American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-09-03

on a serious business-the most ser
pie on this globe. The business in
volve morse lives than ever hung in
the balance before.
Then, with the millions involved,
what difference does it make if the
devoted mother and father at home,
who have given up a son, know where
that son is. and the home paper be it
large or small, prints an item, telling
the neighbors about it? Why deprive
them of the crumb of comfort that
comes with knowledge?
Let us suppose the son belongs to
a certain regiment, and that a certain
paper reports him well OF otherwise,
at a given point.
Surely no harm in that! But isn't
there?
Suppose up to this time the Ger
mans had not known that the regi-
ment was at hat given point. The
paper finds its way to the Mexican
border, or to some South American
point, then to Spain; then 1t is easy
so far as getting to Switzerland goes.
The item is 10 picked out of this
paper there, and Immediately German
army officials know another regiment
has been added; they know where it
is located and provide accordingly
with a cost of lives to America and
her allies.
Suppose Germany believed that On
ly one brigade was at a given point,
and the clipping experts should find
in a paper that one man of the 9th was
hurt there; in another paper that an
other man of the 10th was hurt there;
in another that another man of the
27th was hurt there. These clippings
are brought together, and Immediately
Germany knows there are at least
three brigades there instead of one,
and provides accordingly, eventually
costing the lives of some of the men.
Remote! Would you say?
Not at all. Germany hasn't these
hundreds of men combing the papers
of the allied countries for nothing.
Many a life has paid the penalty of
well-meant and seemingly harmless
newspaper items.
And we are likely to complain be-
cause our sons cannot send home
information as to their whereabouts
and doings. They need the backing
and encouragement of the home folk,
and to keep up our spirit and enthu-
siasm we should be told more, is the
plea.
Yes, ours is a hardship. the hard
ship Of uncertainty, but the sons are
the mes who suffer the real hard
ships. whose lives are at stake. and
should we add to their danger that We
might bring to ourselves greater peace
of mind? Should we not be the ones
to lend encouragement. to do all we
can at home as the sons of America
and the allies are doing all they can
in camps and at the front?
A French soldier knew from pre-
parations that we're being made that
certain army movements were con
templated as a surprise on the Ger
mans. He wrote a letter to his par
ents about it. That letter did not
have a chance of getting by the CEN
sor. but before he had an opportunity
of trying to mail il he was captured
in a small raid by the Germans. They
got the letter. and as a result. when
they saw great battalions of blue-hel-
melted French soldiers moving in a
certain direction. they knew what it
meant. met il. and at the cost of many
French lives as we'll as their own.
prevented what might have been a
surprise attack and a victory.
so long as England published her
casualty list in the manner she did at
the beginning of the war. Germany
had easy picking in locating British
forces. II a captain il a certain regi-
ment was injured in a certain place
Germany knew the regiment was
there. If an officer in another regi-
ment was injured there, Germany
I, knew this was there too. So Germany
kept track of a great many regiments
by watching the casualty lists.
t When England altered the manner
of publishing these lists. Germany is
sued a statement saying that this very
good means of locating British troops
I had been stopped. They then began
/; studying the provincial papers, and
risking and losing lives in raids to
( get information which had come east
~ before.
Newspapers in America should be
as careful about publishing facts re