Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1917-07-27

to recognize our fellow citizens Of Ger
man blood as Americans. OF course,
the call Of the fatherland is felt We
cannot expect man Of German ances-
try. to forget his forefathers or entirely
subjugate his natural feelings. +
''What we want from our citizens Of
German blood is cooperation. We
can't get 1t by abusing them. II we
keep on as we are going we are certain
to build up disturbance within our
borders which win interfere with the
operation OF our armies across the At
lantic. Internal differences will be as
disastrous to us as reverses In France
or wherever our armies are sent 30
81 don't know how many German
spies there are In the United States. l
do know that Germany has very in.
telligent and efficient department Of in
formation. But in SO far as anything
We are doing is concerned, the veriest
fathead could post himself intimately.
We have no military secrets. Our pub
lie documents and the Congressional
Record are open to anybody. Our mill
tary system is elastic, and we change
so often that no foreign secret service
can keep efficient tab OF us.
"Of course it is necessary to protect
from the knowledge Of the enemy the
movements Of our forces. II we can't
take care of that we might as well
throw up our hands. But to carry out
this design 1t is not necessary to brand
publicly all our citizens Of German
blood as disloyal. It seems to me that
we should bend our energies rather to-
ward stiffening their adhesion to the
Stars and Stripes than toward forcing
them to sympathize with their mother
country through innuendo. accusation
or ridicule."
These remarks led to an Investigation
Of the loyalty Of the American citizens
Of German blood as applied to the army
Here ane some figures to think about:
Many Are Of German Blood.
First-Approximately 80 IS per cent
Of the strength Of our army In enlisted
men is Of German blood.
Second.-Of the 5000 or more COM
missioned officers in our army-the
latest lists are not complete close to
10 per cent are Of German blood.
Third. Our new selective draft army
will be made up Of more than IS per
cent Of citizens Of German ancestry.
Fourth.-Figures at hand In the war
department show that since the decla-
ration by the United States of war
against Germany between % and 80
per cent Of the men who have enlisted
are of German ancestry.
Fifth.-In the operations thus far at
tempted men of German blood in high
places in the United States army have
been among the most efficient and In
itiative factors.
Sixth.-Since the declaratio Of war
not a commissioned oncer OF German
descent In the United States army has
resigned, whereas at the beginning Of
the civil war about 50 per cent Of the
officers Of the federal army resigned to
follow Robert e. Lee and the call OF
their blood and principles. ,sfze
Southern camps Best.
Major General GOrgas, surgeon gen
eral of. the army, expressed strong ap-
proval Of the selection Of sites in the
south for the army cantohments. Cen
eral Gorgas said:
1.-The outstanding fact Is that men
trained In the south will have weather
conditions permitting their being out OF
doors practically all Of every day. In
certain regions wisely chosen for our
national guard camps rain is scarce In
the winter-when the heaviest training
will be done-and at night soldiers will
sleep in quarters where there is free
air circulation. Plenty of fresh air all
the time means that any germs which
may be about are kept on the move
and are given slight chance to increase.
Fresh air and health are Synonymous
in military as well as in civil life.
1.-THE few weeks Of summer weather
which soldiers in the south may en-
counter will be more than Offset by the
long autumn and mild winter during
which the troops will undergo the
larger part Of their training"