The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-03-25
DEFENSE BODY
N0NP0LITICAL,
DECLARES BOX
Only Question Council Will Raise
Is Between Patriotism
and Disloyalty
NO $50 : so" AMERICANISM
II Have Boys Over There, and
I'll Not See Them Stabbed
in Back"
NO $50 so" AMERICANISM

One thing to be strictly under
stood at the outset is that the Nortl
Dakota State Council of Defense
absolutely non-political.' said Secre
tary Thomas Allen Box as he lorna
ly opened the executive office Of tn.
new state council at the capitol today
'"The state council will never questio
nor concern itself with mans pol
tics-the one question uppermost witt
the council is, Are you loyal Amer
lean citizen?' An affirmative answe,
Is all that the council will ask.
Il have a boy in France and anoth
er in training in Kentucky who sooI
will be over there; other members
this state council have sons in the ser
vice: the executive committee repre-
sents a citizenship with probably 4.
900 boys now In the trenches, anG
which soon will have 5000 more OF
the way. One thing the state council
of defense absolutely will not stand
for is to see those boys stabbed ir
the back here at home. Disloyalty
in any form. no matter where it may
crop up, no matter who the guilty
party may be, will be mercilessl!
stamped out"
No Fifty-Fhty Proposition
Patriotism is no 'fifty-1ifty' proposi
lion with Secretary Box. You are will
Uncle Sam or against him: you are i:
patriotic, clear to the backbone, true
to the core. or you are friend of thu
kaiser He can recognize no ground
for neutrality in this great struggle
and with the strong views which hi
holds upon the question of American
ism, Box is being relied upon by those
who are familiar with his curves t.
make the state council of defense {
bigger factor than ever in the Ameri
canization of North Dakota.
Box is big man physically, and a,
impressive one He landed in Nortl
Dakota in 1878, and the state ha'
been home to him ever since, alth
his search of adventure has carrie;
him to far places. He was membe
of the California state cavalry for 81
wears. and he palled on the coast wit
J. Ham Lewis, now United States ser
ator from Illinois, and then risin:
young lawyer, and with Frank" Lane
at that time content to be hard
working newspaper man, and littl'
dreaming that some day he would bt
secretary of the interior.
The new secretary Of defense saw
a great deal of life and of America be
fore he returned to North Dakota t
settle down on Cass county farm
He went into agriculture with tn
same vim he had put into other en-
terprises, and he made success o.
it. Today he is man of Independent
means, and owner Of one of the fin
est farms in the Red river valley.
"ln order that there may be NJ
question as to my object in acceptin.
this position, wish to state to tn
press that every penny which ha
been appropriated for my salary
going back into the work Of the stat
council OF defeuse-with as nue.
more from my private means as tn
cause may demand said Box toda!
Endorses Big Drive
1T is needless for me to say that
am back of the On to Victory driv
to finish" said Secretary Box. "Th
state council OF defense went on ret
ord in favor of this loyalty movemer
at it's initial meeting. and those reso
lutiCns stand. am thoroughly
sympathy with this drive, and I war
to say most emphatically that l al
preciate the splendid support we ar
receiving from the commercial ira,
elers of the state in this drive and
other war work"
Lieut.. Allen Box, the secretary:
eldest son, enlisted in South Africa
foreign legion" for service in Franc
soon after the beginning of hostili
ties. Young Box enlisted at Johannes
burg as private and won speedy pre-
motion in the aviation service j.
France, where he is now lieutenan
instructor. Byron Box, younger so
of the secretary, enlisted in the sigma
corps shortly after Americas declare
ton of war, and is in training 3
Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Ky
where Major F. l.. Shuman is com
mander of a battalion.