The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-11-23

ROLL TO BE
LOOKED OVER
List of Persons Who Refused
To Sign Food Cards Kept
For Reference.

INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 23.--The In
diana State Council of Defense author
ICES the following: One useful result
of a house-to-house canvass for signers
to the Hoover Food administration pa
triotic pledge cards developed at Rich
mond where the Wayne County Coun-
Gil Of Defense has on file a list Of per-
sons who refused to sign the pledge
cards
This index Of disloyalty is not ex-
stensive. but it gives the Defense
Council data and information on which
to work to induce slackers to become
Americans in war service.
On the card giving information as
to the disloyal action of one Richmond
woman is the memorandum: Refused.
Did not want to have anything to do
with Wilson, nor with anyone who
helped him"
Fought For Her Too.
This amazingly narrow and unintelli-
gent view loses sight of the vital fact
that the war is being fought as much
for that blind and foolish woman as
for any other human being within the
compass of civilization and liberty. 1t
further disregards the fact President
Wilson is comnander-in-chief of the
army and navy and entitled to the sup
port of every loyal citizen. War work
is not in support of any person, but
is simple matter Of upholding the
American flag in just cause.
Another Richmond woman who de-
clined to sign the loyal service pledge
card is the mother of an army officer
now doing his bit. This woman ap-
parently has been be-fooled by pro-
German falsehoods as to the food
pledge and its purpose.
One school teacher is reported
among those missing from the roster
of Americanism. No teacher who is
so disloyal as to act the Stacker; no
teacher who is so uninformed as to be
misled by enemy agencies into treas
enable folly is fit to be put in charge
of the training of American children
A Richmond newspaper tells Of a
| minister in that city who is reported
to have taken the position that the
person who declined to join the pa
triotic food movement in the war
/ emergency was acting entirely within
/ his rights This preacher is reported
/ to have said that an attempt to en-
| force the food control law would be
| "un-American."
Needs to Be Taught.
!, This minister needs to be instructed
as to the real meaning of the term
"un-American" as that expression is
understood by Americans bent on saw
/ ing America from the arch foe OF
liberty
Still another report tells of a Wayne
county woman who carried Hoover
pledge cards to her neighborhood to
be signed, but who Immediately return,
ed the cards, unsigned, when the Fed
eral Government fixed wheat price
| slightly below the market price OF
wheat at the moment. In this case
pure selfishness ruled predominant
| over loyalty to country.
| Some members of the Friends
| church in Wayne county signed the
Hoover pledge cards but marked out
part of the pledge and entirely robbed
the pledge of meaning. This small
contingent of "mutilated patriotism
is the laughing stock of the state.
An immense majority of citizens
readily signed the pledge cards, &C
cording to Miss NJ. E. B. Culbertson
secretary Of the Wayne County Coun
Gil of Defense. Many refused to sigr
because they were "mulish" and not
because of any real lack of patriotism
Lack of information and the activity
of pro-Teuton propaganda working
through "1ackwit gossip" and garru
lous credulity, are responsible fol
most Of the slackers and apparent dis
loyalty The Council of Defense has
asked the Federal authorities to hek
stamp out the enemy agencies which
are secretly at work.