Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1921-06-03
OPPOSE. PUBLISHING
STACKER" LIST


Editorial comment Of big newspap-
era in various parts of the country
| is opposed to publishing the war de-
partment's Stacker" list, some for
tho reason that they would become
the goats" of the war department in
publishing lists that are known to
contain numerous errors.
The Pocatello Tribune has the fol
lowing to say on the subject, then re-
produces an editorial from an eastern
publication.
''SLACKERS AND
BONEHEADS"
Already tho war department is
making apologies for publicity of the
Iso-called Stacker" list. Already il
has heaped infamy on several men
Ewho served with honor overseas.
The press will not publish the alleged
Stacker" list, as they are grossly
inaccurate and while some factors
seem DESTROYS of pushing the pro
gram, it is incompetent as the war
department has the only records, and
lit is incompetent. The following
comment from an eastern paper is
pertinent"
The secretary of war has curious
notions about the responsibilities of
the war department and the duties Of
the newspapers with respect to the
so-called Stacker lists" Both he
and his predecessor prided themselves
upon the completeness of the records
of the men who served in the army
during the Great War. That most
complete" record, together with the
lists furnished the government by the
various draft boards, has been in the
possession of the war department
now for many months; but it does
not seem to have occurred to any
body to compare the two lists to see
whether any of the men WHO'D served
with honor in the army were ex-
empted for good and sufficient rea-
sons were by mistake included in the
Stacker lists"
But what is worse, Secretary
Weeks seems to imagine that it is the
duty of the newspapers to perform a
Iduty which his own department con
spicuously failed to do. Under the
natural assumption that reasonable
care had been taken in checking up
the record, some of the newspapers
began in good faith the publication
of the lists furnished them by the
war department, only to find out to
their chagrin that they included
lamong other gross libels the men
who died on the battlefields Of Eu.
krOpe fighting with tho A. e. f., of
Iothers who served with honor-in-
Icluding one who was commissioned
lieutenant colonel ann another who
received the Congressional Medal of
Honor for distinguished heroism in
the face Of theenemy. Yet the sec
rotary has the assurance to expect the
newspapers to go on publishing these
lists; and he makes the naive argu.
ment that the publications will give
every man a chance to clear his rec
ord" In other words, he first
would brand him Stacker and. deserter
and leave it to him to show the
world and the war department-that
he has been loyal to his duty as sol
der and citizen.
II the newspapers were to under
take to do what the secretary wants
them to do-that is cooperate with
him in circulating what has been
demonstrated to be greatly inaccu-
rate list, and thereby doing wrong
to innocent men-they would be JUS
titled in demanding that army off
GERS should be detailed to sit in each
office to receive the indignant pro-
tests of the libeled persons and take
full responsibility for the wrongs
done But that would be vastly more
to the point would be the thorough
revisions OF the lists by utilization Of
the complete records" which the
war department boasts of POSSESSING.
There has been ample time for such
a revision, for It is notorious thai
the rehabilitation of the enormous
clerical civilian force did not take
place until long after the armistlc9
and the return from Europe of the
major part OF the expeditionary fore
es. Why this was not done, Secre-
tary Weeks, or perhaps Secretary
Baker, might be called upon to eA-
plain. The latter may at least oi1eI
the defense that he did not under
take to give publicity to the incon!,
plete and uncorrected Stacker ISIS.
pearances of the professional fighter,
IL