The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-12-09

Let US visualize march of the
British dead down Fifth Avenue"
suggests writer in the New York
Tribune, in an endeavor to make the
staggering casualty lists of the war
more real than mere figures can make
them. 'At daybreak they start, twenty
abreast. Until sundown they march
and the next day, and the
next and the next. For ten days the
British dead pass in review. For
eleven days more the French dead
file down the Avenue of the Allies
For the Russians it would require the
daylight of five weeks more. Two
months and half would be required
for the Allied dead to pass a given
point The enemy dead would require
more than six weeks" For four
months men actually killed in the war,
passing steadily twenty abreast-the
writer suggests, as fitting punish
ment for the late German kaiser, that
he be forced to stand at attention
and review this stupendous ghastsly
procession, from the first rank to the
last.
Our own casualty lists, continuing
to arrive after the signing of the
armistice, "have struck the only SOM
ber note" in our general thankfulness.
The official figures, giving $3.50
dead and 179,625 wounded in total
casualty list of 236,117, are more than
double those which semi-official ad-
vices from Washington had led the
protest against the War Departments
policy of suppression. can explana-
tion seems to be DUE declare the
New York Evening Post and the St
Louis Globe-Democrat, and the New
York Globe offers a detailed indict-
ment of this "cruel policy"
"Six months ago the War Depart
ment gave solemn assurances that it
would be frank with the American
people. 1t has not been. No one will
contend for an instant that it has not
known, and long known, the truth.
Having been guilty of deliberate
suppression, it does not lessen its Of
tense by suddenly Pumping out the
gross figures of a tripled list. Giving
no names and only stating totals, it
has brought cruel anxiety to approx
mately 100000 American house
holds. Each is wondering whether
it's loved one is included in the unpub-
lished list. Having deceived the coun-
try for several months, it would seem
as if there might have been persist
ence in the deceit until the names
were available and could be communi-
Gated to the bereft. Every family
which has not heard from it's absent
members since the close of hostilities
now sits in fear because the War De-
partment, recognizing that the truth
must soon come out, suddenly resolved
to confess and was so desirous of es-
Gaping from it's embarrassment that
it did not care about anything else.
''Not an hour should be lost in col
lecting and transmitting casualty in
formation If the cables are clogged
the lists should be put aboard the fast
est ship of the Navy. 1t is nearly two
weeks since the last shot was fired,
and even tho there were no cables
the War Department by this time
should know who have been lost.
Leaving out of view the insult to the
American people, the War Depart
ment's policy has most reprehensibly
assailed the peace of mind of count
less homes"
Nevertheless publicists almost with
out exception are agreed, Sin proper
tion to the forces engaged and the
results obtained, our final casualty
list is not greater than might have
been expected" Coming upon field
where dogged courage fairly matched
long preparation and iron discipline,
it was the part of the Americans to