Arizona republican., 1918-03-11
The warrior who cultivates his mind polishes his arms.
 -Stanislas de Boufflers.
Some Camel Flags" Believe Me


 The war department has rather capped the climax in it's latest order expurgang the names and addresses of prvates and commissioned officers from the list of casualties It is about such an order as would expect from the order department of the war department judging from past performances. It is about the destroying order that could have been made
 More ridiculous than the order itself is the excuse given for it. that these and addresses would furnish valuable information to the enemy It is not claimed by the amazing intelligence responsible for this order that the alone would furnish such valuable information" but the home addresses of the dead wounded prvates would disclose strategic secrets. The committee transformation of the government will furnish it us, the names alone for publication if application is made to it. but it does not think that the bare list without the addresses would make it worth while for a news agency to print. We agree with the committee that point only.
 Ah we see now and wonder at our obtuseness at the beginning. It is clear adobe mud. It would nothing to the German general staff to learn through the American press that John Jones had been killed and William Smith wounded But if there added to this information the vital and Illuminating that the home address of John Jones Kyrene, Arizona and that the next of kin of William smith resided at Punlville Alabama von Hindenburg would at through the whole allied scheme of offense and defense. The "expur- gation" of the casualty lists the suppression of the of privates and non-commissioned officers is therefore what friend Ring Lardner calls "camel flags" to fool the Germans We be too cute and cunning when we dealing with such a foe
 In further excuse of the order of "expurgation' it is said that the information designed by it to be withheld from the Germans is the effect of their raidng 4:1-. But how would this information be facilitated by knowledge of the fact that a dead man had lived at Kyrene and wounded man at Punkville?
 In the early days of the war and, in fact until quite recently the London newspapers daily printed complete lists of the casualties-offcers non-com- missioned officers and privates. It not stated where the casualties occurred the addresses of victims given. But every accompanied by number the soldiers metal disk which pre- sumably the next of kin knew and there was also given the name of the organization though not the place where the casualty occurred Here certainly was nothing that aided the enemy.
 Every issue of the London Times printed casual ty lists running from two closely printed columns to page more.
 Our department attempts to forestall criti- cism by disavowing the very reason for this order that would naturally suggest itself to sensible men out of ten-a foolish purpose to conceal from the people at large rather than from the Germans alarmingy long lists of casualties. is proposed though to inform privately, of kin of dead or wounded privates and commissioned officers so that the whole country will become panic stricken In this arrangement account taken of the horror of anxiety that for days after every engagement large small will pervade the country If it is learned and the department through it's brilliant commission information will tell us that much that dozen men only have been killed in a certain engagement ten thousand mothers from the Atlan- tic to the Pacific will undergo days of needless cruel torture.
 Under sensible system it would be all avoided The dozen stricken mothers would at once be over whelmed with settling grief far more mercful than racking anxiety, and the other 99ss mothers would rejoice in the knowledge that their loved were yet alive.
 We have not the slightest doubt that the great mass. of the American people will agree with MT James Keely, of the Chicago Herald who Saturday denounced the order infamous"