The Butte daily bulletin. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1918-1921, 1919-02-20
HOW The Y.M.C.A.
TREATED BOYS
OVERSEAS
What Has Been Done With
Millions Donated, Asks
Arizona Paper. Account
ing Is Due.
From the Tucson lAriz) CitizeuD

From the Tucson tAri2.) Citizen,)
The Citizen has always been Il
supporter Of the Y. M. G, A., both at
homo and abroad, We have aided TO
the best OF our ability i'll the drive
! for funds for the support of the local
organization and i'm the great drives
for funds for the work in camps at
homo and with the American eXpedl-
tionary forces,
The reports which have been COM
ing in lately from across the water
about the Y. M. C. A. are disconcert-
ing If there were only a few COM
plants, we would be disposed to at
tribute them to individual workers,
but the criticism of this great organl-
zation is general and apparently it
has not come up to expectations.
We are not relying on mere hear
say but are fortified by first hand re-
ports The following letter from d
soldier in France to his wife in this
city sets forth an intolerable condi-
tion and is Il fair example of many
stories which have been coming
through:
I'VE had a very nice day on
| Christmas. The Red Cross, X. of G..
and Salvation Army gave us smokes
and gum and the United States gave
us a pound box Of chocolates. The
Y. M. C. A. was too cheap to help us
out and you can believe me when |
say that not a man in the A. t.. +.
| things the " is worth a , They
rob you when they can and try to
when they can't | know of one case
where a man came through Toul out
of a German prison camp, OH his way
back to his old company He was
naturally without money and went to
the W and asked for a meal and
some place to sleep. He told his
story and | listened to it all. The
| Y. M G.. A. official said he was sorry
but if he could not pay for it he
would have to go somewhere else. He
also suggested that some of us fei-
lows standing around there might
chip in to pay the bill. Well then
got mad and saw red and they had To
call the military police to shut me up
| When told the M. =. what the argu-
ment was he got peeyed likewise and
told that W man TO shut his --
face or he'd run him in ] brought
the fellow to our camp and gave him
a square meal and the poor lad near
ly cried he appreciated it so.
THAT is only one of the many such
!, instances pulled off by the Y. once
in a while they used to give some ol
the fellows one cigarette apiece anc
then had to be photographed doing il
so they could have a little Self-ad
vertisement for the folks at home
They have collected hundreds OF
thousands of dollars but God only
knows what they did with tive
never got the benefit of any OF it
= They charge enough profit on wha
they sell to more than cover eA
penseS, y
The Citizen Withholds the name o
this soldier because it has not re
ceived his permission 10 use it bu
will be glad to furnish it to anyon
who is sufficiently interested to in
0uirc. There are many others jus
like this coming through and som
.. are being received right here in Tue
son.
When we gave our money to the
NJ. c. A. we did so under the asSunp
tion that they were going to give FIRE
J aid and succor in just such cases a
this, 1t is hard to believe that an
red -blooded American would refus
to give assistance to one who ha
t lust returned from a German priso
camp, but here is an account straigh
: from soldier in France whose wifi
lives here and whose father, forme
Continued IN Doro Enur