The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-09-12

(By N. A. Jennings of The Viligantes.) }
Just as the German snies and

a6oHIS SoWeu the SeedS OF dlScOnten
and treason among the Russian sol
diers IN Galicia, persuading them tha
1t was useless to fight for their nev
!; republic and that the best way t,
obtain peace was to throw away thei
arms and refuse to go into battle, 81
here in the United States enemies O
this country, organized as peace" so
cieties. are striving with might ant
main to undermine the newly form
ed military system brought into ex
istence to fight Germany.
There are many of these organiza
tions Of professional paciists, social
lists. conscientious objectors," ant
plain everyday towards, and they arr
working hard for recruits. Tho
principal one is the Peoples Council
for Democracy and Peace, whose
main object is to work for the re-
peal Of the conscription laws" and Sc
disorganize and bring to naught tn.
American army raised under the Sc
lective draft system.
The Council does not want to wal
until after the. war to do this; i
wants to do it now, so that no mer
in that army need go and fight TO,
their country. 1t wants to leave
the United States precisely wher.
1t was when war was declared against
Germany with skeleton arm,
wholly powerless % be a factor in tho
great world war for democracy.
With this avowed purpose in view
the Peoples Council is daily sendin
out appeals to all the towards in tho
country-and they are not so few a.
to be negligible-to join the organ.
ization and to send money to furthe,
the seditiouss work. Already thu
Council claims to have a member.
ship of 100000 men and women
and probably it has. There are
quite that number of Prussian sym.
pathizers within the boundaries OF
the United States. The Peoples
Council claims to have 100000 work.
ing people in New York City alone
affiliated with it, but that is probabl,
an exaggeration.
The American Federation Of Labo,
and the Central Federated Union
two of the most powerful labor or.
ganizations in the country, have TAX.
en- drastic steps to rid these organi-
cations of German spies known tc
have been operating on the Eas
Side in New York in an effort to fos
ter anti-conscription riots under the
guise of freedom and democracy.
Samuel Gompers. president of tn
American Federation Of Labor; Franz
Morrison, its secretary, and Ernes,
Bohm. secretary of the Central Fed.
Grated Union have declared their
belief that the trouble is being TO
mented largely through the Peo.
ple's Council for Peace and Democ.
racy. and a movement will be inau.
gurated shortly and carried through
to rid the decent patriotic labor or.
CARNATIONS of all German sympa
thizers and professional pacifsts.
But the Peoples Council and kin.
dred organizations are growing rap
idly. They are sending agent.
throughout the United States, calling
meetings in many cities, doing wha
they can to spread discomfort, oppo.
sition to our war against Germany
distrust of the president and con.
gress, every insidious form of sedi.
ton which under the present law
of the United States may be under.
taken without danger of Jail sen.
tences. Pacifist lawyers have bee,
retained all over the country to de
fend these friends of Germany when.
ever they get in trouble with the au.
thorities.
| They are the friends of Germany
because they are the enemies of tn
United States.
| In other countries at war thes,
persons would be dealt with in shor,
order; here their distorted ideas OF
what constitutes liberty and free
speech are passed over by a benign
government which perhaps does no
yet realize the full extent of their
Vaccinations for the undoing of the
nation. While the government i.
seeking out the hidden German
spies. these pacif1st organization.
are working along the same lines a.
the spies. but so openly as apparent
ly to disarm suspicion.
Isn't 1t about time that congress.