USA > Iowa > Scott County > History of the war activities of Scott County Iowa, 1917-1918 > Part 7
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In the fifth, or Victory Loan, this Arsenal led all the Arsenals of the country. With the number of employes reduced to about 8,000 by the post-war conditions, the subscriptions for Victory Bonds totaled $746,000.
Total subscriptions at the Arsenal for the five loans were $3,871,000.
The hearty co-operation between the employes and the officers in charge of the campaign was indeed gratifying, and the employes in years to come can look back with a great deal of satisfaction in the remarkable showing made both in the number, amount, and percentage of subscribers.
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The Banks and the Loans
BY ALBERT J. JANSEN
At the beginning of the campaign to raise money to carry on the war the government urged the widest possible distribution of Liberty Bonds, and appealed to the patriotism of the banks to help to make the money available and to arrange for all the extra detail work necessary. The banks of Scott county responded to this call in the proper spirit, although many of them had to employ extra help for the purpose. When considering that the total number of subscriptions taken in one issue alone amounted to 29,809, an idea may be had of the extra work necessary. About four out of every five of the subscriptions were for small amounts and were paid on installment plans, calling for payments varying from four to thirty times on one subscription. Four payments were allowed on the government plan of payment for the second and third Liberty Loan, while thirty installments were allowed on the bank plan of the second Liberty Loan, the number of installments for the other loans being about ten less. Of course, an accurate record had to be kept of all these payments and it was found necessary to write one or more letters to those who lagged behind in their payments.
When the bonds were finally paid, considerable time was taken up in persuading the people to keep them and not to sell them at a sacrifice. In order to help their customers the banks offered to take care of their bonds for them, giving them a receipt and at the proper time cut the coupons from the bonds and credit the customer's account. There is no doubt that Liberty Bonds would have sold considerably lower except for this efficient and unselfish action on the part of the banks the country over.
The work of converting the first and second Liberty Bonds into bonds bearing a higher rate of interest was done entirely through the banks, who sent all these bonds in for conversion to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The banks charged only a nominal sum for this service to pay the expense of shipping the bonds back and forth.
After the first Liberty Loan Bonds were printed, the government found it unpractical and impossible at that time to print coupons for the bonds for the entire time the bonds had to run. Therefore, in printing the other bonds the government attached only four coupons, which would pay the interest for two years, and they agreed after that time to exchange the bonds for new ones carrying the entire number of coupons. The last coupon on the second Liberty Loan Bonds, as now printed, is payable November 15, 1919. It is probable, then, that the government will begin to call for these bonds about February 1st next, so that the proper payment of interest may be made on May 15th. All the other issues will be exchanged in from four to nineteen months later. The banks of Scott county will also gladly attend to this for anyone asking for the service.
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SCOTT COUNTY, IOWA
In some localities the banks have subscribed for the entire quota assigned to them and then sold them to their customers. This was done in many places in the campaign for the Victory Liberty Loan and had a tendency to have the bonds held by comparatively few people. However, the government preferred the method adopted in Scott county, and no doubt this is better in the long run. It is the public spirit in Scott county and the hearty and unselfish co-operation of the efficient Liberty Loan solicitors and banks that has made it possible to distribute the bonds so widely here and interest so many people in the finances of our country.
In addition to carrying the Liberty Loan transactions the banks also kept a record of the War Savings Stamps bought by their customers and in that way greatly assisted in making the War Savings Stamp campaigns successful.
United States Certificates of Indebtedness
While the people of Scott county were investing upwards of $22,000,000 in long time bonds of the five Liberty Loan issues, the banks of the county at the same time were making very large loans to the government to assist in financing the war.
These short-time loans were made through the purchase by the banks of United States Certificates of Indebtedness, which were put out in three series between January 1, 1918, and May 1, 1919. In the aggregate the banks of Scott county purchased a total of $15,785,000 of these certificates.
The first series consisted of six issues and were offered between January 22 and April 22, 1918, and the certificates ran for three months. Scott county banks purchased $2,672,000 of this series.
The second series of certificates began June 26, 1918, and were offered practically every two weeks until October 1st. These were four-months certificates and the subscriptions by the banks of this county amounted to $5,516,000.
There were ten offerings of five-months certificates in the third issue, beginning December 5, 1918, and closing May 1, 1919, and $7,597,000 of this series was purchased in this county.
Each bank in the county was given a quota in proportion to their resources on each of the twenty-four issues in the three series and a larger number of honor citations were granted to the banks of Scott county than any other county in the state. The campaign for the sale of these government securities was handled by A. F. Dawson, of Dav- enport, as Director of Sales, and M. H. Calderwood, of Eldridge, As- sistant Director, who were chosen for this work by the Federal Reserve Bank, of Chicago, Ill.
The Liberty Loan Court
BY AL. J. FAERBER, Chief Justice
During the first, second, and third Liberty Loan campaigns the returns demonstrated fully that a certain class of people in the county were studiously avoiding their duties as American citizens, more par- ticularly as far as subscribing for their just share of Liberty Bonds was concerned.
Therefore the men in charge of the Liberty Loan campaigns decided that some means must be found whereby these people would be made to do their share. Many conferences were held and finally it was decided to establish a Liberty Loan Court or Slackers Court as it was generally termed.
The following men were selected to act as jurors: A. F. Dawson, H. K. Spencer, Lee J. Dougherty, Frank B. Yetter, Charles Shuler, Col. G. W. French, Frank D. Throop, E. P. Adler, Joseph Deutsch, Ed. Mueller, Geo. M. Bechtel, G. R. Bliss, J. Clark Hall, E. R. McAdam, and A. L. Honeywell.
The County Chairman of the Council of National Defense, A. J. Faerber, was selected as the Chief Justice, to preside over this court.
Headquarters were established for the fourth Liberty Loan cam- paign at 210 Brady street, and in the rear room the Liberty Loan Court had its headquarters. This court was in session from 9 a. m. to 11 p. m. for a period of about thirty days. There were handled in all about one thousand cases. Some days as high as forty-five cases would be heard. It is estimated that this court secured in additional subscrip- tions about $600,000.
In the beginning, the people in general had a mistaken idea of the intent and purpose of this court, feeling that it was an organization for the purpose of intimidating or coercing people into doing more than they really could; however, after it had been in operation for a week or ten days, it was evident to those who were brought before this court, that it was really a board of equalization or court of justice, seeking only to impress upon the people of this community the fact that we were in a most strenuous campaign for right, and it was imperative that the people who shared the benefits of this free country of ours must also do their share towards maintaining its government, and at that time maintaining the government meant financial aid to the limit of every citizen's ability, for the purpose of financing a war which was based upon right and liberty for all.
These people who came before the court left with a feeling that they had really been enlightened as to what free government meant, and that public opinion was really the basis for all law in a free country and that if a citizen went contrary to public opinion during such a critical period as the time this court was in session it would jeopardize
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SCOTT COUNTY, IOWA
forever his standing in the community and possibly affect the happiness of his children in the future years to come. This fact was impressed upon everyone who came before this court. The effect was very ap- parent because of the willingness with which they took their just share of bonds after the court had decided what amount it should be.
Out of the approximate one thousand cases I think there was only one who absolutely refused to follow out the court's instruction on this question of buying bonds.
The moral effect on those people who had been subscribing for bonds unwillingly and only after much pressure had been brought to bear upon them was very apparent at the time of the Victory Loan and avoided the necessity of a repetition of the same procedure as regards slackers. The court used the term slacker because of the fact that a man who refused to loan his financial aid to his government during the period of a war which was being waged in order to maintain the safety of that government is just as much a slacker as the man of military age who avoids service in the army.
It is regrettable that in this free country of ours there was not in- augurated some method of forcible taxation, which could be applied to citizens who refused to buy their just share of bonds voluntarily, and that this had to be brought about in all cases locally through the pressure of public opinion. Undoubtedly if ever there should come a time when this country would pass through such another period some means will be found to adjust matters of this kind by means of laws which will undoubtedly be enacted within the next few years.
Too much credit cannot be given the men who served as jurors in this court. They gave up their time, feeling that the importance of jury service on a court of this kind was paramount to their own busi- ness. In no instance was there a juror who wavered when it came to a decision. Every man serving was fair, firm, and just. Personally I cannot recall a single instance where there was a division of opinion as to the amount that the individual appearing before the court should buy. This I think was brought about by reason of the method pursued in arriving at the allotment.
In every instance the citizen appearing before the court was allowed to make his own valuation of what his own worth was, which was un- questioned by the court. Allotment of bonds was then made on a per- centage basis and all the people were treated alike.
It is a peculiar fact that the majority of cases were men who had ample means by reason of their large holdings of farm land and other real estate in the county and felt that because their money was invested in land and their income limited, that the allotment of bonds should be on a basis of income rather than net worth. The court felt that a man's net worth should count and not his income, therefore, made the allotment on that basis. I think a great deal of this was a misunder- standing on the part of property owners, because in many instances the property was not one which brought an income, therefore the necessity of borrowing money in order to buy bonds.
I think the fairness of the method will be conceded when one takes into consideration the fact that the basis of credit for the government
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HISTORY OF WAR ACTIVITIES
was the net worth of the citizens of this government and not their cash income.
The record this court made was heralded over the entire country; newspapers and magazines commenting on its efficient work. By reason of this publicity members of the court were asked to go to Clin- ton and Cedar counties and adjust the differences there. The records show in no single instance did they fail in either county to get the quota assigned to every individual. Many cases were heard in both of these counties and apparently this aid was of material benefit to their Liberty Loan organizations.
The records of this court are kept intact and will be placed in the custody of some county official for future reference, should they be needed, because every record contains the statements made by the in- dividual himself appearing before the court; his own valuations and his reasons for not wanting to buy the quota assigned.
It also contains a complete record of what each individual did in every war drive in this county, so there can be in the future no question as to the authenticity of these records.
Workers in Various Fields
Scott county war workers went to all parts of the world.
Early in the war Secretary E. T. Heald, of the Y. M. C. A., was re- leased to go to Russia, where for two years he was in the midst of the stirring events preceding and following the revolution there, and in the campaigns in Siberia.
One of the "Y" gold stars stands for Miss Marion Crandall, who went to France from here and was killed by shell fire- one of the first of the brave women who died from actual exposure to battle conditions.
Scott county is also especially proud of the record of Dr. D. J. Mc- Carthy, whose services as a Red Cross medical worker were rewarded with the rank of major and with decoration by the King of Serbia.
To D. F. Scribner fell the unusual privilege of valuable service in organizing athletic work in the Italian armies, and of organizing play- grounds for the city of Rome, the latter service being recognized by decoration with the Medal of Merit of the City of Rome.
Miss Alma Hartz was decorated also by the King of Greece for her services in fighting typhus in that distressed country.
Dr. Sarah Foulks is in Albania as a medical Red Cross worker.
Miss Helen Vincent was for a year in "Y" canteens in France.
Miss Amy La Venture served in the Red Cross canteen in the St. Lazaire station in Paris for some eight months.
Miss Winifred James was in Red Cross work in Italy.
Dr. Leroy M. Coffman gave a months' vacation to work and ad- dresses at Camp Dodge.
War Savings Stamps
For the purpose of raising $2,000,000,000 to assist in paying the ex- penses of the war and to promote a nation-wide thrift campaign, the United States government launched in December, 1917, its War Savings campaign. It put Thrift and War Savings Stamps on sale throughout the country, and announced a quota for Iowa of approximately $48,000,000.
Frank A. Vanderlip, of New York City, was National Chairman of the movement; Homer A. Miller, of Des Moines, was appointed Chair- man for Iowa, and Gustav Stueben, of Davenport, was appointed Chair- man for Scott county. Our county quota was announced as $1,323,240.
In a campaign that lasted throughout the year, some seventy War Savings societies were organized at different points in the county. Public meetings were held in country school houses and community centers, the co-operation of school children, women's organizations, clubs, and fraternities was secured, special drives were arranged, and a final drive put on by the Liberty Loan organization, under Lee J. Dougherty as City Chairman.
The influenza epidemic interfered in the autumn of 1918, when the organization of War Savings societies was well under way, and after Buffalo township had won the honor of being the first to be 100 per cent organized, and Blue Grass the second.
Closing the year with a sale of $300,000 worth of stamps in a month, the county's total sales were run up to over $1,171,000. Details are given in the following letter secured from the state headquarters:
IOWA WAR SAVINGS COMMITTEE. DES MOINES, IOWA, April 14, 1919.
Editor History of War Activities of Scott County, Iowa:
DEAR SIR :- Pursuant to your request of March 18th, asking for the sale of War Savings Stamps in Scott county by months, the same is herein enclosed :
December, 1917
$ 8,863.00
January, 1918
9,302.25
February, 1918
17,025.25
March, 1918
33,943.25
April, 1918
39,369.00
May, 1918
165,488.50
June, 1918
119,495.00
July, 1918
109,477.50
August, 1918
81,109.50
September, 1918
55,118.75
October, 1918
63,967.25
November, 1918
167,797.50
December, 1918
300,894.00
Total sales
$1,171,850.75
Quota
1,323,240.00
Per capita sales
$17.71
Trusting that this report will serve your purposes, I am- Yours sincerely,
JOHN E. SHAW VAN. Agency Manager.
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United War Work Campaign
BY RAY NYEMASTER,. District Chairman
The World War saw before its close united action along all lines and perhaps no other event stands out as conspicuously as does the United War Work campaign. The seven war welfare agencies-Salvation Army, American Library Association, War Camp Community Service, Jewish War Council, National Catholic War Council, Young Women's Christian Association, and Young Men's Christian Association-all united in response to the request of President Wilson in raising the necessary funds for the conduct of their work for the American soldiers, sailors, and marines.
Plans were already under way in Scott county for the merger of the finance drive of the seven war agencies when President Wilson's request was made public. In fact the day that the President's letter was pub- lished a meeting was scheduled to be held in the office of the Guaranty Life Insurance Company for the purpose of completing plans for a campaign war drive in Scott county. At this meeting the seven organ- izations were to be represented, but when the President's letter request- ing the campaign drive was made public the local organizations laid their plans aside and fell in step with the national movement.
Davenport was the district center of District No. 7, composed of the counties of Scott, Muscatine, Johnson, and Washington. The district officers were:
Chairman-Ray Nyemaster.
Executive Secretary-S. A. Cohagan.
Publicity Chairman-F. D. Throop.
Chairman Speaker's Bureau-A. E. Walsh.
District Leader of Victory Boys-Walter J. Mead.
District Leader of Victory Girls-Miss Dotha S. Varker.
District Chairman Women's Work-Mrs. Henry Von Maur.
Seven Vice-Chairmen representing the seven allied war agencies for Scott county were: Mrs. Henry Von Maur, Miss Paula Buck, Messrs. Cable Von Maur, L. J. Dougherty, Isaac Petersberger, Charles Grilk, and George White.
A large delegation from Scott county attended the state conference of the United War Drive, at which time Charles R. Rawson was elected State chairman, and Graham Stewart, State Campaign Director.
Immediately after the state conference the Scott county United War Work organization was formed as follows:
County Chairman-Hon. Joe R. Lane.
County Treasurer-Ray Nyemaster.
County Publicity Chairman-C. C. Cessna.
County Chairman Speaker's Bureau-L. J. Dougherty.
County Chairman Women's Work-Mrs. Henry Von Maur.
County Leader Victory Boys-S. W. Sanford.
County Leader Victory Girls-Miss Harriet Sessions.
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SCOTT COUNTY, IOWA
Following the formation of the county organization County Chair- man Lane called a meeting of the County Executive Committee, which was composed of the county campaign officers and the officers of the Scott County Liberty Loan organization. At this meeting Chairman Lane explained the purpose of the campaign and suggested that it would be greatly appreciated if the Scott County Liberty Loan organization would undertake the raising of Scott county's quota. Mr. Dawson and Mr. Adler, of the Liberty Loan organization, very gladly accepted the opportunity of service and immediately began plans for the conducting of the campaign.
Scott county, as usual, oversubscribed her quota. On April 15, 1919, there had been paid in by Scott county to the state headquarters prac- tically $168,000.
Loyal German-Americans
The attitude toward the war of American citizens of German descent was one of the important elements in the situation in this country during the war years. In Iowa an organization which helped to gather loyal elements together and to clear up much misunderstanding was the German-American Patrictic Association, which February 1, 1918, adopted a platform which declared that "if America should lose in the war, our citizens of German birth would be the greatest losers, because the institutions for which they have dedicated their lives and sought for their children and their children's children would be destroyed."
John C. Orth, of Guthrie Center, Iowa, was made president of the association, and Louis Block, of Davenport, honorary president. Mr. Block, detained at home in court, sent a thrilling patriotic letter to the meeting, which was afterward circulated over the entire country because of its strong appeal to the good sense and patriotism as well as loyalty of all German-American citizens. A pertinent paragraph from this letter was:
"It seems to me that the effort of our organization should be two- fold-first, to help our German-Americans who are inclined to be dis- loyal to see the truth, to know the facts, and to convince them by reason and persuasion of the error of their ways, and second, to make this country simply too hot to hold those who stubbornly stand out against Uncle Sam and will not be convinced by the logic of the facts. For the misinformed, misled, and misguided American citizen of German birth and parantage we can have naught but pity and sympathy and a desire that he should come out of the darkness into the light, but for the German-American citizen who wilfully shuts his eyes to the truth, who persists in believing in the Kaiser's dream of world conquest, and who wants the Kaiser to win simply because he happens to be German, we should have no charity or consideration, but should give him clearly to understand that he is not wanted here and that if he doesn't get out soon we will help him to move in ways that he cannot fail to under- stand."
Mr. Block's letter created a sensation that led to frequent calls upon him for addresses along the line of the sentiments he had expressed.
The Four Minute Men
BY JOHN C. HIGGINS, County Chairman
The Four Minute Men performed a valuable service in Davenport and Scott county during the war.
For some reason or other there was great need for a campaign of education in the county, and in the city of Davenport. Organization of the Davenport branch of the Four Minute Men was effected with com- parative ease, and when the movement took official form the speaking campaigns progressed wonderfully well. It was not until about the first of October, 1917, that the local branch was organized. The Scott County Council of Defense nominated John C. Higgins, lawyer, for the office of chairman of the Scott county branch, and his appointment was confirmed from Washington; before the lapse of ten days the local organization was completed. Some of Davenport's ablest crators vol- unteered, or upon request from the chairman readily offered their services, and before the Scott county branch was officially discharged there were some sixty dependable and regular speakers who did service throughout the campaign.
Some little confusion was occasioned at the outset by a suggestion that the Four Minute Men was to be a volunteer organization, the mem- bers of which were to hold themselves ready for duty upon four minutes' notice; some exceedingly patriotic men who would otherwise eagerly have offered to serve, thought that they were liable to be called to the trenches upon four minutes' notice, and for that reason hesitated; but when explanation was made and the purpose of the organization became apparent, volunteer workers were anxious to serve.
The Four Minute Men was a branch of the Committee on Public In- formation appointed by the President, whose members were commis- sioned as official speakers in behalf of the government to impart official information and facts to the people. The material for the speeches was practically furnished by the Committee on Public Information at Wash- ington. The speakers appeared chiefly before motion picture theatre audiences in every city in the country, and their talks were limited to four minutes each. Later during the war, the scope of the department was enlarged to include ministers, who were commissioned to speak before their congregations on official subjects. The chief service, how- ever, was rendered in motion picture theatres.
In organizing the corps of speakers the chairman is pleased to be able to say that a very limited number of men who were importuned to join the organization refused to serve; one or two, though not de- clining, limited themselves to subjects in connection with the various Liberty Loans. Before the campaign had progressed many months, however, those who had qualified their assent withdrew the qualifica- tion and offered their services whole-heartedly on every subject. Men who had attained prominence on the platform as public speakers,-
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