The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1917-09-14
SENDING LETTERS
TO men At FRONT
Government Issues Instructions
For Relations and Friends.
CENSORSHIP WILL Be LAX

Put Down the Soldiers Name and Rank
on the First Line, His Company and
Regiment on tho Next and "Amsriean
Expsditionary Force" on Next and
Uncle Sam Will Do the Rest.
Close cooperation between the war
and postofice departments In bringing
rapidly into operation system where
by the parents and other relatives of
soldiers are going to be able to keep
in close touch by mail with those in the
trenches in France.
Already there has been establish
ed at General Pershing's headquarters
''somewhere along the western front"
complete American postoftice station,
differed and manned by trained postal
officials and employees taken from New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and 9th.
er large cities III the United States.
These postal experts were quietly ship
ped to Europe on one Of the transports,
and they are rapidly getting their Of
fees there organized.
AT an, Atlantic port" of the United
States that happens to serve as the
port of embarkati"n for troops going
to France there is another special
branch postoGlce being organized and
developed to handle the mail at this
end Of the line.
Mailing Made Easy.
So complete is the organization be-
Ing carried out that even now If ANY
body wishes to send q letter to SOL
der In the American expeditionary
forces all he has to do is to sit down
and address the envelope in Plain Eng.
llsh and according to the following d.
rections:
Put down the soldiers nume and
rank on the first line, his company and
regiment on the next and the words
~American, Expeditionary Force Oh
the next It is not even necessary or
advisable to put the designation
France"
This done, attach the same amount
Of postage that you would use on do
nestle mail. Wherever the American
army may be it gets its mail at do
mestic rates. The government sees to
that. The government will also see to
It that the letter or the newspaper OF
magazine so addressed and dropped in
the nearest mail box gets to its destina~
ton In the shortest possible time. If
shipping space can be found In suff.
cient quantity the postOfflce depart
ment hopes soon to include special ar.
rangements for the handling Of parcel
post mail to be sent to the soldiers. at
the front.
w. Censorship to 30 Lax.
Unlike the stricter policy attempted
at the outset Of the war by the armies
Of Europe, it is not the present inten-
ton Of the war department to restrict
the communications sent home by SOL
diers to printed cards containing Ste
reotyped phrases which the soldiers
can strike out or leave in as they suit
their particular state of physical well
being. 1t is felt that this would in
volve too harsh a regulation for the
parents and wives of men, at the front.
Consequently the only regulation that
will be attempted over the correspond
cnce will be the regular censorship at
each regimental headquarters, through
e. which all mail sent out by the soldiers
must pass.
At this point the war department In
tends shortly to issue warning and
4 plea to American newspapers not to
print, without careful regard to posi-
bic harm that might be done, letters
from soldiers bearing the phrase pass
ID by the censor" Such censoring.
which will be administered with the
utmost liberal regard for the private
character of the correspondence. will
not be as strict as the censorship over
press matter Therefore the papers of
the country will be asked t" exercise
the greatest possible care about letters
which might be submitted to them for
publication by proud parents or friends.