The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-05
TREASONAbLE
SOCIETY FOUND
Pledges Members Not to
Join United States Army
or Navy
THE SOLIDARITY
IT'S PUBLICATION
Existence of Organization III Connect
cut Brought to, Light Through State
tionnaire. 49,

UlOHudlIc
NEW BRITAIN, Conn, Jan. > 81
There are % branches of the Work
mems Sick and Death Benefit Frad
in IS cities and towns in hi, statr.
with average memberships ran -in4
from 30 and 50 to several hundred, aad
every man who has a membership ba
pledged himself to observe the follow,
Jag; "Will YOU pledge yourself mai
to Join the regular United States army
or navy or army or navy IF any ottel
country, state militia a. police force
in any form Tie organization.
which has been III existence 10 years
or more, has a membership Of loo Gao
in this country, and publishes a piper
Chilled The Solidarity, printed III
New York, aud containing . DIRECTORY
of the various branches classified ht
states, names of the officers ana ncHr.
articles and editorials in German aud
English
Whether official Washington has
knowledge of the nature Of the auak
of the organization, which are indjs
putablE of Il seditious and treaaouable
character, Is problematical, but fol
years, regular issues Of the publication
have been sent to members III all the
cities and towns having branch soei-
cites and regular meetings at stated
times and in stated places have been
held. The existence OF the two brantuas
IN this city has always been known
but that candidates for memberships
were obliged to take the pledge alt
practical disloyaltv 30 the J'nit~dI
states and to further promise to have
absolute unity between members IL al
WAYS observing the rule never To btilln
charges against the society or inlii3
nal members in public on through nep5-
papers, did not become known until this
morning, when Lawyer George Lev itt.
assisting rcgistrants in film. oGt ,uI.
tonnaires at the headquarters of the
ancond district exemption board wa
startled to have a man tell him tdaa
he doubted whether he could sign tins
document without violating hia rlcd-a
TO the society.
that this man did not leave the bald
tit- Ft'iit tilt iiidtltl was iIA 81 lttttk
and lii a short time copy OF .'Ibe
Solidarity the ntau' S pass book Ind
a copy of the rules Of the order aad
the extraordinary pledge were ia tHa
hands of the exemption board oCIieials.
| The man was talkative aad anpaf;hl. nj
| did not realize that by thus gi5,' las II
| authorities information about the bee
| hive of treason, he was striking a i6oS
at great work Of anti-Amcrie an pro,
uganda which has been more orr jess ud-
/ ticcablc since the European war bfo,.a
out and especially sinch the Tnitea
! states took up arms against Germany.
The information and evidence wiil
! hc turned over to the fodtFJl autho +
| ties and what they viii do Is doa known
at taia time. The Society * not an
alien enemy organization I'M tbs stridt
sense of the term, because meHharshir
= open TO people born ia this country
whether they are titizau- or not. Il
is believed, however, that the nasoii:y
of memherh arc ~ foreign birth, aa1
arc not citizens Of this country. Gov
m&na and Austrian~, it is slid, aomprigs
tn" Greater part of the local m"mhor
ship.