The Monticellonian., 1919-05-09


 one man preached and others prac- ticed, only the preacher should be punished. This course, an army offi- cer said, would be parallel to a civil court case in which the judge refused to punish any member of q highway man gang excepting the leader thereof.
 This happening in northern Russia Is unprecedented in the records of the United States army. There have been some cases where men have re- fused to do some minor duty or other because of grievances on account of poor grub or some other temporary evil, but so far as can be determined no American soldier ever before re- fused to fight, or to follow where their officers stood ready to lead them.
 Some Blame Pacifist Talk.
 Some Washington officials are skep- tical about the truth of the story that bolshevik propaganda in Russia was responsible for the trouble If if was this kind of propaganda which brought the thing to head it succeeded, so men here seem to think, because prior to their departure from the United States some of the weak.minded and weak-kneed soldiers had been preyed upon mentally by the dire and dismal preachers of the gospel of lying down in the face of the foe.
 Ever since the news came to Wash ington that 250 American soldiers had refused to fight. some civilians have been showing evidences of sympathy with the mutineers. Possibly the poor boys didn't have any breakfast" or Perhaps their officers had been scolding them" or perhaps half dozen other things. Military men say for the display are more sickening than the display itself.
 The wonder is today if Americans knew in full the kind of propaganda which certain American societies with high-soundlng titles put forth with the object of weakening the cause of the United States in the war in which 1t was about to engage. These organ izations some of them formed for the alleged purpose of aiding conscientious objectors, but more than suspected of intending to aid the cause of the kali ser, tried every known means to reach soldiers of the United States with their Tying down" doctrines. They printed tons of stuff nauseating to red blooded men and tried to get it Into the camps. They hired lawyers in all the chief cities of the United States to become sort of wet nurses for men who might have stomachs too weak to retain any manhood sustenanee.
 War Veterans Organizing.
 Co.'s. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.. and Bonnet C. Clark, chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the commit tee appointed to plan for an organi- zation of the veterans of the worlds war, are busy making arrangements for forthcoming caucus of soldiers which is to be held in St. Louis in May.
 Under whatever name it may finally appear. the organization of worlds war veterans will be inclusive of all ranks, will be nonsectarian, nonraeial, nonseetional, and above all nonpoliti- cal. It does not yet seem to be defi- nitely known what the organization will be called. Worlds War Veter- ans" has been suggested, and in way 1t is being used, but at the first meet ing which was held in Paris for the of Ciy Si i6a ta a permanent body of veterans the title ..The American Legion" was used. American Legion" sounds well, and in a way is distinctive, but "World's War Veterans" seems to be all-embraeing.
 A few days ago I went to New York to talk with Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and other soldiers prominent in the work of preparation for the new or ganiZation. They are earnest in what they are doing and they seem to have the sound sense viewpoint of what is required if the thing is to be sue cess. In Washington the general feel ing is that while there will be some troubles in the way they readily can be overcome
 No One Branch to Dominate.
 Every effort is to be made to save the organization from the danger of domination by any particular branch of the great armies the United States raised In other words, the belief of the men interested in the association is that 1t must not be more of a Ma tional army matter than of a National Guard matter except in so far as mere numbers would evidence predomi- nance without suggesting domination. National army men, National Guards men and regular army men from pri- vate to general will be included in the great eomradeship.
 Soldiers who are interested, as come of the St. Louis meeting and in the general preparations for forming the veterans society ought not to look on the plan as one that has originated in any one city in America, or that 1t is to be controlled from any one city. In truth this organization first was sug- gested in Paris, France, where officers and enlisted men of the American ex- peditionary forces met, and in several cities of the United States where there were meetings of soldiers who saw service in this country only and of others who had returned from duty