The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-10-27
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.

Pull the Fangs Of the Traitors
Disloyalty is of two kinds. One kind declares
itself in public speech and open act against the
government. The other cloaks itself in insidi-
Gus argument and connives under cover with the
enemy's agents.
Edward Pietsch, son of professor of romance
languages at the University of Chicago, declared
publicly:
IF got chance I'd stick a knife in the
Presidents back"
Federal authoritise clapped him into Jail with
out delay. This is an example of brazen disloy-
atty and of quick reprisal by federal agents.
Sixty-three Oklahoma farmers conspiring to-
resist the CONSUMPTION law, advised men of the
draft age not to report, fired bridges and shot at
officers. Yesterday they pleaded guilty to the
charge in federal court. This is an example of
a disloyal act and of its punishment.
The government has no trouble in detecting
and furnishing overt acts and REASONABLE utter
ances that are made publicly. AS soon loyal
citizens report the incidents, the machinery of
the federal government acts with dispatch and
decision.
If all disloyal men were above board and open
in the expression of their disloyal views our
country could quickly gather in the traitors,
fine them in detention camps or put them to hard
work in our penitentiaries. The solution of the
problem would be childs play.
The government, however is confronted with
the infinitely more complicated task Of detecting
and furnishing the traitor who masks himself as
a patriot while he executes his nefarious designs
We have an example of this manifestation of
disloyalty in the men who on public platform, in
private conversation, through the press seek to
create the impression that the United States
should not have entered this war.
That Great Britain was the aggressor.
That we were duped by the Entente Allies.
That our boys are starving in France.
That the Liberty Loan bonds will not be
worth one-fourth their value in twelve months.
That Germany will defeat the United States.
That Great Britain is sick and tired of war,
and that majority of her citizens wish for peace
at any price.
That it is wrong for our young men to obey
the draft law
Isn't this furthering the cause of Prussianism
in our land? Aren't these men conniving with
the Kaisers agents to foment unrest, discord and
dissatisfaction? Are these yelled attacks worse
in essence and principle than the planting of
bombs in our warships and the destruction of our
factories by fire and dynamite?
Isn't the motive the same? Isn't that the pur-
pose of every secret service man Of the Imperial
German Government, stationed in the United
States?
Long before we plunged into the war, the
Kaiser banked on the support of certain men in
the United States to cause INSTRUMENTATION and
disloyalty, and to assist him by the dissemnina-
ton of such views.
The American people have been too tolerant in
their attitude toward these nsidious traitors
The time is here when their activities must be re-
ported to the government. Every patriot must
look upon himself guardian of the safety OF
republic, and he must believe it his persona
duty to report seditious sentiments This is the
only way in which the government can stamp out
the menace.
Relentless publicity and exposure must quick
y follow efforts to spread disloyalty. In Kansas
City. Mo-, the patriots even believe that the
names of persons who refuse to buy Liberty
Bonds should be made public. The Kansas City