Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-05-14


punished. This course, an army Off
Ger said, would be parallel to n civil
court case i'm which the Judge refused
to punish any member of a highway
man gang excepting the leader thereof.
This happening in northern Russia
is unprecedented in the records of
the United States army. There have
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 Pacitist Talk.
Some Washington officials are skep-
teal about the truth of the story that
bolshevik propaganda in Russia was
responsible for the trouble. If it 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 $50 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 a
dozen other things. Military men say
the excuses that have been put up
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-sounding titles put forth with
| the object of weakening the cause of
| the United States in the war in which
il was about to engage. These organ
] izations some of them formed for the
alleged purpose of aiding conscientious
DIRECTORS, 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 'lying down" doctrines. They
printed tons of stuff nauseating TO red
blooded men and tried to get 1t 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 sustenance.
War Veterans Organizing.
Coils. Theodore Roosevelt. Jr.. and
Bennett 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 a forthcoming caucus of soldiers
which is to be held in st. Louis in
May.
Under whatever name ii may finally
appear, the organization of worlds
war veterans will be inclusive of all
ranks, will be nOnsectarian, nOnracial,
nOnsectional. and above all nOnpoliti.
cal. II does not yet seem to be def
nitely known what the organization
will be called. worlds War Veter-
ans" has been suggested, and In a way
1t is being used. but at the first meet
ing which was held in Paris for the
purpose of giving consideration 10 a
permanent body of veterans the title
"The American Legion" was used
American Legion sounds well, and in
a way Is distinctive, but Worlds War
Veterans" seems to be embracing
A few days ago | 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 he 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 il must not be more of 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 aud regular army men from pri
waite to general viii be included in the
great comradeshlp
Soldiers who are Interested, as
doubtless all of them are, in the out
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 it 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 OK.
peditionary forces met, and In several
cities Of the United States where there
we're meetings of soldiers who saw
service in this country only and of
others who had returned from duty
abroad.
There are officers and men from the
state Of Washington and the state OF
Florida, the state Of Maine and the
state Of California whose hearts are