South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-10-07
ARTICLE III.

there are semi TiciaI" and osten-
siDiy unofficial news articles which
may be classified as "seepage" sto-
Ties. 10 is well 10 bear i'm mind that
there Is no such thing as purely
unofficial news in Germany since
the Watchfui censor would prohibit
its publication \ Berlin paper. for
example, recently tainted the allies
with having IAN undisciplined
press. The principal type of seep-
axe stories is employed 20 pre- pare
the public mind against a possible
failure or change Of policy on the
part OF the government. These APP
pear from various quarters unob-
strusively and persistently until
their substance has insinuated itself
into the deld Of conversation.
Perhaps the best example of the
serpa 60 type is 70 be found in the
Ludendorf propaganda. When the
Germans planned To retreat from
the Somme. they made ready 70
bolster mp public confidence. il is
true, with a Hindenburg line; yet
the government was not entirely
satisfied that IL could count upon
ing spirit even on a Hindenburg
line. SO a Hindenburg failure with
the public was provided against as
deliberately as any military ex-
igency For weeks before. and es-
pecially during the course OF the
5omme retreat, articles appeared in
the German press and were copied
all over the world upon the theme.
'LudendOrf, the brains Of linden
burg" ''LudendOrf, the actual
head OF the German army"
The public was gradually and
skillfully tutored 10 think upon
Ludendorf and not Hindenburg as
the rock CT the German fortunes;
unsconsciously braced to expect the
discard of their semi-deity Yet as
a protracttd halt. and linden
burgs prestige was saved, the Lud-
endorf propaganda disappeared.
Il was Hlndenburg once more. and
not Ludendorf. whom the kai er
eXtravagantly praised. and in whom
the German people were permitted
10 place thir faith.
II b. a basic principle Of autoc-
racies 20 maintain goat for e. cry
occasion. And in Germany, s. s.
tematically and with Teutonic thor
Oughness, goats have been and are
being developed. As the German
army begins 10 lose 20 the allies.
watch for the decline of linden
burg's star and reappearance of the
LudendOrf propaganda. IL may be
taken as a matter OF course that
a suitable case is being prepared
against the new chancellor, Mich
aelis. i'm the event his administra-
tion-dictated i'm detail 10y the very
persons who are now formulating
his indictment-should fail In
fact, recent attacks upon MichGelis
(Which Berlin has allowed TO be
published for the disappointing
results OF the submarine campaign
which ne did not inaugurate, led
To tho conclusion that the govern
me AZ may be getting ready i'm char
acteristic fashion to throw him
over and 20 fasten upon him. If
possible. failure for which he was
not responsible.
similarly. close students of the
German methods, believing that the
fall of Won -Hollweg was
carefully staged. diagnose the pro-
Ceedings as follows:
The imperial government realized
that the allies would never treat or
negotiate with Won Bethmann- Holl-
weg-the man of the scrap of
paper It was necessary, there
fore. To set rid of Hollweg. But il
was also highly necessary that his
election should seem TO come from
within and not from without Con-
sequently. a purely internal storm
tthe Prussian franchise issue) was
-encouraged-to develop.
80 that Hollweg could he squeezed
out and a new man substituted 10
whom the allies would have no per-
sonal objection.
With the discharge Of Won Beth
mann-Hollweg he was made the
convenient target for practically all
the previous German failures of the
war. His case too, had been care
fully drawn up against him for use
n the occasion arose. Take. for ex-
ample the complaint of Won Bern
ttpFM- ne FORMER ain nHS-aQOr Is
now permitted 20 say that If Beth
mann Hollweg had only allowed
him 20 reach the ear OF the kaiser.
the United state would have been
placated and never entered the
war. This is the wOrld-old strategy
OF autocracies-that is. the prestige
OF the ruler must be saved at all
costs and If policies which he sup
ported should come 10 disaster.
then some other person must
smart for IT,
In compiling cases aSainst lead
ers. the German government by no
means confines itself 20 its own.
quite the contrary. and one par
ticular form OF its propaganda has
distressed many Americans uuduly
because they faded 20 appraise it
accurately This has been the
steady. widespread and venomous
attack upon Pres't Wilson The
German people were taught for
more than a year devoutly 20 hate
the president. and 10 Americans
who approved his Efforts 10 keep
peace with Germany. this seemed
peculiarly un ust. Yet they should
have recognized that the imperial
s.rr-ar-y, r,, sr,f was en- r.1ovfntr "a met u -