The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1919-05-07
SERVICE
men ORGANIZE
AGAINST CRAFT
Are Up In Arms Against Men Wear
ing Uniform Soliciting With
out Authority.
By Martin P. Kelly,

Taking a firm stand against the
bleeding" Of Lake Region business
firms by men in uniforms, discharged
soldiers, sailors, and marines last
night took the preliminary steps to
ward the perfecting of a veterans or
ganization that is expected to envel-
ope the entire territory tributary to
Devils Lake.
Lieut.. Arthur Serumgard, wounded
member Of the immortal First Divi-
sion, was chosen chairman of a tenn
porary committee on organization.
Assisting him in the work, will be
George Crawford Of the Sunset Divi-
sion, Crook of the Royal Flying
Corps, Harold Serumgard of the
Navy, and Ray Kneeshaw of the Mar
| ines.
There are said to be about seventy
veterans already home, and at least
twenty-five more are on the way. A
little get-together is planned for
sometime next week. At that time,
more definite steps will, be taken to
wards a permanent organization.
In the meantime, all soldiers, sail
ors, and marines in Devils Lake are
requested to either send \ in their
names, or phone Lieutenant Serum
gard. Relatives Of men still overseas,
OF IN the service, will assist materially
IN forwarding the same information.
The first steps to be taken by Lieu
tenant S~erumgard was the appoint
ment OF a committee, composed of
Mack Traynor and Martin P. Kelly.
to investigate the cases of all solicit
ing from Devils Lake business firms
by men in uniform. Citizens are re-
quested to refer all cases of this ma
ture to members of this committee,
and are urgently requested not to as
slst In manner whatsoever unless the
solicitors a produce cards of appro-
val from the local soldiers.
A CIRCULAR letter, Just received from
the Assistant to the Secretary Of War
IS cited for the information of Lake
keglon people. Requesting aid in
putting a stop to uniformed soldiers
selling books, magazines or otho:
wares, it calls attention to The fact
that it IS strictly against the code Of
the United States army. It also goes
on to say that in a great many cases
Caese men are "pure frauds; men who
nave V entered the service.".
Further, the letter, says, "You
know as we'll as l do, that the 'cooties'
who send them out to do this sort Of
ching are doing it simply to play upon
the public sympathy, which the uni
form arouses and will continue to
arouse a long time to come.
"Ihe men sleeping in Flanders
Fields and in Argonne, and on the
fields around Chateau Thierry, who
can never come back, and the great
majority Of their pals who are re-
turning to civil life, have made that
uniform as sacred as the flag itself:
and the police forces of the United
States can do no finer thing than to
protest it.
1T will be interesting and crafty
ing to konw that 20 per cent of the
men coming out of the army and
navy go straight from the demobiliza-
ton camps to their homes This
leaves only 20 per cent to linger
around the centers of rehabilitation
and in the larger cities. A few of
these may be panhandling, but 1 am
inclined to think that many, if not
most, of the men in uniform that are
peddling in the streets, never entered
the service, and are pure frauds"