The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-06-22
Rotarians Told Of Mistake
Of Censorship By
Allies
ENTENTE WILL WIN,
BUT MUCH REMAINS
Pomeroy Burton Recites The
Atrocities Hitherto
Unrecorded

tBy Associated Press to The Banner1
Atlanta, Ca, June 20-A nationwide
| campaign of information deliberate
" designed to bring to people Of the
United States quickly to thorough
understanding of all phases 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 stipend
Gus task" was advocated by Pomer-
oy Burton, in an address which he de-
livered today before the International
Rotary Convention 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 point
ed straight this way.
For nearly three years, and each
succeeding day with accumulating
force, urgent reasons have existed
for putting in order the defensive ma
chinery of this country.
After nearly three years of war on
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 character-the Lusitan-
ia, the Sussex, the Arabic-with light
ming flashes and deafening peals OF
thunder from the darkening skies to
tell all who were not blind and deaf
of the approaching storm; despite all
of these, today finds great masses OF
the population throughout the United
States dangerously apathetic and OBJ
livious to the acute peril which
threatens them. 1t also finds this
country astoundingly unprepared.
II am not one of those who believe
the Allies can be defeated-they must
! surely conquer in the end; but so ser
ious are some features Of the wal
situation today that unless the people
of the United States awaken quickly
to full sense of their individual re
sponsibilities and join heartily in the
work of organizing the country for wal
on an enormous scale there is almost
certain to ensue long period OF
CHASTITY fighting and worldwide suf
fering--with ruin and starvation OF
every side-and by long period
mean from five to twenty years, ol
more.
THE war program cannot be made
effective without the full cooperation
of the people. That cooperation can
not be expected until the people hav,
been aroused to full and complet,
understanding of the war, of what /
means to them and their future, ant
of the obligations and responsibilities
which devolve upon them II 1t is t,
, be won within the next two years.
ii would like to repeat with the Ut
most emphasis that | had the privil
ege of stating recently to the Mel
chants Association of New York, tha
9 1t is absolutely essential for thos
!, who are shaping the general war pre-
!. gram, without further delay, to organ
, ize and project, under government d
a rection, great and far-reaching can
paign of information designed to max
!. the people understand this war.
q should be made to reach the eye
and the hearts and the full unde
2 standing of the people by freely III
8 ing the advertising and the news co
umns of every useful publication
a the United States, and by using tn
a movies, the billboards the post o
}. fees, the public buildings, the railwa
!. stations, and the public conveyance
K as was done in the great publicit
:. campaigns which were successful
, used TO arouse the people of Englan
q to full sense of their danger an
4 their responsibilities at critical pc
S iod OF the war In addition to thi
Q schoolrooms, the lecture halls, tn
churches. the libraries, the city hall
Q the public squares all the meetin
J. places of the people in every state ,
: the Union should resound with tn
y voices of Americas greatest and MOI
e forceful speakers, telling the peop
the full truth, the basic facts, abol