SWINDLERS GET
MILLIONS FROM
WAR CHARITIES
Grafters Take Advantage of Pa
triotism of Country.
EXPENSES EAT UP PROCEEDS
Prey on Those Anxious to Help the
Men at the Front—London and Par
is Had Same Experiences in Early
Days of the War—Worthy Causes
Hurt by Many Fraudulent Schemes.
The exponents of the "easy money"
theory bave not been slow to capital
ize for their personal profìt the pa
t**'otic sentiment of their country.
The trail of their ventures, ostensibly
designed to raise money by promot
ing "bazaars" and "benefits" by liouse
to-house canvasses and Street collec
tion funds for alleged worthy pur
poses, is to be found in ali the cities
and larger towns tliroughotit the
nation, writes Louis Seibold in the
New York World.
Millions bave been diverted from
the intelligently organized and eilì
ciently managed agencies operating
under government auspices to pro
vide comforts for the men who are
actually figliting their battles. Itec
ognized institutions like the lied Cross,
the Y. M. C. A. and various worthy
religious and- putriotic organizations
bave been deprived of money that
they could use witL much greater
advantage to the soldiers and sailors
of the country than if given to volun
teer ventures coiiducted under hap
tjazard circumstances.
Little Left for Comforts.
Publication of the balance sheets
of a recent bazaar show the cost of
a ten-days' event which was de
eigned to "provide comforts for boys
at the front" exceeded $70,000. The
net profits available for "providing
comforts" was less than SBOO after the
expenses of the enterprise had been
paid. The annual report of a "league" j
to furnish "comforts" for the seafight
ers of the country shows that out of
$30,000 raised for the purpose, only
a little more than S7OO ever found its
way into "comforts" for anybody.
But great as has been the abuse of
the confidence of patrlotic citizens
from movements which are organized
on an ostensible public basls, even
more damaging are the flagrantly
fraudulent schemes of persons who re
sort to house-to-house canvasses and
Street collections to line their own
pockets.
The attention of the police of near
ly every large city in the country, and
particularly New York, has been cen
tered on the operations of criminals of
this type who have obtained througli
mlsrepresentation vast sums in the ag
gregate from gullible people who bt
lieved they were giving money to
worthy causes designed to make life
easier for the men who are exposing
their lives to their country's enemies.
It is diilicult, of course, to present
»ny intelligent estimate of the gross
amount of money raised by volunteer
collectors of tliese various "funds,"
but it undoubtedly mounts away up
Into the millions.
There have been frequent instances
of men and women utterly lacking a
sense of lionor and decency auda
clously and fraudulently soliciting
funds in the name of the Red Cross.
One such case recently carne to light
on the upper West side of New York.
A Woman Swindler's Methods.
A well-dressed woman around whose
arm was a white band on which was
stamped a faint red cross, visited sev
eral apartment houses. Slie carried a
pasteboard box with a slot and deco
rated with a big red cross. When ad
mitted she inquired breezily:
"Anything for the Red Cross to
day?"
When questioned by some of ber in
tended vìctims as to the specific pur
pose of the collection she said : "Oh.
this is for a special purpose."
The police say that persons falsely
representing themselves as agents of
the Red Cross or other recognized or
ganizations should be immediately
turned over to the first oflìcer.
Inquiry of the Red Cross authori
ties reveals the fact that it does not
employ agents of this sort and that
its appeals for funds are publicly
made, ancì subscriptions should be sent
to headquarters.
That which is true of the Red Cross
applies to the Y. M. C. A. and a few
other worthy causes, including public
fnnds started by newspapers for the
purchase of tobacco, donations to
which are acknowledged in the news
columns.
Great Britain and every other bel
ligerent country was confronted by
the sanie conditions and problems in
the early stages of the war. So great
was the abuse of the public confidence
by the "easy-money men" of England
that the government and newspapers
opened war on them, with the result
that many were se?it to prlson, and the
patriotic charities regulated and or
ganized on a business basis under gov
ernment supervision.
Frauds in London Exposed.
In December, 1915, the London Daily
iMail began a crusade against the vol
unteer war charities of an indiscrim
inate character. It exposed the ex
orbitant profits raked in by persons
who preyod on the public throiigh ap-
( peals for funds to carry on ostensible
patrlotic ventures.
The Mail asserted that enongh
money was collected In thls way to
pay the actual cost of the war for a
, week. And Great Britain was then
spending $25,000,000 for war purposes
every day.
The sanie evils recently exposed in
this country were brought to light
in Great Britain. Most of the reve
nues of "bazaars" and "benefits" were
eaten up by "expenses" for press
agents, advertising solicitors and pro
motions.
The extent to which the indiscrim
inate war grafters imposed on the
British public before the government
stepped in to put a stop to their ac
tivities was described by James M.
Touhy, London correspondent of the
World, in a dispatch printed in 1916.
Mr. Touhy said:
"One woman was arrested who
turned out to be the wife of a soldier
to whorn the war department was
making an allowance of $G a week,
this in addition to the $7 a week
which her husband gave her from his
pay. She was begging for a Belgian
fund which did not exist. A well
known woman of society whose suc
cess in organizing entertainments for
charity has produced many thou
sands of dollars has, it is said, paid
herself, under the item of expenses,
at the rate which the big theater
managers of the West end receive.
"Scotland Yard blames the most
prominent people who allow their
names to be put upon committees for
war chari ties without investigating
the reliability of filose who collect the
funds.
"Early in Aprii the citizens of Glas
gow denounced the prince of Wales'
fund, to which Scotland had contrib
uted generously without being able
to obtain a penny to pay rents for
the families of soldiers at the front.
Stopped by Scotland Yard.
"The French relief fund and the
Belgian soldiers' fund occupy the most
conspicuous places just now in the
public investigation of charity money
scandals. In France the minlster of
the interior is responsible for the col
lection and distribution of ali such
funds, and the committee, self-appoint
ed in London, to collect money for the
French relief fund, had no difficulty in
securing the patronage of President
Poincaré and different members of the
French cabinet.
"It was then an easy matter to get
the patronage of members of the Brit
ish cabinet, and this fund was largely
advertised as being under the spon
sorship of Sir John Simon, the home
secretary, and Winston Churchill, be
fore the latter's withdrawal from the
government.. Mr. Asquith, the prime
minister also allowed his name to be
used in connection with the fund.
"When no balance sheet was pub
llshed after nearly a year of activity
in gathering in the shillings, and when,
moreover, the London committee be
gan seeking government ald to pre
vent the duchess of Soinerset from
liaving a French Fiag day July 7 in
London for the benefit of the French
Red Cross, an investigation was be-
gun which seems to bave fìnally been
taken in hand by Scotland Yard.
"Sir John Simon, Churchill, Lloyd
George and others withdrew from the
sponsorship of the fund. The secre
tary of the fund then tried to place
before the public a statement of the
condition of the fund, which amountfed
to $230,000, and $500,000 was wanted.
The London papers refused to print
the advertisement. It was said the
newspapers had been told by Scotland
Yard not to allow the affairs of the
French relief fund to figure in their
columns."
Paris had very much the same ex
perience as the British metropolis with
war grafters. Out of 147 war chari
ties organized in the French capital
in 1915, 75 were found to be the most
barefaced swindles by the police, ac
cording to the Matin, which inaugu
rated a crusade against the eviL In
FAMGUS PAINTER IS
INTERNED IN ENGLAND
.[j >.J' vjv .Jv
""* "" """
Philip A. Laszlo, the famous Aus
trian painter, has been interned In
England because of his suspicìous ac
tivities. Professor Laszle ls known
throughout the art world. He paint
ed portraits of many notables, ex-
President Roosevelt, King Edward VII,
Kaiser Wilhelm, being a few of his
best known subjects. He was enno
bled in 1912 by the emperor of Aus
tria. He has been a resident of Eng
land for many years.
reporting the result of ita investiga
tions the Matln saìd:
Many of the Promoters Criminal*.
"Thirty-five of the 'philanthropic so
cieties* were found to be conducted by
raon rvho had been released from pris
on just before or just after the mobili
zation at the start of the war. Sev
eral others, it is said, are conducted
by Germans and Austrians who had
succeeded on one pretext or another,
(n gaining their release from the con
centration camps.
"Two of the most brilliant and suc
cessful 'philanthropists,' it is said, be
pan business without enough money
to open offiees, but soon were able to
rent handsome quarters in town and
purchase automobiles. They are now,
it is declared, in the habit of enter
taining their friends at sumptuous din
ners in the most expensive restaurants
on the proeeeds of the contributions
of their victims. These two, it is said,
ha ve never made less than 2,000 francs
! ($400) a day sinc-e they began opera
tions last September."
The expenses of administering char
itable funds in tliis country even be
fore the war have aiways been very
high, though not of suoli a magnitude
as indicated by tlie figures reported
by the promoters of ventures ostensi
bly patriotic.
An investigation of the charity or
ganization society of this city in 1013
sliowed that it eost 81.30 to administer
every $1 donated or raised by collec
tion.
An even more glaring case of bad
management (or worse) was revealed
by an investigation of the United
Charities of Chicago in 3913. One item
developed was that it had cost $5,000
to assist a family to the extent of S3OO.
The opinion prevails in Washington
that the government will be forced to
adopt radicai measures to end the in
di scriminate and illegal war charities
organized for selfish reasons by pros
ecuting some of the most outrageous
cases coming to the attention of the
Red Cross and other autborized agen
eies for colleeting war funds.
George E. Scott, director of the bu
reau of division of the American Red
Cross, has prepared the following gen
eral rules as a guide to locai chapters
of that organization in considering of
fers of assistance througli the medium
of entertainments :
Gereral Rules for Chapters.
"No offers should be accepted con- \
templating a division of profits be
tween the promoters and the Red
Cross. This rule applies to the man
ufacture and sale of merchandise or
articles of any kind or as to entertain
ments.
"No one should be permitted to pro
mote or advertise an entertainment or
like function as a Red Cross enter
tainment or benefit unless the manage
ment or control is entirely in the
hands of the Red Cross chapter.
"If, after due investigation, those of
fering to conduct entertainments for
the benefit of the Red Cross are found
to be entirely reliable and acting in
good faith they may be permitted to
make announcement in the press or
otherwise of their intention to donate
the proeeeds of the entertainment to
tlie Red Cross, but the entertainment
should not be advertised as a Ited
Cross benefit or Red Cross entertain
ment, nor any wording used in the 1
announcements that would lead the ;
public to believe that it is being given
under the auspices of the Red Cross
or that the Red Cross is in any way i
connected with or responsible for its
management.
"In no instance should the use of
the Red Cross emblem in announcing
or advertising an entertainment be au
thorized except in the case of such en
tertainments as are actually managed :
and controlied by the Red Cross chap
ter."
ENGLAND ASKS U. S.
FOR ANILINE DYES
Industry Has Grown Rapidly in
This Country "ince Outbreak
of War.
The American woman's clotliing is
now dyed with colors produced by
American manufacturers, and the Eng
lish are turning to the United States
for their aniline dyes, according to re
ports made to the bureau of foreign
and domestic commerce.
So rapidly has the American dye in
dustry grown since the outbreak of
the war that capital invested has in
creased from about $3,000,000 to $250,-
DOO.OOO.
British representatives are now in
this country to co-operate with Ameri
can manufacturers in supplying Eng
lish and other foreign markets.
Synthetic indigo, one of the most
important tinctorial products, was not
manufactured in this country before
the war, the bulk of our market re
quirements being fìlled from Germany.
The "blue jeans" of the American
farm hand were ali colored by dyes
made in Germany. Today American
manufacturers are booking contracts
for 1918 delivery, according to state
ments of trade journals.
The production of aniline dyes is
now equal to the domestic demands,
and the United States has already en
tered the field of world trade as an
exporter of dyestuffs.
For the month of July the ship
ments of American-made aniline dyes
to foreign countries amounted in vaine
to $497,106.
Away Goes Boston's Free Lunch.
The Boston license board, at the sug
gestion of the national food adminis
tration. has notified saloon proprietors
to eliminate free lunclies.
GREETS GERMAN'
SHELL AS JOKE
How Pershing Men Conduct
Themselves in Trenches.
JUST MISS GENERiI/S AUTO
Chauffeur Ducks Head, Dons "Tin
Hat" and Sticks to Wheel—Laby
rlnth of Trenches Is Just Like Main
Street to American Soldiers—Gun
Forces Huns to Lose Laundry.
"The Boche just carne dose enough,"
was the way a certain American colo
nel smilingly described the visit of a
German shell which recently struck
his headquarters.
The colonel at that time was work
ing in his "office" at headquarters, a
chateau near the trenches. Orderlies
were coming and going. A dozen offì
cers were working in various rooms.
Suddenly the German shell crashed
into the roof and exploded half way
down the second floor.
The explosion smashed Windows ev
erywhere and scattered a rain of plas
ter over the colonel's bed.
Two minutes later we found the
colonel standing on bis steps looking
the building over and gingerly han
dling some hot fragments of the shell.
One liour before the German shell
struck home an American general had
left his automobile near the chateau
and walked 100 yards away, when a
shell struck near the car. The auto
mobile was showered with mud and
stones. The American army chauffeur
ducked his head, donned his "tin liat"
and stuck to his wheel.
A zig-zagging ditch, walled in with
hand-woven twigs, khaki-clad Sam
mies standing on the firing step—this
is America's first line.
Know Trench Labyrinth.
It winds like a brown scar across
the face of the hill. Sammies, peer-
ing cautiously over the parapet, have
an unobstructed view across a valley
j to where the Boche is sulking in bis
own front line trenches.
America's front line in the land
branch of the battle for dcmocracy
isn't just a plain ditch. To the un
initiated it is a labyrinth of twists
and turns and holes and mounds. But
to Sammy, it is as simple as Main
Street, back home. He knows every
dugout, every traverse, every listening
post.
Standing on the flre-step at one
place in the trench beside a Nebraska
soldier, I strained by eyes across death
valley to where the enemy holds forth.
It was a dank, tangled tarn. Weeds
run wild for three years, luxuriated
there. A battered village stands mid
way, awaiting the day of reclamation.
It was stili. Not a sign of move
ment sliowed anywhere. Nothing
moved over where the German
trenches were.
Suddenly an American gun cracked
twice. Shells shuffled instantaneous
ly over us and detonated "over there"
in wriggly puffball fashion. Perhaps
unseen Boches were sent scurrying
underground by its wieked fragments.
A crow wheeling in midair was
struck by a bit of this shrapnel. He
dropped to the earth like a plummet.
"There ain't any use writing about
that to the home folks," said the tali
Nebraska soldier. "They wouldn't be
lieve me if I told it to 'em."
We passed on down the trench. A
Memphis (Tenn.) machine gunner was
our next acquaintanee.
"There are plenty of ducks in Death
valley," he voluntered, after someone
had mentioned the crow incident.
"There's a small lake inidway over No
Man's Land, and they gather around
there."
From somewhere an American snip
er's rifle cracked the deep stillness
and then quiet settled down again. In
growing sliadows we passed on down
the trench. As we stopped, there carne
abruptly the unmistakable whistling
of shells, then instantly three bangs
as the three shots struck a hundred
yards away, near the first line. There
were no casualties.
Immediately the American guns
took up the challenge, measure for
measure. Then it was quiet again.
That brief interchange suggested in
quiry as to what took place in the
first lines when shells carne over. A
Wyoming boy proudly showed his dug
out.
Huns Lose Their Laundry.
"It accommodates thirty-eight of us,
also a million rats," he remarked with
a grin. "And I forgot the dozen or so
cats."
We passed stili farther along—and
got by a machine-gun post just in time
to see the little death-dealer rattle a
lively barrage over against a German
village where the Boches were seen to
be hanging out their shlrta on a
clothes-llne. The Huns fled —leaving
their laundry.
Reachlng the end of the American !
sector, we turned to the rear. A tomb
like stillness reigned at that moment.
It was so quiet that the loudest sound
was the water splashing and swishlng
under the "duck-boards" (lattice work
pavements) beneath our feet.
Half an hour later the lull was
broken. The Boches started a sud
den spasm of artillerying. They hurled
50 shrapnel shells with a drum-fire
speed—2s a minute, perhaps. Distant
thumps and red flashes near us showed
the American gun volley sent painstak
ingly in reply.
Then it was stili again. .
QUITS GOOD POSITION
TO G0 T 0 THE FRONT
trCrirtrCrùtrirtrCrirtrCrtrCrCrirtrtrCrtrù^rCrtt
I
]
Miss Jessie L. Simpson, secretary
of the foreign relations committee,
wlio has resigned in order to "go to the
front." She has accepted a position
as clerk to the auditor of the Pershing
expedltion in France. Miss Simpson
was the first woman to be appointed
in this responsible comraittee position
in the house. She was formerly sec
retary to Senator Stone, and has act
ed in other confidential capacities. She
relinquishes a good salary to "do her
bit" in France. She will go abroad as
soon as arrangements have been made
for her transportation.
1
CUTTING OUT CANDY
WOULO SAVE SUGAR
Enough Confectionery Used in the
United States to Keep
Europe Easily.
According to information reachlng
the food administration the sugar used
in making candy in the United States
is suffieient to ineet ali the sugar re
: quirements of Great Britain under the
! rationing standard adopted there.
If the people of the United States
would cut out candy the sugar so
saved would be more than suffieient
to meet ali the sugar requirements of
France.
If one half the sugar used in the
making of candy in this country In
j 1917 could ha ve been saved, it would
have been suffieient to meet the sugar
requirements of Italy for a year
under that country's present sugar
standard.
The money spent for candy in this
country the past year is nearly doublé
the amount of money needed to keep
Belgium supplied with food for a year.
Of the total consumption of the Unit
ed States about one-third goes into the
manufacture of various foodstufFs, ln
cluding confectionery, while the re
mainder is consumed as sugar. The
amount of sugar employed in the mak
ing of confectionory is variously esti
mated from 150,000 to 500,000 tons a
year.
The confectionery business of the
country is about two-thirds as lnrge
as the butter business, a little less than
one-third as lnrge as the wheat flnur
business, slightly larger than the can
ning and preserving of fruits and about
two-flfths as large as the bakery busi
ness.
TEXAS IN THE LEAD
Highest Percentage of Acceptancea for i
Air Service.
Out of tests of applicants for aerial
service in the army, from twenty dif
ferent states, Texans lead in the per
centage of acceptances. The observ
ers' tests are sirnilar to those for the
pilots for airplanes, except the equili
brium test is not included in the exam
ination for observers. Officers in
charge of this branch of the aviation
corps say the reason Texans lead in
the tests is that they are clear-eyed,
keen of observation and their outdoor
life has trained them to quick decision
and action.
While the army is always in need
of pilots for airplanes and warplanes,
the great need right now is for ob
servers—the men who note the lay of
the land and map out the country as
the piane moves at a great height in
the air.
MULE IS A SUICIDE
She Was Named Maude, and Hanged ;
Herself Rather Than Be Shot.
Rather than be shot to death because i
a veterlnarian had pronounced ber
crazy, Maude, a mule valued at $250,
belonging to George Hays, a Lawrence- 1
port. Ind., farmer, committed suicide.
The animai had become so crazy that
lt had become necessary to tie her
with a strong rope to keep her from
beatlng herself to death against the
side of a barn.
As there was no known cure for a
crazy mule, Doctor Sanders, a veterl
narian, who was ealled to attend her, i
decreed she should be shot. Her ex
ecutioner went for a revolver, but be- j
fore he returned the mule had flipped |
the rope around her neck, and lunging i
backward, choked herself to death. 1
MODESTY MARKS
BRITISH FLYER
Achievements of the Airmen Are
Not Advertised.
DROPSI2S TONS OF 30MBS
Royal Corpa in One Month Downs 152
German Machines and Disables 122
David Henderson, Head of Air Board,
Holds "It Does Not Pay to Adver
tise" Air Warfare.
The royal flying corps is the least
advertised branch of the British ariuy.
As the preface to a long lnterview on
the work aud achievements of that
service. Maj. Gen. Sir David Hender
son, head of the air board, explnined
the reasoQ for this studied modesty.
"Other air services," he said, "adver
tise individuai fighters and thus adver»
tise the service. We don't boeause the
tìghtiug airnian is but a small part of
the air personuel and not the most im
porta nt at that. in niany ways he has
the best of the work. llis part Is the
most spectaculur aud he gets the best
machines.
"lìut a fighter is only sent up to pro
tect the bombing, reconnaissance and
range-finding machines, whose work is
the most valuable. We beiieve that by
advertising individuai fighters we
would kill the spirit of tlie other llyers.
Our system gives us a higher average
standard. Witli a week's notìce we
could transfer the personnel of a tight
ing squadron to a reconnaissance
squadron, or vice versa, witli perfectly
satisfactory results.
Develops Spirit of Airmen.
"But what is much better, we have
developed the spirit of the squadron.
If you ask an airman back from the
front how many Buche he downed he
won't teli you. But he will say with
pride: 'Our squadron got sixteen last
week,' or whatever the number might
be. That is the proper spirit for the
service.
"And another thing, we don't go in
for 'peace' or propaganda Uylng. VVe
are too busy killing Huns.
General Henderson then turned to
the work of the flying corps.
"The corps has multiplied between
70 and 100 tiines in men and material
since the war began. We have had
the lieaviest air work of any of the al
lies and just now are experlenclng the
toughest bit of the war.
"One reason for our large losses ls
that our policy has always been to get
the jump on the enemy. It is costly,
but the only policy if one has the
means to pursue it. Some time ago
the Germans reallzed this, as we es
tabllshed by orders found. But be
yond short, spasmodlc attempts, they
have never succeeded in getting the
offensive.
Carry Fighting to Germans.
"The result has been that most of
the air fighting ls on the German side
of the line and few are downed on our
side. Even as far back as the battle
of the Somme we had the jump on the
Boehe. There was not a German ma
chine within ten miles of the battle
line.
"An idea of the actual work of the
service at the front may be gained
from September's statistica. During
that month we downed 139 Gerraan
planes in air fighting and 13 by anti
aircraft gunfìre ; downed 122 out of
control, dropped 125 tons of bombs,
took IG,OOO photographs, directed ar
tlllery fire against 1,372 batteries and
flew the equivalent of four and three
fourths years."
General Ilenderson partly exploded
the popular idea that the youngest men
make the best ilyers.
"For fighters, perhaps yes," sald he,
"but for the other branches of the
service the older men, up to thirty-flve,
are steadier, more persistent and exer
cise better judgment."
He was very doubtful about the prac
ticabllity of extensive standardization
of airplane construction.
"You may standardize your erigine,"
he said, "but piane construction
changes so rapidly that if you stand
ardize for large scale production you
are apt to find yourself with a nurnber
of antiquated machines on your
hands."
FAR WEST IS UNAFFECTED
Electric Sign Rule Does Not Apply on
the Coast.
Western cities, as a rule, are not af
fected by the recent order of the na
tlonal fuel administration llmiting the
use of electric slgns to certaln hours.
Fuel Adminlstrator Holmes of Oregon
declares where electric energy la pro
duced by water power the order does
not apply.
Very little coal or oli is used for
making electrlcity for the big citlea of
the Paclflc Northwest In some of the
smaller towns waste from sawmllla li
used to produce electrlcity and thia
fuel does not come under the adminls
tration's order.
RELATIVES IN THE WAR
A Census Shows That Mr«. Sullivan
Ha» Twenty-Three of Them.
Mrs. J. A. Sullivan of Moundsvllla,'
W. Va., has completed a census of her
relatives in the present war, and she
finds that twenty-three ha ve been en
lisied into the armies of the allies. The
number enlisted includes grandsona
and nephews. Twenty-one are on the
firing line in Europe, five brothers from
Wales and the others from Entrland- !