Judge — July 20, 1918 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

~FIH FDITORDIAL Comment Grave aud Gay on Things as Shey Pass i & CNY : Narcuatty Karst Los “Tr AVID B. HILL when a young lawyer was assigned to defend a negro under indictment for having used his razor on his rival—not i but too well. He advised a plea of y in the second degree. His client de- murred. “No, boss,” said he, “I druther be hung ef I done got t’ stay ’n jail all mah life. “Sides, boss, we jess natchally kaint lose!” In those days the State did not defend accused mur- derers out of the public purse, so Gov. Hill went ahead at his own expense and built up a case. To his great surprise the jury brought in a verdict of not guilty. Whereupon the dusky defendant in open court, before judge, jury and spectators, exclaimed: “Boss, yo’ say dey gwine hang me we jess natchally kaint lose!” In after years when David B. Hill became a great cal leader he used often to hearten his lieutenants “Boys, we jess natchally but I tole yo" poli with that quaint phrase: kaint lose If Kaiser Bill had ever heard that story, if he had known and understood the history of Amer: he would not have worked so per- “aN civilization’s Yorktown, the Appomattox of the world: “We jess natchally kaint lose!” Niacara Ann Vesuvius HEN Booth Tarkington was over in Naples he W witnessed an eruption of Vesuvius. ‘You haven't anything like that in America, have you asked an Italian friend. “No,” replied Mr. ‘Tarkington, “we haven’t—but we've ‘got a Niagara Falls that would put the whole thing out in five min- utes!” When the Hun Vesuvius burst into action, we had a Niagara—a limitless reservoir of undeveloped poten- tial energy, but we didn’t realize that the eruption meant anything to us. A majority of us didn’t, anyhow. We had a vast practical sympathy for the wretched victims of it, but we didn’t think that that lava if unchecked would sub- merge the world, and particularly we didn’t think it would submerge our own corner of the world. When it dawned on us that if England and France were to be Pompeii we were to be Herculaneum, we got busy with our Niagara, and today if it isn’t at floodtide it is rising rapidly and sistently to’ involve us in this war. Of course, there is this differ- ence between Senator Hill’s darky and the American people, that he may have sought the quarrel whereas we have always sought to avoid one. But the issue once joined the cases become identical “We jess natchally kaint lose! That is the embattled farmers at Lexington and Concord. That is Paul Jones with his ship sinking under him—*‘We have just begun to fight.” That is Washington at Valley Forge, that is Grant, fighting it out on this line if it takes all sum- mer. That is Saratoga and Gettys- burg—that is Old Hickory at New Orleans and Perry on Lake Erie. That is the spirit that brought Burgoyne a captive to Albany, which he had reason to expect to enter as a conqueror. That is the spirit which forced Lord North to exclaim to old King George: “My God, it is all over!” And that is the spirit which overwhelm the Hun with Drawn by Cant Hasta Willie—Himmel, but th will away every day. Looxinc Turoucn Tin hat thing looks further steadily. It won't “put the whole thing out in five minutes,” but it will do the job within a measurable time. When the flood subsides there won't be any Vesuvius, but Niagara will be there. When that day dawns, we won’t keep our Niagara at flood tide, but we'll never again let it die down to a pastoral pool for bull frogs to croak in against sane preparedness. Sixes AND SEVENS War conditions will leave no wool at all for civilians this year and mighty little for the politicians to pull over the voters’ eyes. * * * Republican and Democrat must clasp hands to win this war—and you aren’t supposed to count your fingers afterward cither. ar) * The loyal taxpayer nowadays wishes he was a rumor. Rumors gain currency. comicbooks.com