South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-02-24
ChH-MuSic To KaiSenan Accompaniment

If not deliberate traitors. Take your choice
JOffre had been over here and left his imprint.
He came representing his country and the French
army. He had with him Balfow Of England. and
both had along Their experts, and attaches
JOffre and BalfOT said to Prest Wilson and
Sec'y Baker, and to Others IN authority:
I'VE have stored in France arms.
nEies, machine guns, ammunition IN
quantities greatly IN excess Of the num-
Der of men we have to use them.
What we need is men. Therefore,
send US men quickly as you can
Send us food. Do not waste ship room
on machine guns, r 7es. or ammunition
IN the beginning. We need the men,
we need the food We have the
weapons and the ammunition.
Send your soldiers, We will arm
them with modern vseapons-at your
leisure you can pay us for these arms
or make them yourselves IN your fac
torres and give them back to us
There's your plenty of collins and no weapons
story" What do you think of it?
Would it have been wise to load ships with
nfies and machine guns-when there plenty
OF them waiting for cur men on the other side?
Don't you think it better 10 send the men
that were needed and the food and other supplies
needed, rather than send rifles and machine guns
not needed; weapons and ammunition that could
be sent at leisure?
(WHICH is the comparative source of nine
tenths of the pro-Germanesque propaganda
that has been infesting the cOnty-"giving aid
and comfort to the enemy"-but not necessarily,
German-made nor Intentionally what It is.
Whether of different purpose, that of political
intrigue at IFS inception, the mere caprice of
"clackers" seeking to fortfy themselves--their
cOnscienceS-against the wars demands for
sacrifice makes only difference in cause The
effect is Just the same
Germany Is capable of all such cussediess and
no doubt but her agents have helped pass it along
-assuredly doing nothing to check t-but Ger
many at her worst, and doing her damnedest
could not get far were not the American people,
so many of them, IN a receptive non-patriotic
mood.
Certainly Sec'y Baker and subOrdinates in his
and other secretaries and subordinates In their
departments of the government have made mis-
takes. They are human beings-American citi-
zens-nOt archangels with X-ray eyes
There have been miscalculatiOns anent supplies
of warm clothing for the southern camps-due
to winter of cold unprecedented,-an men
perhaps half dozen, possibly a hundred, have
died who might have lived had they had better
medical care.
Neither the president, nor the secretary of war,
however, can personally nurse each sick soldier
American doctors must be relied upon to do that
will few more, from South Bend here for ex-
ample, please step forward and receive their com
missions?
In the spending of more than million dollars
an hour, some money has probably been wasted ;
more shoes and less overcoats bought than were
Immediately needed-but can you imagine what
would have happened In the "good' old DAYS" of
'embalmed beef" of Florida and Georgian
swamp camps, and of favored contractors, under
administration by, of and for the trusts?
And aye, right there's the rubp' The old graft
ers of Spanish-American war days have had at
least something of curb placed upon their prof
iteering, and they have grown more determined
to ''clack" than to cooperate.
The demand for patriotism without an endless
chain of profit; little of sef-sacrhce on the part
of those who stay at home well as those who
go to the trenches; these are the things 49,
don't set well on the greed-seeking merican
stomach
1t applies to politics as well as to business
America has before her, IN addition to winning
this war, the glorious task Of teaching her people
patriotism without place, loyalty without Iucre,
sacrifice without chicanery cOlIectivism without
"clacking."
This learned and policeman propaganda IN
America will find absolutely no place to light.