The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-12-14

concerning u positions he is to ar
swer that he has heard the Germai
artillery firing a great deal behind tn
lines, but how Is he to know where tn
guns are? In short, he is not to lie
but to answer, for it is useless to tr,
to deceive the French they will worl
the truth out of him somehow, if the,
once catch him telling a falsehood, ant
SO begin to suspect him. Such, Al
least, Is the colonel's opinion.
A notebook captured on a soldier Oh
the Twenty-fourth infantry INDUCES in
somewhat bitter epigrams at the ex-
pense OF the Pr%ussians, who, he says,
have 'big mouths" (das crosse Maul),
whereas the Bavarians have 'big
fists" ut is they (the Prussians) who
do the talking, but we (the Bavarians)
do the fighting"
Germany Picks Over Battlefield.
Practically the whole German army
on the front is now being employed,
off and on, at the task Of r%agpicking
the battlefield. So short of every kind
Of supplies is Germany becoming and
so careful and economical is the Ger
man organization that the military au-
thorities are at present trying to save
practically everything-rags of cloth
Ing, old boots, shell and cartridge
cases, iron fragments, even pieces Of
barbed wire. These orders were first
given in July. They were repeated in
September, with the addition that ever
the reserve being held for the execu-
ton of counter-attacks were to be uti-
liked for this work.
There are also especial salvage COM
panies which can be called at my time
to exploit q particularly fertile field OF
debris. Premiums are paid the men
in accordance with the value of what
they turn in. There was difficulty
over this question at one time, as it
was found that men of the supply serv-
ice were stealing fresh cases of car
tridges and other material, and pre-
senting 1t, after a mud bath, to the
salvage officers for the sake of OBJ
the small sums of money
awarded; but measures have since
been taken, l am told, to render this
Kind of graft difficult, if not impossi-
Die.
Officers Instruct Soldiers.
In order to keep up the morale of
he German troops, which seems to be
n the wane, the German military au-
have established a special
ervice of "Wohlfahrts Ofiziere," or
officers. Their mission is
0 reply to all questions the men de-
ire to ask concerning the war, or con-
erning the resumption of business aft .
the war. According to a secret doc r
captured by the French, these :,
at present are to advise the u
len to read various official publica- d
ons and a selection of war literature. y
hey are to make the men understand R
le necessity Of continuing the war ia
It'll the allies "have given up their iii
cas- of conquest" until Germany h,
treasured as to its economic fu-
One of these officers seems to be a -
rtoin canto,n Ioohnar .ua lie
pan-German lectures in the hos IT
the socialist papers of Mainz 81
-ely have been complaining After GU
e Of his lectures the captain dis otl
buted leaflets to the helpless pa
ntS, which read as follows:
Il declare to be an enemy and trail
to the country he who emits -
ubts concerning our victory; says -
blicly that Germany has wronged III
. enemies declares himself publicly Clio
the status quo ante; says he is a rel
-tisan of a compromise with Eng to
ID or a premature peace; commits the
approves acts of q nature to spare too
enemies and to sacrifice our COM 9TH
riots; favors tendencies hostile to -,
country either in the occupied re- :,
rs or in the interior, or combats 'ou
stiles pan-German tendencies; ex- pos
nges sympathies with citizens Of lste
nrl1es which are nor frank,v 8 fro
ndS; does not use all his infu-
If he is In a responsible position, I,
stop evident abuses; exploits the dict
and the general need to get rich -
expense of his country and his
citizens, and shows weakness. @
or lack of character in IBID
ssponsible situation" witt