The Mankato free press., 1918-06-21
FALSE YARNS SPREAD
| AGAINST THE COUNTRY
No Whiskey Is Being Served
Yankee Troops Abroad
DENIAL is BY PERSHINC
Tale Told of Rainbow Division
Has No Foundation; the
Pure Lies

A correspondent at Taylorville, Ill.,
writes to the committee on public in
formation at Washington:
"In a restaurant at Pawnee, ILL.,,
heard repeated the story tnat the gov
ernment is buying large quantities OF
whisky for the soldiers in the trenches.
The trench life is described as sc
fierce that it is absolutely necessary
to give the soldiers whisky or they
could not stand it. This is the third
town in which / have heard this,
and in one l ran across the same
story with the addition that the gov
! ernment contemplates taking all the
whisky for the use of the soldiers on
the battle line. / smell German rat
and / would like to nail him."
The correspondents sense of smell
has not deceived him.
| There is no liquor ration served to
our soldiers either at home or abroad.
No intoxicants can be bought in the
canteeps connected with the America
forces anywhere. By General Perish
| ing's orders, our soldiers in France
"are forbidden either to buy or accept
as gifts from the inha abitants whisky,
brandy, champagne, liquor, or alcho-
holic beverages other than light wine
or beer" AS there is little beer sold
in France, General Pershing reports
that "men who drink are thus limited
to the light native wine used by all
French people. Even this is dis
couraged among our troops in every
possible way. / hope to secure the
cooperation of the French govern
ment to prevent the sale of all liquors
and wines to our troops. The ques-
tion is under discussion. Personally
favor prohibition in army, but it is
impracticable and inadvisable to issue
orders that can not be enforced with
out the cooperation of the French
government" (Cable from General
Persbing 20 Washington, December
26, 1910
The story that whisky is served to
our forces in France is a pro- German
slander designed to set the temper
ance sentiment of the country against
] the governments war measures It is
| a story that has been in circulation in
various forms all winter 1t has
been many times authoritatively de-
MED by the government. Genera
Persnings cable, quoted above, was
received in Washington, in reply tc
an official request for a report upon
the truth of such a rumor, last De-
cember, and the prohibition of the
/ use of alcohol in the army is as
strict now as it was then.
The story is a baseless lie.
A correspondent reports from Char
lotte, Mich, "about three weeks age
q woman at patriotic rally stated
from the platform that 1000 men in
the Rainbow Division of our troops
had been killed. She stated that she
and the information from the Red
Cross officials and could prove it,
Similarly, correspondent in Pitts
burgh writes:
Last Sunday, May 5, in the smok-
ing room on the Twentieth Century
Limited, the remark was made that
10000 of our wounded boys from the
front in France were already back
here in our hospitals in Connecticut
and New York. The man who made
the remark said it was a positive
fact He said he had his information
from one Of the doctors in a hospital
in Connecticut. He refused the name
OF the doctor and refused to give
his own, as he said he didn't want
to get anybody in trouble, but he in
sisted that the government was keep
ing the real truth back from the
public"
Both these stories are entirely un-
true. There have been no such
losses among the troops of the Rain
bow Division. Up to the 1st of May
come weeks after the statement was
made in Charlotte, there had beer
killed in all the divisions of the arm,
only 345 men. At the same time al
our wounded amounted to $500. AnC
this included submarine casualties
among our troops.
An investigation showed that the
lady who spoke in Charlotte. ar
Englishwonlan by birth, was ;
fervently loyal war worker. She hat
apparently been imposed upon by {
German rumor monger. The sam,
is perhaps true of the man in the
| oiuohiuS Car WHO was so reluctaQ
to "get anybody in trouble" excepr
his government.
The government is aware that only
by frankness can it maintain public
confidence. It gives out the news O.
casualties as soon as the lists ar,
received from France. A conspirac,
to conceal any such disaster as thu
) loss of 1000 men in the Rainbow, Of
the presence of 10000 wounded mer
in the Connecticut hospitals. woult
involve so many conspiring govern
ment agents that secrecy would Nb,
impossible. Rumors of such losse;
and disasters are persistently circulat
ed by German sympathizers in ordu
to depress the spirits of loyal Amer
leans and weaken their trust in tn,
good faith of their government. All
such stories, however circumstantial
are untrue. The casualty lists, pub
lished day by day, are the who'll
/ truth. They keep nothing back from
r the public except those details of tim
and place which would enable Ger
man agents to learn the number an,
location of our troops in France.