El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-06-20
MUST BE
THE Truth.
Rotary Speaker Urges Lift
ing of Censorship to Show
German Menace.

I Of the United States quickly to a
/ thorough understanding of all phases
I of the war, Of why we are in it. of
the kind of enemy we are fighting,
and of the urgent necessity for the
whole people Of the United States TO
join with their very hearts and souls
in the stupendous task" was advo-
Gated by Pomeroy Burton, in an ad-
dress which he delivered today be-
fore the International Rotary conven-
/ ton here. Mr.. Burton the well known
American journalist in London who
/ has been lecturing in the United
| States upon the relation Of the United
States TO the war, spoke as follows:
For nearly three years the grim
and bony index finger of war has
pointed straight this way.
For nearly three years, and each
/ succeeding day with accommodating
force, urgent reasons have existed for
putting in order the defensive ma
chinery of this country
People Apathetic; Nation Unprepared.
After nearly three years of war on
a scale such as the world never
dreamed of before, involving country
after country, and sweeping steadily
on, like an overwhelming tidal wave,
with warning after warning OF the
most definite Characterize Lusi-
tania, the Sussex, the Arabic-with
lightning flashes and deafening peals
of thunder from the darkening skies
to tell all who were not blind and
deaf of the approaching storm; de-
spite all of these. today finds great
masses of the population throughout
the United States dangerously apa-
thetic and obllViOuS to the acute peril
which threatens them It also finds
this country aStoundingly unpre-
pared.
7 am not one Of those who believe
the allies can be defeated-they must
surely conquer in the end; but so Sc
rious are some features of the war
situation today that unless the peo-
pie of the United States awaken
quickly to a full sense of their indi-
vidual responsibilities and join heart
lily in the work of organizing the
country for war on an enormous
scale, there is almost certain to en-
sue a long period of CHASTITY fighting
and world wide suffering-with ruin
and starvation on every side-and by
a long period I mean from five to 20
years, or more
The war program cannot be made
effective without the full cooperation
Of the people That cooperation can
not be expected until the people have /
been aroused to a full and complete |
understanding Of the war
Wide Publicity Campaign Imperative. |
most emphasis what I had the privi- |
lege of stating recently to the Mer-
chants association Of New York, that |
il is absolutely essential for those I
who are shaping the general war pro- /
gram, without further delay. to or /
ganize and project, under government /
direction, a great and farreaching /
campaign Of information designed to /
make the people understand this war. /
It should be made to reach the eyes i
and the hearts and the frrI1 under
standing Of the people by freely US 4
ing the advertising and the news 4
columns Of every useful publication i
in the United States, and by using |
the movies. the billboard. the post Of
fices, the public buildings. the rail-
way stations, and the public convey
auces, as was done in the great pub
licity campaigns which were success
fully used to arouse the people OF
England 10 full sense of their \
danger. and their RESPONSIBILITIES at a |
critical period OF the war In addi- 4
ton to this, schOOlrOOms. the lecture /
halls, the churches. the libraries, the 1
city halls the public squares-aQ 4
every state OF the Union should re-
sound with the voices Of Americas 4
greatest and most forceful speakers, /
telling the people the full truth. the 4
basic facts, about this war
Modified Censorship Needed.
If, coupled with this urgently
needed campaign, there could be ac-
complished a radical revision of the
French and English censorship rules,
permitting a much freer flow OF all
sor8 of war facts and war develop
mems from the fighting areas than is
possible under existing conditions,
the effect, I feel sure, would be
enormously beneficial to the whole
allied cause
For instance, would it not be the
height Of Tr-ieTnrr7 n 20 mol .
icy which even yet cOnceals from the
world the full truth about the in
credible atrocities in Belgium, atroci-
ties which, If possible, have been out
done in Rumania, and which up to
now have not been publicly disclosed.
adopting a new policy which would
release to the whole world the story
Of appalling barbarities perpetrated
by the Germans there-many of them
too horrible to describe from pub
lie platform, but all of them serving
TO show the people here what they
might expect in the event of Hun
invasion of the United States; expos
ing fiendish deviltry which caused
thousands Of poisoned candies. filled
with typhus germs, to be dropped
from German airplanes for Rumanian
TO pick up and eat; the
shocking story Of how brutal German
soldiers forced gentle and refined |
Rumanian women to disrobe in pub
-
the streets; the story OF Ru-
mania's pitiable plight today, with
disease raging unchecked for lack OF
surgeons, physicians and medical sup
plies: the countless stories of noble
heroism. Of human sacrifice and SUI
fering for a great cause, which show
in their true light the details of mod
arn warfare, so persistently concealed
and so urgently needed TO stir the
peoples pulse and to make them feel
and realize the truth and the full
truth about this gigantic struggle be-
tween might and right on the one
side and might alone on the other
Reverse the policy of secrecy, let
the people at home have true pic
lures of the was as it really is, and
[ firmly believe the response would
De electrical-the people of the
United States would rouse as one
nan to their task. fired with patri-
ltic fervOr born Of a full and true
of what this war
means TO them and their future, Of
he individual obligations il imposes
upon those at home as well as upon
hose who are constantly facing
ieath in the firing line for the sake
# those at home.
Mr.. Burton said that one Of the
reasons for the strange lethargy'
# the people Of the United States
was the policy of close censorship
lracticed by the entente allies and
hat this policy already has cost
countless thousands Of lives and IN
odd treasure
BRITISH sUFFRAGIST LEADER,
MRS. PANhHURST. IN RUSSIA
Petrograd. Russia, June 20-Mrs-
smmaline Pankhurst, the British suf-
-ragiSt leader, arrived Unexpectedly