McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1917-08-17
Letter From New York
State Fire Prevention Commissioner

| Ho eAouiptiOu DUdruS are UdTu dl
work here sitting out the men wht
are to form our new army Of Europe
an defense. Into thousands of homes
came the unwelcome envelope telling
some son or brother that he had beer
drawn for the great army, and multi.
tudes of them are trying to be ex,
cused Most of them claim to have
some one, mostly young wife anC
babies, dependent upon them. One
fellow here tried that and told his
wife about it. She told him to &c
right back and waive the exemption
or she would leave him at once; that
she could take care of herself while
he was taking care Of the country
and its defense. OF all the cowardly
"slackers" the worst were those who
swarmed to the city hall with their
would-be brides and married to try to
escape service, but word came from
Washington that that would not let
them off, and instead of 500 couples
day lining up to be married, there
were not half so many applied a little
later. The women were warned that
they might be punished for aiding
men to evade military duty, and now
it is good deal harder for young
chap to get girl to say yes" to the
tender proposal.
Enough native young Americans
are trying to beg off, but the Russian
Jews. commonly known here as
"kikes', take the palm for that sort
of business. In some of the East
Side Jewish quarters, where there are
more Hebrews than in all of Pales-
tine, not more than ten per cent. of
those waived exemption who were
called. The most of the "kikes" are
poorly built anyhow, and with such
cowardice as some of them show,
what good would they be at the front?
1t would take two good husky soldiers
to hold one of them straight while he
was firing. 1t need not be thought
that all Jews are slackers or towards.
They sometimes rise to heights of
bravery that would make Christian
ashamed.
The East Side is infested with So
cialists and Anarchists, among whom
are many Jews from Russia. Many
of these pestiferous creatures found
their way back to Russia when the
new government there sent for all the
Russian political exiles to return.
They went back to Russia and told
their fellow-Russians that America
went into this war only for gain, and
that they should not oppose the Ger
man army, but let it sweep on into
Russia and help whip the Americans.
| have attended tle meetings of these
loud-mouthed European Socialists and
heard their rantiDgs. If things were
at once changed to their method,
they would Immediately turn around
and want things some other way.
They will never be suited this side of
the Internal regions. If we could get
rid Of them we would be better off.
They have been opposing the war,
and are now opposing the draft, and
soon will be opposing our fighting
men who are to attack Germany at
the front. German money or infiu-
ence is largely at the bottom Of
this peace" movement.
1t is sickening to see these for.
eigners, who have come here and
prospered as they would have done
nowhere else in the whole world, ly-
ing down and trying to get some one
else to defend this land for their ben.
eft. Thousands of them run deli
catessen" or fancy grocery stores. oil
liquor saloons here, regular parasite;
on the public, making nothing except
fattening on the people by handling
things and passing them on to the
consumer at three or four prices
Some of them kave been here thirt,
years and never become citizens.
want to see practically every foreign
er made to take out his papers by tht
time he is here five years, and if a
that time he is still an alien, sent
him out. 1t is refreshing, however
to see how patriotic many Italian