The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-12-11

reproduce the following paragraphs /
bearing on that subject:
1T will in effect be a new national |
guard, composed of men who have had |
previous military service and are in |
eligible to service abroad on account |
of age. or because of the rigidity of |
the medical examination.
The purpose of this organization Is |
to protect property against the sedi- |
tious and the unpatriotic pro-German |
element in this country. The advant- |
ages of this sort of military organi- |
cation over any other suggested is OBJ |
vious. 1t will be directly under or
ders of the nation. 1t will be COM |
posed of men taught to obey and to
carry out orders, who will not go off
on a tangent, but who will shoot If
commanded to do so.
"All such work should be done by
responsible men under regular author
ity. The nation can then cooperate
with the local authorities and will
have behind it the whole power of
the nation"
THE enforcement of the anti-spy
provisions of the federal statutes and
the laws violated by the 1. W. w. has
been difficult because of the conflict
ing authorities of the men engaged in
their suppression. The work is being
systematized now, and the new organ
ization will make it especially effec-
tive
when the war started. the first
thing necessary was to get the army
and navy into fighting shape. At that
time every branch of the peace en-
forcement service of the nation, state
and local community, was proceeding
in it's own way without regard to the
others. The time has now come when
system can take the place OF chaos
and when a regular force of trained
men under orders from the national
government can be organized to stand
behind all peace officers and help
them enforce the law of the land
against the enemy at home.
On the above score it might be re-
marked that when, less than two
months ago, the plan for co-ordina-
ton between the different branches
of the federal service were worked
out, it was found that there were no
less than seven distinct branches OF
the United States Secret Service I'M
der new federal laws, to look out for
the seditious and that up to that time,
their work in this regard had over
Tapped in a manner that was contus-
ing and inefficient. Singularly enough
this very fact was a tribute to their
organizations for the purposes for
which they were originally intended.
Each had a special line, and as they
they found themselves confused when
thrown in with others in hunting down
the reasonable. Immediate, effective
cooperation was impossible. This
was unfortunate, but the trouble is
now largely eliminated, and the ma
chinery will work more perfectly as
time goes on, so that the pro-German
army at home" will, we believe, be
be speedily brought to book, especial
! ly with the aid of the council OF de
Tense now being perfected and the
new national guard now being organ
lied.
The reason for the fact that SC
many branches were working indie
pendently is to be found in the or
ders given for each of the independent
special lines to get busy in the spy
hunt. At that, the things accomplish
ed by our secret service since the
trouble arose has the marvel of the
world. They have discovered inside
secrets of the German foreign office
which the trained spies of Europe ut
terly failed to fathom. In fact all
the sensational discoveries of this
kind since the war began have been
made by our men.
fold character. On one hand there
! were laws and orders issued having
to do with alien enemies.
The annual report of Attorney Gen
eral Gregory given to the public yes
terday contains an explanation of the
attitude of the legal department relat-
ing to slackers on page IA, as follows
'In regard to prosecutions for fail
ure to register, the department early
adopted the attitude of dealing lenient-
| ly with all those who thereafter show
ed a willingness to register, and ex-
tended the locus penitentia as far as
possible. believing that it was more
important to get the eligibles into the
army than into Jail. The result was
that the ultimate opposition to the
draft by those liable was surprisingly
small, considering the persistent prop
uganda carried on against the policy
of the law and it's constitutionality
In cases where the defendants could
not be persuaded to register every eff
fort was made to expedite the hearing
of their cases so that they might be
registered on conviction before the
draft was completed"
The general policy of the govern
ment was therefore to get as many
into the army as possible and not &C
prosecute those who had been misled
by others into an unpatriotic attitude
where they subsequently showed q
disposition to repent their action. That
some of the federal officials carried
this leniency to reprehensible lengths
is undoubted
q. Efforts to enforce the provisions OF
such measures against American cit
liens who were guilty of seditiouS OF
reasonable conduct proved wholly flu
tile since the law did not reach them
AS early as May, 1916, Attorney Gen
eral Gregory sought legislation from
congress covering offenses of Ameri-