Page:The web (1919).djvu/398

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  • itable and illuminating day-to-day record of all which the

League has produced. This blotter form of report supplies a remarkable narrative of the chances and near-casualties which the presence of a munitions plant brought to a normal American community. It is too bad such a report cannot be given in full, but it runs to 12,000 words, spans ten months of time and covers one hundred and fifty-seven cases of investigation. This splendid report came out of a wholly unexpected quarter. We hear much of the romance of big business. Perhaps when the reader shall have discovered how many men were waiting day-by-day to wreck and ruin one big business, it will not always seem to have been so romantic after all. We may make at least a brief resumé of things which happened in and around Midland. Names cannot be given, but it may be stated in advance that practically every case investigated was that of a man who had a German, Russian or European name.

Carl L—— was a German Lutheran minister at Midland, and seems to have been much like his brethren of the cloth in that denomination. He remarked to a friend, "Why, you do not seem to realize that Germany will soon control the world." When the Lusitania was sunk, he said, "The people who went on that ship should have been blown sky-high." Preacher L—— is still preaching at Midland.

Alex B—— is a retired citizen of Midland. He was born in Germany, came to this country penniless, yet acquired sufficient wealth upon which to retire. This country is full of Germans of similar description, who have remained just as German as they ever were. This was the case of Mr. B——. In discussing the war, he said, "You can't get your troops over there because our submarines will sink them." By "your" he meant American troops, and by "our" he meant German submarines. He was of the belief that the German was a far superior race to ours. Natürlich! Gewiss! Das versteht sich!

S. F. S——, another employe, was found taking pictures of one of the buildings devoted to the making of sulphuric acid, including the railroad approaches. United States asked him please not to take any more such pictures.

A can containing a pint of giant powder was found in a car of coal which was being hoisted into the boilers at the