Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-01-27
BOGUS PATRIOTS
STILL ARE BUSY
THEY INSIST ON RECOGNITION OF
PRINCIPLE OF AMNESTY FOR
WAR OFFENDERS.
MAKE MARTYRS OF PRISONERS
Something About the MischieVous Work
of the Propagandists Who Abused
the Right Of Free speech and Ham
pered Nations War Efforts.
By EDWARD 3. CLARK


an organization that is working to Sc
cure the release OF all war prisoners
that the campaign will continue with
renewed energy through the new year.
A member of an organization whose
work lies along these lines has said
that the Presidents Christmas pardons
wholly failed to recognize the prin-
ciple of amnesty for war offenses.'
There is a tireIess and ceaseless
campaign in progress in the United
States to make it appear to the Amer
lean people that the men and women
who tried in one way or another to
cripple the United States in its war
activities are the real patriots of the
land, and that those who are in prison
are there almost entirely because of
their super-patriotism, as shown by
their willingness to suffer martyrdom
in behalf Of free speech.
There are evidences in Washington,
and the presumption is that they can
be found more fully disclosed than
elsewhere in the letters received by
the attorney generals Office, that the
people generally throughout the coun-
try do not understand fully why the
men who are in prison for wartime
offenses were put there. There is an
effort being made, so salient that it
cannot be overlooked, to make it ap-
pear to the people that many Of the
Imprisoned ones are there only be-
cause they INDUCED in their 'constitu-
tional rights" of free speech.
Right of Free Speech Abused.
Free speech in the minds of the
apologists for the prisoners and for
those men and women who never We're
put in prison but who probably ought
to have been put there, includes also
"free writing" During the war the
activities of hundreds of the propa-
gandists against war manifested them
selves in writing They were not slow
TO put forth arguments sustaining the
right of an American to refuse to de-
fend his country. They were strong in
their efforts in behalf of so-called con-
scientious DIRECTORS. They were tire
less in their efforts to defeat the pur-
poses Of the draft, and in every way
that they could they sought so to Grip
pie the efforts of the military authori-
ties as to make difficult the prosecu-
ton of hostilities and to increase the
chances Of Americas defeat in the
fight
There are, or have been, in Wash
ington, to engage in the work of edu-
eating the American people into the
belief that all soldiers in the late war
were criminals, some men who were
convicted Of sedition or near sedition
during the war and who served prison
sentences for their offenses. 1t must
not be supposed that the activities of
these persons are devoted entirely to
the cause of those still in prison. Their
work In considerable measure is as
their work was in war time, that of
radicalizing the land, of creating SYM
pathy for forms of government that
have been proved to be impossible,
and of doing other things which would
turn sane democracy into insane anar-
chy They are, generally speaking,
precious bunch.
Making conscientious Directors"
The fact that exemption was granted
to bona fide conscientious directors
was seized upon, by some of the or
CARNATIONS which did not want their
country to enter the fight for civiliza-
ton. to enter into a campaign ''to Gre
ate conscientious directors" or, in 9TH
er words, to make it easy for men who
did not want to light to pretend to
conscientious scruples and to cover
their pretense with a camouf1age of
sincerity sufficient to fool the author
tiles.
1t is men and women out of these
various organizations who did what
they could to defeat their country in
battle, who now not only are trying
to get all. their fellows out of prison,
but are trying to induce all Americans
to look upon license of speech as free
dom of speech, and are trying in a
general way to Russianize the United
States.
When the writer of this article asked
one of the propagandists what they
would do If an enemy landed on our
shores, he replied: eve will meet the
enemies at the seashore, shake hands
with them and ask them to dinner.
This will disarm them completely; the
United States will be safe, and the
example of the thing will bring peace
to all the world"
This answer gives an insight into
the kind of mentality possessed by
about 90 per cent of the members of
the associations that still are engaged
in their un-American work.
Social Revival in Washington.
washington in a way is feeling the
continuing impulse of the New Year.
Perhaps it is feeling it more in a
social way than in a business way
because, so to speak, Washington has
been born again socially within the
last few months.
For the first time in nine years a