The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-04-26
Which Is More Important, Conservation
OF Food or of Our Sons?

Yocate, SAYS:
The telegram sent by the editor 10
the president of the United States,
which is given above, contained an
intimation Of the facts which are Civ
ing the parents of the country more
concern just now than the fear Of
the death toll OF battle on land and
sea
our country has gone into this war
Tor what we believe To be the best
interests of mankind, and not for any
sordid or material motive We must
not in fighting for this high purpose
ignore or neglect the welfare OF our
sons, who are to be called out from
our homes to serve In the army and
navy. Tho government owes it to
the parents and their sons. who are
making this great sacrifice. and to
tho future health and strength of our
own country 10 protect our soldiers
from physical and moral degradation.
Drink and Disease.
The writer has talked with many
parents ia the last few weeks, and
they have all been dreadlng the war.
because Of the great dangers, which
confront every young man in the
tralnlng camps. During the first
eighteen months of the war in Flu
clareS that one of the great powers
mad more men incapacitated by vene-
real diseases contracted in the mo-
oilization camps. than in all the fight
ing at the front \ gentleman told
the writer that one Of his friends in
England, who was in a position to be
obliged TO know, said that strong
drink and vepercal diseases were the
plaques OF the army, and had brought
permanent physical and apparently.
moral ruin to multitudes of men who
had escaped wound and death in
battle.
Facts Not Generally known.
me general public does not get the
facts concerning the evils of the camp
iite. IT they were published fully
there would be a verita BILE storm of
Indignation against the system which
takes our sons from our homes, drills
mem TO fight the organized enemies
OF the country. and meanwhile allows
them TO fall prey Ia the covetops-
ness and greed OF the saioonkeeper
ana the harlot
Great stress is laid upon perfect
sanitation. uncoutaminated water sup
ply and good food and daily exercise.
But the same system which empha-
sizes these things permits the same
men to be contaminated and In many
cases To he infected for life with dis
eases which arc a foul blight upon
the victims and upon his wife and
future children. If he should marry.
There is no question as To the truth
OF these statements. Those who were
acquainted with conditions prevailing
near tho camps at the time Of the
war with Spain and with conditions
prevailing near tho camps on me
Mexican border are speaking orally
and in print as plainly as they can
Of the awful facts. In a recent ta,eet-
ing of social reform workers, one of
the most efficient and experienced wo-
men workers among the men In the
army and navy said that in one Of
the large cities on the Mexican Dor
der where there were about so, 900
troops stationed there had been built
a system Of crib or bunk houses cover
ing several acres, for especial accom-
inodation Of the soldier trade one
81 the military medical officers or
nigh rank, trying TO show that prosti-
tuition was really quite limited, is re-
ported by Or. Exner in his article
on tho subject, TO have said "a do
not believe that there are more than
800 prostitutes in this city"
DR. EXner talked with some OF the
women. and they admitted that from
fifty 10 seventy-t1ve soldiers visited
each one OF them every night, and
DV, EXner stated that from moon TIL
early morn soldiers in great numbers
We're found in these districts, and In
the evening they were thronged, and
before many Of the crib doors soldiers
stood in line The testimony of rep
utable physicians. who treated both
the women and the soldiers proves
that hnrrihl,- {r,
the cribs and men in similar condi-
ton frequent them.
Mock Modesty a Crime.
Such facts are so horrible that one
hesitates to print them. But there is
something worse than the printing Of
awful facts, and that is the mock
modesty which is willing to allow our
sons TO be sacrificed because of false
sense Of propriety. The government
first proposed that boys under age
should be required to enlist This
editor protested against that policy
as unjust, and was Joined by many
others in that protest. The probabil-
ity is that the age limit Will be raised
to twenty one. but even then the
flower of our Young manhood is 10 he
called to the military camps.
Protection "a Patriotic Duty.
This paper demands in the name of
common des'cncy. in the name of the
Christian mothers and fathers Of the
nation. in the name of our pure young
women who arc to he the wives OF
these young men and the mothers Of
their children, In the name of the
young men themselves, whose future
happiness as husbands aud fathers is
al stake. and the destiny of whose
immortal souls hangs I'm the balance
In the name of The future children of
oar nation. who have the right to he
born free from disease. and finally In
the name of the honor of our COun-
try. which should protect the health.
the lives. and tn cmorais of the young
men committed to its care. this papcr
demands dat the president and the
congress Of the United States, who as
the representatives of our people have
declared war and have called Our sons
to battle. shall protect our sons not
only from the evils Of bad food, i'm
pure water, and improper sanitation.
but also from the saloon and the
harlot.
In discussing this question with the
editor a prominent official at Wash
ington said he recognized the truth
Of the argument, but he declared he
was opposed to placing any restric-
lions upon the life of the soldiers
which would cause dissatisfaction and
make them unwilling to enlist or. to
remain in the army. AS that official
was an advocate of CONSUMPTION the
writer insisted that If tho ypyerp ~, ont