Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-15


These are good days not 90 place
too much crcdcncc iu rumors Tor we
ought to know by nov that most OF
them. at least those that affect the
nation and it5 war activities, are set
in motion by German propagndists. D.,
We are familiar with numbers of
them. and when we hear them repeat
ed we pay no attention, but it lis the
new ones that arouse us and bei0re
we realize it We are actually ioinins
hands with the enemy and through
our repetition of the canards. are as
sisting in weakening the fabric OF
American efficiency and determination.
We have heard OF the report that
there were persons I'm the Red Cross
work who were proGtiHg through the
sale Of articles knitted by the patr.-
otto women for the comfort OF the boys
I'm the army We have heard that
many of the troop ships euroute to-
Europe have been sunk and that the
government was withhoIdinsaihc news
from us: that disease had broken in
epidemical form at the cant0nmentst
thai the moral conditions among the
troops abroad were terrible. SO bad
that representatives Of the Young
Mems Christian association, after OBJ
seryatious, had hurried 10 this country
TO warn that corrective measures must
be Immediately initiated no save the
army, not from the bullets OF the en-
envy but from the raYdggs oil disease.
You may well imagine the Oppressive
effect these stories have upon the
fathers and mothers who have given
over their sons TO their government
10 sacrifice their lives If need be that
X their homeland might be protected
against the violations of the BocChe
But, happily, there has not been the
slightest foundation for any of these
runners, though there are people who
net is il they still believed some Of
them.
For weeks there have been whisper
ings that MIR Tumulty. secretary tc
President Wilson, had fallen from
grace One report was 10 the effect
that finally il had been established
that it was through him that the ten
sational leak Of several months az.
which caused an upheayal I'm the s'oct
market occurred Another was thai
he had been ia the employ OF the Ger
man government as q spy and haC
been lined up before n firing squad
but that the news had been suppress
ed Still another was that he had beer
sentenced TO life in Fort Leayenwortl
4 federal prison ANY informed person
, would not have given the slightes
heed TO such gossip. Only few day.
ago the papers announced that tn
president and his secretary journeye,
together TO New Jersey to cast thei
votes in an election there Mr. tn
multy has been associated with Mr.
Wilson fOr upwards of fifteen years
There have been repeated attempts
for various reasons and inspired b.
different sources, to diScredit him Wit
the president, but the latter has neyo
had his faith in his loyalty shaken.
VI Mr. Tumulty would have preferre
10 have ignored the reports iuvOlyin
his name. expecting in time they woul
wear themselves out. but instead the
became, so persistent That his friend
over the country began wiring III
White house, and he felt he owed it {
his country as we'll as 10 himself an
the president TO enter a formal denia
This he has done through the news
papers.
So il bshooves all OF us 10 take wit
u grain of salt anything we hear thg
has discouraging sound We kno'
the source Of all the stories that hav
been spread thus far. More viii 2
started from the same poison fountain
" Our proper attitBde is to give no hee
10 them and to trust the governmel
TO keen us posted on all importai
happenings, no matter whether u
news be good or grave. The govern
ment has made this promise to Il
public, and that should he assuranC
enough that there isn't anything goi1
10 happen here or In Europe that v
are not to be told about by Washing
n ton OF course the censor Will no
" mp the landing date or place OF a troC
ship, or other announcements tai
might be helpful TO the enemy, b
the things that we are entitled TO kno
about will be told. such as deaths
the trenches, loss of ships, etc. AIS
had Mr. Tumulty been arrested as
spy you would have known about a..