Seward daily gateway., 1924-02-09
DEATH EX-PRES|DENT
 WOODROW WILSON
 MOURVED BY NATION
(Continued from Page Six)
by talking a bill to death."

by talking bill to death"
 Internal affairs in the United States early in 1917 were in state of res tiveness verging on turmoil. Enemy propagandists were busy night and day. The increasing cost of living was of grave concern to wage earners. Scores of strikes in industrial plants were fomented by Austro-German plot ters financed by Count von Bernstorff and aids of Dr. Constantin Theodor Dumba, the Hungarian Ambas- sador, who had been sent back to Vi enna.
 About this time The Associated Press published an intercepted letter from Dr. Alfred Zimmerman, the German Foreign Secretary to the German minister to Mexico, entreat- ing him to persuade the Carranza gov ernment to take the side of the Cent ral Powers in return for which the Germans were to guarantee to Mexico the return to her sovereignty of Tex as, Arizona and New Mexico.
 The proposal was that Mexico should approach Japan, the alley of Great Britain and endeavor to form an alli- ance in which Germany Mexico and Japan would make war on tie United States Japan, at the time of the ex pose, made prompt and vigorous de nial The Mexican government also issued a disclaimer. But the mask had been removed and Germany stood re- vealed in all the hideous features Of her moral obliquity. War now seem ed only a question of hours.
 Previous to this, the 4U0,000 rail- road workers of the country belonging to the union Brotherhoods. who had long endeavored to obtain shorter work day and better pay and upon whom devolved the responsibility of bringing to the Atlantic seaboard the enormous stores of munitions of war for the Allies threatened to strike unless granted an increase of approx imately 25 per cent in wages and an eight-hour day. The strike order had been issued and the whole nation was awaiting the paralysis of its arteries of trade when President Wilson brot both sides together and forced thru Congress the Atkinson law which granted the mems demands.
 While awaiting Germany's actual putting into effect of her decision to resume ruthless submarine warfare President Wilson in number Of speeches showed c,early that Ee was no longer hopeful of keeping the United States out of war" Indeed al though that was one of the slogans ot Wilson men in his canpaigl for reel ection in 1916, when he defeated for mer Justice Charles Evans Hughes, the President made it plain soon after his second inaugural that the people of the United States were prepared to fight. Some months before this the President had made tour of the coun- try to sound out it's sentiment toward entering the struggle. Everywhere he met with enthusiasm and indications that the people wanted war. MT. Bry- an in a political speech year or two previously had declared that, in case of hostilities "one million men would rush to arms in the United States be tween sunrise and sunset" But the desirability of utilizing the volunteer system when virtually all the other belligerent nations were employing conscription was moot question.
 The United States never had been a military nation. Her regular army es- tablishment of 75,000 men seemed pitifully weak when England and were sending millions of fighters to the battle line. President Wilson at once urged the passage of a conscrip- tion bill by congress by which men from 21 to 31 were to be drawn by lot It was called the "Selective Service