The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1918-06-06
AMERICAN MORALE
ASSA|LED BY HUNS
Insidiously and Cunningly German
Propaganda is Scattered-Nurses
Of the Red Cross Targets for
TeutOn Slander-British
Cover nment Lied About
And Pacific Coast Jap
anese Are Traduced
(By Harvey O'Higgins, Associate
Chairman Committee on Public
Information)


Imperial German is not merely at
tacking on the western front She is
attacking in every community in the
United States.
Her assault is under The direction
of the German general staff 1t has
been prepared as carefully as the
strategy and tactics of military
drive. AS in Russia and in Italy, so
here also campaign of German
propaganda-a gas attack of poison
Gus lies and rumors and false reports
has been launched successfully,
and is now under way.
The collapse of Russia was not
victory for German arms. 1t was
triumph of German propaganda. And
the defeat of the Italian armies was
achieved only after German agents,
working with rumors, ISLANDERS, coun-
terfeit newspapers forged letters and
all the other weapons of German
treachery, had opened an impregnable
Italian position to the successful as
Sault of an inferior German force.
America is now the strongest enc
my that Germany has. A weakening
of our public morale is as necessary
to German success as the weakening
of Russia was. And tie attempt to
weaken has already developed two
main lines of movement. The first
aims to destroy our unity of action
with our allies by setting us against
the French and the British and the
Japanese. The second proposes to
destroy our domestic unity by en-
couraging among us every sort of
class dissension, religious difference,
racial prejudice and political quar-
rel.
The officials of the Red Cross re-
port that many loyal mothers are re-
fusing to let their daughters volun-
terri as nurses in France because of
rumors of immoral conditions there.
A detailed story has been circulated
to the effect that 200 Red Cross
nurses have recently been returned
on transport from abroad and Sc
cretly removed to maternity hospt-
ais here as patients. There is not a
word of truth in the story. 1t has
been investigated by a federal grand
jury in New York City and found to
be false. German sympathizers
caught circulating it have been in
termed. The nurses in service in our
hospitals in France have the same dis
cipline and protection that they have
here-and need it as little The story
has been invented to hammer the
work of the Red Cross and to preiu-
die" us against our French allies
A similar aim is evident in the re-
ports of drunkenness and immortality
anon" our forces at the front. These
charges, most crcumstantially made
were even taken up by the national
leaders of our prohibition societies
and purity leagues, and an appeal
was sent out to readers of the reli-
gious press asking them to protest
to President Wilson. The number of
these protests showed the success of
the slander.
AS matter of fact, no liquor ra-
ton is served to our troops either
here or abroad. No army canteen
sells alcoholic liquors. By Gen. Per-
Shing's order our soldiers in France
are forbidden ''ether to buy or to ac-
cept as gifts from the inhabitants"
any "alcoholic beverages other than
light wine or beer" AS there is
little beer sold in France Gen. Per-
shing reports: "Men who drink are
thus limited to the light native wine
used by all French people. Even this
is discouraged among our troops in
every possible way. l hope to secure
the cooperation of the French gov
ernment to prevent the sale of all
liquors and wines to our troops. Per-
sonally, I favor prohibition in the
army, but it is impracticable and in
advisable to issue orders that cannot
be enfocer without the cooperation
Of the French government"
4 Slandering Our Soldiers
The charge of drunkenness among
our expeditionary forces is pro-
German lie designed to alarm the
mothers and fathers of the boys who
have gone to France. The stories Of
immortality consequent upon drunk
kenness are equally baselass.
When the recruits for the national
army were first assembled in our
cantonments, the medical examiners
sent as many as 400 out of every