
dictates i'm the matter of vestms nta
aud ritual as to say what churchm. n
NiitAi btifi III ibf St'iilltDl Oh COM
munion and what shall be used In the
religious obseryances of the Jewish
faith.
There used to he I'm this country
some things bureaucracy and even
bigotry kept their hands on and one
was the Issue of religious faith and
observance. Evidently that day of rea-
son has gone.
If MIR. Haynes tentative approval
becomes fixed and an attempt Is
| made To carry IL into effect. all the
priests and rabbis of New. York CITY
will he in jail. and the people of the
churches and synagogues will b.
storming the walls.
IL is all a piece OF the same bolt
of goods, and II is from this bolt ot
goods that strips are being cut tc
bind American liberties. We wonder n
the eggressorq know or care where thi,
will end.-Chicago Tribune.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE.

Opposition to the Versailles Treaty
IN the American Senate began before
the treaty negotiations. It took the
form of packing the committee on
foreign relations, OF round-robIns and
wholesale denunciations of the Wilson
peace plan before the plan itself was
made public. This opposition was par
tisan In origin and depended upon
party organization to keep II going.
There is opposition TO the Four
Power Treaty negotiated by the Wash
ington Conference, but It is OF an en-
tirely different order. Most OF It, 81
far, has come from Republicans. but
the opposition is really bipartisan
Senator Reed Is a Democrat. His fight
against the Versailles pact was not in
sl'ired by party considerations. The
saine Is true of several other bitter
lerders." II they can sink party in OPP
tposing this treaty those who favor It's
purposes should be able 90 do likewise
Nothing more Is needed to ratify the
work of the Conference
. Happily. there Is a growing feeling
In Washington that the vote against
ratification will he small. Senator I'm
have advised against any attempt [,
organize opposition on party lines
while former President Wilson is sale
to he advising his friends TO vote foi
every treaty that promises to preserv'
peace and reduce the burdens OF arma
ment.
1t would be too much to expect al
the Democrats In the Senate to resis
the temptation to score the record o
the Republicans in debate. but thei
chief count IS that the Republican
played politics with the Versatile
Treaty Democrats cannot vote agafns
the new pacts without showing evel
tNore partisanship, since they CLAIM
that the Harding Administration
merely following the Democratic pol
icy. There should he no party polite
IN international matters and the Sen
ate has n superb opportunity to ris
above such differences in ratify!ng tn
treaties that grow out Of the Wash
ington Conference.-Broo Eagle.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
BORAH SOBS OVER RUSSIA.

Senator Borah Is bubbling over
again. This time he comes to the
front as semi-apulogist for and
champion of Lenin and his soviet
government. Borah thinks the Ameri-
can government by not raising It's
voice has connived against Russia at
a time when she most needed n
friend. that Benin is one of the two
or three great intelIects uncovered
by the war, that the bolshevist gov
ernment is better than the old czarIst
regime and ought to be recognized.
and that the allies have been guilty
of an indefensible, cruel, brutal and
uncomfortable policy toward Russia
since the armistice.
II anybody besides Borah were TO
talk this sort OF nonsense. person
might be tempted 10 wonder whether
the soviet agents have really sue
ceedod I'm getting foothold even I'm
the senate Of the United States. But
where the senator from Idaho is In
the picture. the case is different.
What he says may be dismissed with
the assumption that the gentleman
has allowed another notion to get
into his head.
In the enthusiasm of sudden ora
toricai spasm Mr.. Borah simply for
gets that Secretary Hughes has al
ready laid down precise and entirely
! reasonable conditions under which
Lenin and his government can OBJ
tain recognition from the United
States at any time. He overlooks tn,
fact that all the trouble between the
American government and the Dol.
sheviki has arisen because I,enir
started and has for a long time beer
carrying on substantial war agains
the United States. persistently stir.
ring up industrial unrest and sedi
lon among susceptible elements II
thls country and instigating bombin,
outrages, assissinations, and at
tempts at insurrection. In eulC lin,
Herr Lenin, he apparently forget.
mat the devil, too has a sharp in
teilect ana Is cunningly ingenious
ana great liar. While so far al
l,Mr. Borah's remark regarding tn,
superiority of the soviet regime owe
the czarist regime is concerned. 1
is possible only because he shuts hi
eyes TO the obtrusive fact that Dol
sheVism has almost totally destroye,
the culture and growing civilizatio,
that. were developing even under -
deiectiVe system as the Romanof
autocracy' and has provided In thei
stead desert of abject misery mad
fearful by the cries of tens Of mil
lions Of starving. disease stricke,
men, women, and children who ar
without hope except as it is carrie,
to them by the outside world-De
troit Free Press.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
RIPPLING RHYMES.
By Walt Mason.
THE OLD YEAR.

The gray old year is passing.
it's dying in the snow; with
signing and alasing l watch -he
old year go; a bright new years
appearing, and all the boys are
cheering, and by such noise
they're queering the old year
in it's woe. For new things
people clamor, all new things
look like gold: and we have got
a hammer for anything that's
old; we have a cordial greeting
for all new things we're meet
ing, and older things, retreating.
may perish in the cold. New
customs and new manners we
greet with loud hurroo. and send
off TO the Gamers the ones our
fathers knew; oh, anything
that's hoary is but an old wives
story; the new things walk IN
glory, il what men say is true.
And vet I shed some briny to
see the old year sneak, his white
dome bald and shiny. his foot
steps slow and weak; how much
of good he sent me; how much
of JOY he lent me; and if some
burdens bent me. l raised no
craven shrek. The old year
lavished blessings upon us all,
1 wist; he gave us more caress-
ings than left hooks with his
fist; and while men turn po-
ntely TO greet the new year
spriehtly, the old one. sad. un-
slightly, is>fading in the mist. a.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31

control. has fallen under the manage
ment OF a powerful and compact or
ganization which, has been able to die
tate all primary selections, owing to
the Indifference OF many members
Of the party to their real duty. But
with these Indifferent citizens aroused.
and supplemented In their efforts by
the women, who have n higher appre-
citation of all the finer things In life,
in the field OF politics as well as In
the home and society, there may be
effected combination for good which
even astute party managers will find
it difficult TO overcome. 1t is hoped
the opportunity will not be neglected,
next year. by the heretofore Indifferent
voters of both the leading political
parties, and especially by the women
of our State.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
"uSING THEIR JUDGMENT

The Dover State Sentinel vigorously
defends the Ming tax imposition of
the new state Tax law for the bene-
NJ Of public schools. In the jusiifi-
abl. opposition Fhat has arisen since
the people became acquainted with
the astounding method OF operation
provided for the assessment and col
lection OF this tax 1t sees only a
scheme devised by selfish individuals
who want TO again see the tax load
back on real estate" Well. as far as
the city OF Wilmington is concerned.
ths ",ax load" remains on real estate.
sr heavily oppressive as ever. while
tns Ming taA comes as an additional
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31
HARM FROM REFUSE.

1t Is not merely to resort beaches
and to the fishing interests that the
spreading of oil refuse on shore and
inlet waters is doing harm. It is
killing off wild water fowl as well.
The Long Island Game Protective
Association through its President,
c.. Collens. has gathered impress
sive information on this detail Of the
subject.
Gunners in the vicinity of New
York have for a long time been find
ing wild fowl either lying dead on the
beaches or drifting about on the
water quite helpless because their
feathers were gummed up with thick,
sticky oil. This in every instance
means death to the bird. Even birds
that have been picked up and
cleansed have invariably died. Ex-
posure of the birds skin 10 the refuse
produces, apparently. something like
an acute disease. This has raised the
question IS to the effect of the oil
refuse on the human skin, and it is
now engaging the attention of the
Bureau of Cancer Research. The
matter Is of special Importance be-
cause of the immersions in oil refuse
TO. which of late years bathers at
summer resorts have been subjected.
On both the Atlantic and the Pa
cific coast water fowl life is seriously
affected by this oil refuse. The Cali
fornia Game Commission reports that
birds are being destroyed in thous-
L "a nhS lxs oil H11nlua1 l,ir, h.
mile limit As long ago as last March
the Providence journal reported that
thousands of wild ducks had been
killed by oil on Rhode Island waters.
oyster dredgers brought great num-
bers of dead ducks to the surface.
Still other ducks were found floating
on the water so disabled by gluey oil
that they were unable to lift their
wings TO fly. There was nothing for
they starved to death. What has
happened on the New England and
Pacific coasts has of course happened
in greater or less degree along oul
entire sea front.
The refuse oil evil concerns Great
Britain. France and all other mari
time countries as much as it does us
IL the three-mile limit means tn,
creation of vast off-shore dumps fol
this refuse destructive to birds anC
fishes. and if these dumps are beyond
the reach of domestic laws. theI
doubtless there viii be internationa
regulations to meet the evil.
1t is by no means a problem diff
cult of solution. Installation of test
ed equipment for oil segregation anC
storage on board ship is neither diff
cult nor expensive, and this woult
make 1t unnecessary for ships TO dis
charge waste oil into the sea.--Ney
York Herald.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31

viii be any more effective than the
league Of nations u.s.
TO realize the slow growth Of this
VIII against war. you n.ust look
long way hack. You murt remember}
aggressive war deliberately. IN nc
.cordance with their divine right. and
hat their subjects dared not refuee
TO follow them Now every war Is,
made with elaborate apologies, and
with thousand pretensions Of hfgiY
moral intent. The real rulers III
modern nations are simply the proper j
iy-owners IN them. and these pr0p-I
erty owners make war for pftft just|
as the medieval Kings did. but tbeir|
puppets, the politicians. must provide|
for them a vast smoke screen of apoi-l
ogy and pretense.
Pooling the Public.
In other words, once IL was not even
necessary % fool the common man..
Now II is necessary 20 fool him, but
how painfully easy II is, The ques-
| ton now Is 10 what extent he can get
over his amazing capacity for being
World War the American people were
in most pacific mood. They did not
want war. They reelected a Presi-
dent because ne had kepf them out Of
war. The actual declaration Of war
found the greater part Of the country
Indifferent, apathetic And yet with
IN a few months a state Of hysteria
had been worked up such az was never
exceeded in the Middle Ages by a
dozen awful bugaboos the people we're
haTassed into a state Of feverish bel
licosity.
Il is not meant by this to impugn
the motives with which we entered the
World War, but simply TO recall. in
n period Of reaction against war, how
easily the war spirit is worked up
with flags and drums and speeches
Some wars are just wars and some
wars are necessary. but the point is
that the methods by which wars arc
made are not in the least dependent
upon the merits of the case. Our at
tack on Spain was fomented, more
than anything else. by the phrase RE.
member the Maine" but It was never
lin the least proved that the Spa aniard,
fUitW up ANt A1flEe anu kNtFE ~ ft1l
the slightest reason to believe that the
Spanish government had anything q
do with Il.
The point is that as long az men re.
tain this primitive responsiveness tr
war spirit. as long az tn y respond
. 10 speeches and flags and drums witt
an hysterical yelling excitement. jus
as ssvages respond to the beating Of Z
tom-tom, just so long diplomats, poll
|, ticians, nnsgogues generally car
make wars al will. And as long a
, they can make wars they VIII do so.
Wars are made in the same wa,
. that p. r. Bsrnum made his fortun
by taking advantage Of the public
! enormous capacity for being fooled
Perhaps that capacity ia inherent an
I Interchangeable. But as far as war {
= concerned. another element now en.er
into the situation. War Is TO iOnge
I thought Of so much as "A gloriou
r thing. Slowly the connotations OF III
I word are changing. War is coming :
= mean poverty. hunger. death, poiso
= gas. starving babies, millions OF youn
: men dead. These grim association
:, are bound to put a check upon IN
= responsiveness Of the average man I
n the war call.