The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-03-06
Another Letter From Mr.. Abbott.

Editor Barre Times: have been 4;
reader of The Times for 10 years, anc
/ during that time | have been impressed
with the impartial manner in which WI
| have dealt with the various discussions
which have appeared in your columns
| but it il self evident that mabel" in
! his commentary on my first letter has
| abandoned the time -honored custom OF
| The Times, and the impartial manner
| is conspicuous by it's absence.
II is true Mabel" replied to my let
ter. but made no attempt to answer it,
hence the facts tof my first letter. still
remain. Ignoring them does not remove
them or settle the question under dis
cussion
Now | deprecate the statements that
mine out of ten" of "the best we breed
lam | believe they are the best we
breed are sunk so low, and have lost
their self control TO such an extent that
they BADLY need the Tags to supply
them the "onlv redeeming sensation in
the awful hell of life. l have much
higher opinion of our Sammies than that
and it is because believe they are men"
and not 'dopes" that I commend the ac-
ton of the w. c. T. L, in not sending
them those 'pernicious rolls" that tend
to un-man them.
1t may be that my Gear" is not clearly
attuned to the crying demand for SMOKES
over there II can't help it if / am not
"musical") but | can read pictures and
while am aware of the fact that large
number of our boys send home asking
for smokes, the sloudest" and longest
cry for Smokes for Sammies" comes not
from the Sammies themselves, but from
the great tobacco companies, who are
the patriotism of larg
portion of our people, and making CAPT
tai out of the motherlove of our great
nation. OF course Mabel" knows With
side his bread is buttered, and we 1.-THE
public know what is one of the chief
sources of journalistic revenue in some
but "all the people can't tie
fooled all the time"
There is an old trick used by some |
debaters who, when they realize las does
"MabeF0 that their side of the question
cannot be justified, take refuge in waat
IS known as "Cowards' castle" and call |
names; hence, 'parlor reformer." Now
lay no claim TO the title of ''reformerr
in any sense of the word, neither do | |
want to be "deformer." I did not ad. /
rocate reforming the Sammies under the
present circumstances. but | proceed on
he theory that prevention is better
hen cure and il is to prevent our Doys II
rom becoming fit subjects for the re-
ormer' that ] have written these let
ers.
Now I wish to modify one statement
n my first letter, and have il read
hus: IF We want Germany TO win /
his war, one of the best things we can
10 TO that end is to send to our spl.
ers all the cigarettes they can smoke
Our boys are entitled to all the com
orts we can possibly send them. mt
ealizing the need of efficiency of the
ighest order, we condemn the cigar
tie, because il tends TO inefficiency. M
ne appreciates more deeply than ] the
pirit of devotion and self-sserifice of our
iiicers and men in all branches of .ha
srvice, but we must not allow our emo
ions 10 run away with our common
,nse.
A. my first letter will undoubtedly be Z
,ad by men in our camps and in Fran 2.
ask that this letter be given the same
-ivilege through your valuable paper.
As far as | am concerned, this in
dent is closed. Thanking you for v ,ur
ndness, / am, yours very sincerely.
Albert Abbott.
Moretown, Vt, March ,, 1918.