The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-22
Scotching the Red ProPa-
ganda in Army and Navy.

The warning issued by Score
| taries DENLY and Weeks that an
archy was endeavoring to bore into
the navy and army has drawn uni
Iversal endorsement from the news
papers of the nation, IF action &C
Lually was needed" However
| there is a general suggestion IN
the press comment that, after all,
it might have been better had the
chiefs of the national defense been
a trifie more explicit in their warn
ings and the causes thereof. Some
of the editors are inclined to be
distinctly skeptical recalling the
forebodings of a former cabinet Of
| fetal Nevertheless all agree that
always there exists a danger that
the red movement may try 20
make the wearers of the uniform
disconnected, especially under ex-
listing conditions.
Communism and anarchy in the
navy was probably only a nantes
tation of spring fever. accompanied
by a red RASH" suggests the New
York Evening World, which be-
lieves that Secretary Weeks con-
| tracted the malady in much
/ lighter FORM The World thinks
IF there is danger of extremist
movements there is some reason
for them. Congress and the navy
department is to blame in tinker
ing with pay scales and in cutting
the maintenance appropriations.
Even such provacation would have
little effect on the army-navy per-
sonnet, however, in the opinion OF
/ the Philadelphia Bulletin, which,
after reviewing the insidious MAJ
; ner in which red" propaganda is
spread registers the positive op1n-
ion that neither Secretary DENLY
nor any other man can fear that
the officers and men can be seduced
in any considerable numbers from
loyalty to the flag" because, as the
Boston Post points out this conf
dence is justified" and "sedition
will never rule our armed forces
although it is just as well to kill 1t
young for it is a source of trouble
at any time and in any degree"
! The necessity for such public
warning at this time is inclined to
puzzle the Christian Science Mont
tor. which believes that ''if discon-
tent and disaffection are spreading
in the ranks of the navy something
more than an executive order
threatening punishment will be
/ needed to eradicate them. The men
! of the rank and file of the army
and navy are not idealists. They
I have been taught that the liberty
they cherish is thing to be fought
! for, a condition to the achieved and
defended by force, and that this
force is something they can direct
as we'll as anybody" Along a sim
liar line the Port Huron, Mich,
! Times-Herald, contends that If
there are additional facts known to
! the secretaries they should make
them known because Of the forces
of disloyalty are at work Uncle
Sam will tolerate no attempt" by
! them ito undermine our govern
ment. Let the secretary Of the
navy speak out plainly" After all
! however, the New York Herald sug-
gests Mr.. Daugherty, head of the
department which deals with fool
! ish folks who pit the lunacy of their
misguided ideas against the good
sense of American remarks that
there are folks who see danger OF
revolution whenever they see &
woman with a red hat walk down
the street. Mr. Weeks obviously
can gaze upon a red hat without
trembling for the future of the un.
ion. Mr.. DENLY ought to lean to DE-
the same thing. The bonnet rouge
does not always mean that society
is endangered.