Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-10
LIES ABOUT ARMY.
DUE TO GERMANS
Kaiser's Agents Garry Along Po-
litical Offensive in Our
Cantonments.
TELL OF DRUNKEN SOLDIERS
No Truth in Malicious Stories Of
Conditions at San An
tonic, Tex.
TELL OF DRUNKEN SOLDIERS
BY w. g. sTt:nE1vr.

their march through Belgium, we were
thrown into the danger zone. TO some
IL was apparent then, and to all now,
that the triumph Of Germany meant
war to us from the victor later on.
We had at the time German synpa-
th2crS who made speeches. published
newspapers and wrote articles i'll the
latter and in magazines. all in the
propaganda OF divcrtinE our sympa
thies from England. Belgium and
France. and in allayinE our suspicious
Of Germany. our vessels sailing the
seas were seized and destroyed. and
our men, women and children on them
mcrcilessly slaughtered. Still our gov
crnmcnt hcsitatcd. and properly. per-
haps. and German activities. as stated
continued. but in somewhat less bold
way. Then the war came. and the Ger
man propagandists lowered their voices
10 whisper and disappeared from
sight, but they were not prosclyted
They did not die. And they did not
cease their work. They are in number rs
now. they were at the time of the
invasion of Belgium. They are out
among the fathers and mothers of the
boys who have enrolled in the army
out in that civil population which is
the mainstay OF the ranks who must
do the lighting In front. They no
longer present the cause OF Germany
as just. because they now affect TO be
American patriots who are more in
tcrcsted in the welfare Of tho Amcri-
can soldier than in anything else
They have bored themselves into all
the avenues of our life-bored into
factories, farms, the navy. army and
the home-and their mission and their
work is 10 spread the poison OF dis
content and dissatisfaction with condi-
tons. To them the gossiper and the
scandalmongcr and the prurie Mt -minde cd
and the anarchist and the disturbcr
are implements which they utilize
easily and without danger 10 them
selves.
The innocent and ignorant reformer
is made tool They deceive the sin
ccre and truthful preacher in the pull
pit. They make the mother toss on
her pillow IN thinking OF her soldier
child. They cause the shallow-pated
workman 20 set fire 10 his own work
In the civil life of America now Ger
many is doing more 10 overcome us
than she can ever do when she meets
us face 10 face on the field of battle.
This may sound eXtravagant. sensa-
tiona! But the disclosures OF the Sec
rotary Of State, OF the speeches OF
President Wilson. OF the exposure by
the Secret Service of factory and other
Industrial destruction day by day war
rant all that is said and more.
Right here in Texas scarcely day
passes that we are not shocked with
some new story of deplorable moral
or physical conditions existing at the
RI ion
by the government nj Fort Worth.
Waco, Houston and San Antonio. il
is impossible To conceive that such
stories have their origin in pruricncy
or depravty of tho human mind Why
could a human being delight in spread
ing story of soldier boys, fresh from
the iresidc, being placed against a
wall and shot for descrtion when never
a descrter has been thus punished
Why could ii mind be so low as 10
originate and carry the report that
our boys at these camps are rottins
with .encreal diseases when 1t is false?
Why should the new soldiers he pic
turcd to their mothers as living in a
bcastly state of drunkenness when
there is not 4 particle OF truth in it?
These stories, as said. are in circu-
lation everywhere at all places and a,
al times. The women working in the
Red Cross societies discuss them, weep
over them, and are discouraged by
them. The father and mother lose hope
for their army boy as they whisper
them to each other. The sister bushes
for her brother as she hears them, ana
those who are called on for money and
ether material assistance to carry or
the war do ii w:.h feeling, perhaps.
that they are doing their part, but do
ing il in vain.
have visited tho camps at Bowie.
Macarthur and TrTvis. l visited these
camps with these reports in my ears
ana with the determination To get
down 10 the truth of il, and shat trut!
intended to tell. whether it brought
satisfaction or dissatisfaction to the
reader; whether il brought sorrow o..
happiness to the parent
HOW STORY OF SOLDIERS
BEING SHOT ORIGINATED
TO illustrate thp character and ah-
Surdity of such stories Il few NAV no
related, The Fort Worth newspapers
on one day received many calls from
Dallas asking II the story in circula-
ton in the latter city to tho effec,
at Camp Bowie was true. For t:,at
story bore the news that ovo- I ooo
OF the soldiers were afflicted and DIVING
OF This disease. y! that momen; thcr.
had h"cn one case of the disease in
inc camp StIn another story was tina;
on a certain day nirc boys or tho
chcampmcnt had Teen shot by militar;,
or"ers. The facts ri this case were
hn
other on the Streets IF Fort Worth and
discussing the conditions in camn
stated that ni;,e men of his connonv
had been Shot" that morning. Tho
incubation of n soldier with tho anti
typhoid serum IS called c. shot" Nine
soldiers had received tho inoculatiou
or shot" That was enough, and the
story OF the placing &C these volun-
Continued on seventh Pngc.)