The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1919-05-09

ceiling In civilian circles that hecouse
me man preached and others prac-
1ced. only the preacher should he
punished. This course. -an army OH
Ter said. would be parallel to a civil
'ourt case in which the judge refused
10 punish any member OF "A highway.
nan 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
Lecause 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 Paeifist Talk.
Some Washington officials are skep- |
tfcal about the truth of the story that |
bolshevik propaganda in Russia was |
responsible for the trouble. II 1t was
this kind of propaganda which brought
the thing to a head 1t succeeded. so
men here seem to think, because prior
to their departure from the United
States some Of the weak-minded and
weakened 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 II 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
1t 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 u the kai.
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 al
the chief cities of the United States
to become sort of wet nurses for mel
who might have stomachs too veal
to retain any manhood sustenance.
War Veterans Organizing.
Coils. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., an
. Bennett c. Clark, chairman and vic
: chairman, respectively, of the commit
: tee appointed to plan for an organ
zation of the veterans of the world
war, are busy making arrangement
for forthcoming caucus of soldier
which is to be held in st. Louis
: May.
Under whatever name it may final
: appear, the organization of world
war veterans will be inclusive Of a
I" ranks, will be nonsectarian, nonracis
8 nonsectional, and above all nOnpolil
cal. 1t does not yet seem to be de
nitely known what the organizatit
&c will be called. Worlds War Vete
y ans" has been suggested, and in ws
70 it is being used, but at the first NEE
!, ing which was held in Paris for II
a. purpose Of giving consideration to
~ permanent body of veterans the tit
&c 1.-THE American Legion" was use
u american Legion" sounds well. and
a way Is distinctive, but worlds W.
!. Veterans" seems to be all-embracin
y A few days ago went to New 70
Go to talk with Theodore Roosevelt, j
~ and other soldiers prominent In I
IL work of preparation for the new
NJ ganization. They are earnest in VIII
~ they are doing and they seem to ha
the sound sense viewpoint of what
~ required if the thing is to be 81
NC cess. In Washington the general fe
" ing is that while there will be soI
'r' troubles in the way they readily c
On be overcome.
:" No One Branch to Dominate.
IA Every effort is to be made to sa
a the organization from the danger
NV domination by any particular bran
oh Of the great armies the United Sta
10 raised In other words, the belief
- the men interested in the ASSOCIATE
49,. is that 1t must not be more OF
- tional army matter than Of Natiol
a., Guard matter except in so far as M
~ numbers would evidence predol
10 nance without suggesting dominate
Nv National army men, National Guar
~ men and regular army men from
T., vate to general will be included in
o,v great comradeship.
Soldiers who are interested,
-. doubtless all of them are. in the 9
come of the st. Louis meeting and
~, the general preparations for form
to, the veterans society ought not to II
IN the plan as one that has orlglna