The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-02-28
WAR MOTHERS

The American War Mothers assO-
citation is national organization of
mothers of sons and daughters who
served their country, or allied
countries, during the late World
War with Germany. 1t is interna-
tional in scope and is affiliated with
the National Council of Women. At
present, almost every state has a
state chapter and there are nearly
10000 membership cards recorded
and filed by the National Custodian
of Records. The military records Of
our sons and daughters are filed for
tafety in the Pension Building at
Washington, D. c., where the War
Mothers have a fire-proOf room set
apart by the government for their
use to store these priceless military
records.
Indiana was the first state organ
lied in September, 1917, and Idaho
was the second state to organize,
January, 1918, under the leadership
of Mrs. D. w. Standrod. Mrs Frank
DeKay, who has been State War
Mother for the past four years, or
ganized the statA, into four district
chapters in 1941 according to
geographical lines skand convenient
railroad facilities.
All our activities pertain to the
betterment, care and comfort of our
disabled ex-service mah. The chap
tiers presented a $5O0$radio to the
Government Hospital No. So, located
at Boise, for a Christmas present in
1928, besides Christmas boxes, books
and SIS cash donation for Christmas
cheer directly from the ). Wallace
chapter to the hospital inmates. For
Christmas, 1924, the state chapter
sent seven comfortable porch reclin-
ing chairs, SIS worth of new Victrola
records and $50 storage battery for
the radio presented the previous year
to the same hospital.
The aims of the organization are |
to help secure any beneficial legisla-
ton for the ex-service men, better
hospitals and disqualification, memoir
ials, and the collecting and preserv-
ing of the military records of our
service men and women while the
data is still available.
Just at present, we are vitality in
terested in and putting forth strenu-
ous effort to secure the release of, or
of sentences of all
soldiers now serving prison sent
snces for war time offenses. The
War Mothers feel keenly the injus-
ice of keeping many of these men
IN prison, (for some very trivial Of
lenses, indeed) with no thought of
heir war records taken into con-
;ideration whatsoever, while traitors,
;pies, slackers, l. w. WIS and con-
cientious DIRECTORS, whose actions
- hi frxr, Pol
Irmed efforts, we're released.
The National War Mothers Con- +,
-ention, which was held in Kansas
lily last October, authorized an in
estigatiOn to be made of the mill
airy prisoners in the federal peniten-
iaries. One hundred and seventy ,
tx are confined in Leavenworth, : :
lan, penitentiary. This institution
elegates present to actually see sur
ounding conditions under which !
hese men are incarcerated, while 7.
isloyal slackers in the same institu-
ion were virtually given blanket
ardon. Apparently the nations de- :
enders, our soldiers, have been over
ooked. One-half of the 176 soldiers
re there for life, sixty-eight served
\ France. Some were wounded,
ONE gassed, some performed acts OF
ravery. They we're sentenced In
rance or Germany by stern court
lartials and given the stiffest posi-
lie penalty. The remaining 108
lere sentenced in this country dur O
lg the war. For the most part, they n
ere in uniform ready to fight when c
hey transgressed the laws. In
of the cases Of these
CONTINUED on page y II