The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-01
WAR CAMPS PURGED
OF SLY PEACE BOOKS
Some Volumes Backing
Pacifism Slipped Into Can
Torment Libraries.
BAKER ORDERS ACTION
Mystery Surrounds Sending Of
InsidiOus Literature to
Soldiers.
BAKER ORDERS ACTION

Books OF dangerous tendencies have
been ordered out OF camp and canton
ment libraries by the Secretary Of War.
Mr. Baker issues the edlct that they
must be removed or destroyed. Most OF
these books have to do with peace" In
one form Of suggestion or another and
II there Is anything that our Uncle Sam
has no use for at the present time It is
peace along Teutonic lines
How such books got into the mill
tary libraries nobody seems quite to
know. although II Is assumed that they
were sent along In various contributions
made by the public library and various
book collecting institutions. Proper
scrutiny seems not to have been made,
for many Of the books reproduce exactly
the German point OF view and are ut
terly hostile to the American conception
OF things.
The Condemned List.
The condemned list includes:
Approaches to the Peace Settlement"
F. @. Balch: Prison Memories OF an
Anarchist" Alexander Berkman; Amer
ica's Relation to the Great War" John
w. Burgess: European War Of 1914"
John w. Burgess Witness E, Testifies,''
Capshaw Carson World in Perplexity,"
Arthur G. Daniels: World War" Ar
thur G. Daniels; "England's World EN-
pire." A. II. Granger: England or Ger
many" Frank Harris: with the Ger
man Armies in the West" Sven Hedin
"Germany's Fighting Machine" e. F.
Henderson; why War; Frederic c.
Howe; Germany Misjudged." Roland
Higgins; "A More Excellent Way" Ru-
o..
diers." w. s. Leake Revelation of an
Germany in Wartime" NJ. Z. Mac
auley: What Could Germany Do for
Ireland?" James X. Mcclure.
Also "Emden." II. Won Muecke: THE
War in America" Hugo Muensterberg
Vampire Of the Continent" H. Won
Reventlow: ''German-American Hand
book" F. F. Schrader; Doing My BIZ
for Ireland" Margaret Skinnider Con.
quest Of War" NJ. NJ. Thomas and
others Songs OF Armageddon." George
Sylvester Viereck and Worlds Crisis
In the Light Of Prophecy" anonymous
Previously the War Department had
interdicted the following books: Free
Speech and a Free Press" anonymous
What Germany Wants. Edmund vor
Mach: '1reland's Case" Seumas Nc.
Ahohbo' opcH lctttT 10 TTOHteeTS,
| Scott Nearing. and THE Last Weapon
Theodore Wilson Wilson.
Singularly. as it.may seem to many
| no reason could be found at the New
York headquarters Of the American Ii.
brary Association. 1874 East Twenty
eighth street. for the destruction OF thess
! books. Nor did the list Of books seer
in accordance with the statement mad,
| at the headquarters that very careful
scrutiny was made of books to be sem
| to soldiers and sailors. In the banned
list are number of authors that have
| frequently been in trouble with the au
thorities. men whose very names stand
for pacifism or pro -Germanism, and II
| seemed extraordinary to investigators
yesterday that such names could have
been passed IL even ordinary diligence
and sincerity had been used!
srr,n Omcial Explanation.
An official Of the association said
There have been more than 5000. 00t
books contributed thus far and It is O.
course entirely possible that German
propagandists have tried to slip thei,
| work across to the soldiers and sailor.
through this means. A very careful
watch Is kept. however, and the gif
| books are not placed in camp librarie!
, without going through a process of ex
animation and selection. So far we hav,
no information that any of the book.
named in the War Departments order
have actually reached the camp Ii
braries. though there have been instanc
in which pamphlets of a seditous Of
pacifistic nature have been surrepti
| tiously placed on the open shelves of tn,
| libraries"
In An order sent out on August b,
Or. Herbert Putnam. the librarian o.
Congress. 1t was stated:
ut has recently been brought to oul
! attention that pamphlets of a pacifis
character are being sent to camp Ii
| braries. Please watch for them and de
stroy them"
The latest order was contained In tn,
form of a circular letter which was sen
from the Library War Service Head
quarters in the Library of Congress t
all camp librarians.