The Prescott daily news., 1917-12-24
OLD SANTA CLAUS
 GOES ID WAR
News Correspondent Finds Old Santa's Family Busy as Ever Will Be at Peace Again When Prussianism is Wiped Out.

wasn't a sign of life around Santa Gauss big reindeer barn when your correspondent got here about one o'clock this morning.
 That was bit surprising, too. Last year at this time there was a terrible hullabaloo around here. Old Santa himself, and Mrs. Santa and all the little boy and girl Santa Clauses tumb- ling around in the mountains of pres ents, getting them ready for Santa's big sleigh.
 You couldn't see for the life of you how they were ever going to get leverything tied up and loaded and tracing off through the world on sche- dule time, but they did
 This year though, it was all dark and quiet. Stumbling around through the cold, dark lanes among the pres ents your cores pondent found his way to the door of Old Santa's great big barn. It didn't take very long, be- cause somehow there didn't seem to Tbe so many hills of presents as usual, Then the big barn door rolled back in answer to a knock and there stood Santa Claus himself; with lantern in his hand.
 Hello there,' said he in his big, gruff voice, "You here again? Come in"
 What's happened to you all up here? You were as busy as boss and as happy as jay birds this time last year."
 Well" said the old man gravely, putting his lantern down on the barn floor, "the fact is that Santa Claus land has gone to war on the side of the Allies. You may not have heard of it, but I declared war on the Kaiser right after the United States went in. Santa Claus land is on a war footing.
 But let me tell you about it. My going to war is little different from a nation going to war Santa Claus belongs to the whole wide world, and he's not supposed to have any enemies. So 1 want you to explain, when you write your story for the Daily News. that l have gone to war against a THING, and not against any BODY. That THING is KAISERISM and PRUSSIANISM. When that's wiped out I'll be at peace with all the world again.
 "Meantime you mustn't get the idea that I'm going to slight the little Ger man boys and girls. They can't help what's happened and I'm filling orders for their stockings just the same as usual.
 And that" went on Santa Claus. explains the difference you see here this year. We have turned the miles and miles of big sleighbells l used to use on the reindeer over to the men who make the big guns for the Allies. I'll get along this year with just a few little bells for the reindeer to jingle. And there were tons of unnecessary leather in their harness, great chunks of it, and l have sent that in to be made into saddles and brides and belts and shoes for the soldiers.
 "All my family of little Santa Clauses are going to get along with the very simplest presents this year. No expensive toys or things like that. They can have just as good time with things that don't take so much money ard material.
 "The boys and girls and their papas and mammas all over the world, es- pecally in the United States, are not giving a lot of useless, expensive things this year either. That's why you find us with our work all done and gone to bed when ordinarily we would be hard at work.
 Santa yowned behind his hand and picked up his lantern. l suddenly realized that l had been keeping him out of bed all this time when he needed good sleep for his long trip tonight.
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