The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-16
They Do Not Want Wristlets
and Pajamas-But Smokes!
TAKE CARE OF KANSAS BOYS
He CriticiSes the Red Cross in
Its "Circle Activities"
RapS Anti-TObaccO Action on
Part of State Teachers.

BY EARL d. hElLMAI>I~-
(Lieutenant American c. A. c. In France,
now back in kansas.)
I'll give you four dollars for it. u
paused. There was a little group
of soldiers 1 had set them at work
digging trenches but an hour before
and already there was an interruption
of the work. The colonel had stated
as emphatically as colonies can that
those avion trenches must be COM
pleted that day The men were not
in khaki. they were in the overails,
issued by the quartermaster under the
name of fatigue clothes. Fatigue pc
cause one gets tired when he wears
them I guess. The group was gath
cred about an arguing pair one OF
them who had just made the offer.
The other stood tossing small
packet from hand to hand Plainly
he was tempted but just as plainly the
four dollars did not mean as mucn to
him as did the object for which 1t was
offered. A puzzled frown put the
wrinkles in his face, certainly age
did not He shifted from one foot
to the other in his indecision. The
bidder stepped one pace closer He
had his man going.
I'll give you five" and he pulled
out a green bill from his pocket
"All right, here you are but you
must give me one cigarette from II
after supper" And the deal was
made whereby sack of Bull durham
was sold for one hundred times its
value in the United States. 1t was the
last sack in the battery and had been
found by the soldier in the bottom OF
his ditty bag that morning.
That was in France. That was foul
months ago. Thanks be to the gener-
Gus hearted people of the United
States Bull Durham reached its high
est price that day and now the men
of that battery and that brigade are
having all the smokes they went
You speak of the difficulties of handl-
ing men. Let me tell you that fol-
that one month after the supply
brought from the United States with
us, had become exhausted, that foul
weeks made several extra grey hairs
in my head and I believe even the
general himself breathed easier wher
that first consignment of Sun tobacco
came to our relief. Since that firsi
shipment others have come. They
were from the Whitestone r. /. Rec
Cross, from the Hoboken newspapers
At Christmas time the Red Cross il
Paris sent out to each of US a little
bag of gifts and the most priced por'
ton of those bags were the boxes OF
tobacco which had been sent over
by the tobacco funds of newspaper:
all over the States.
None of the boxes came from Kan
sas. None of the other stuff did a.
far as we could learn. OF course il
was a brigade of regular army sol
diers But rs per cent of the men IL
that brigade had enlisted since las
June and there were forty-four OF
them in my regiment who came from
Kansas. Four of those Kansas boy:
were in my battery. Did we fee
proud of our state when we heard the
fellows say Here's one box of smoke:
from my home town." Well. JUS
imagine.
Colonel Travis Is Right.
Former Senator Frank Travis, nov
lieutenant colonel cover there" ha:
written letter criticising the Rec
Cross of Kansas for which he is beins
severely scored. Score me while yol
are at it. Senator Travis is right. TIL,
Kansas Red Cross should quit thi'
running about in circles and get bus!
looking after Kansas boys. Let mi
| tell you that there is not a thing il
the world that makes a fellow fee
I, like busting clear thru to Berlin lik,
the feeling that comes when he hai
some tangible evidence OF the fact tina
there is a live wire organization from
| home that is backing you up to thu
last minute and then a century more
And for heavens sake, lieutenant
when you get back there please tel
l
Ny ditty bag is full and all I need il
smokes; lots of 'em. If any more junl
| comes something that some patriotic
| but very much misguided Red eros
maiden made for me will have to g,
| into the mud" It was the batter.
clerk speaking. He is from Hutch
| inson, Kan.
Smokes, Smokes, Smokes!
It is smokes that the boys over Their
need. They don't need pink pajamas
They don't need any more wristlets
! sweaters or helmets. Wait till mex
winter before sending any more o
| them. But they do need smokes. Tn
| officers of those men need to hav
| those men have smokes. Kansas ha
| some prudish ideas, but this is no tim
| to be prudisE. I learn that the Kan
| sas Teachers association has gone Of
record as being against sending an
smokes to the boys and that som
| other organizations have followed suit
| 1 heard also that the tobacco trust i
accused of being the start of the thin
and that the tobacco trust is reapin
| huge profits. Well, let me tell yol
this, the tobacco trust is a whole 10
more patriotic, and the tobacco trus
is a whole lot more broad minded tina
| the Kansas teachers. The tobacco sen
! over there is better than that sol
here. It is also cheaper I canno
buy here now, for 40 cents the sam
| amount of tobacco that the so-calle
trust is sending across for those two
bit pieces yoI- give.
Wake up, Kansas, and Kansas PEG