Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-09-07

ADRID-German propaganda in Spain has
M been intelligent and successful. 1t has
ANA cost the German government and well-to-
do German individuals several minis full of money
1t has employed practically the entire time Of the
$4,000 Germans who are marooned in Spain. 1t
has been direct cynical and brutal. But it can
not be denied that the propagandists have &C
complished their objects. These seem to have been
three in number:
To keep Spain from joining the war the
side of the allies;
To establish such firm relations of personal
friendship and of commercial understanding that
the financial exploitation of Spain by Germany will
be an easy matter after the war;
To keep SPANS politics in such a state of tur-
moil as to make the country embarrassment to
the allies and under cover of this active" neutral
ity to conduct such overt games provisioning
submarines from harbors along SPANS coast.
German drummers even now making their
regular calls upon the trade and showing samples.
They cannot deliver goods, Of course but they can
take orders to be placed after the war, and they
can and do compare their own goods to the dis
favor of the merchandise being shown by the allies
The prices they are quoting for after-the-war de-
livery ridiculously low as compared to those
being obtained under present conditions.
The 5000 Germans who were in Spain at the
beginning Of the war have increased to $4,000 by
the arrival of homeward-bound Germans who could
get no further and of recent flood of new arrivals
from Germany, posing as Swiss, who have DAnaged
to get through Switzerland and France. A good
part of the homeward-bound ones were hard up,
If not penniless, shortly after getting to Spain
Every man who proved his worth went on the
German payroll as a spy; 1t is said here The Ger
man government is not charitable institution.
Those who got the payroll had to produce some
thing besides the need Of money to stay there.
They spied around Madrid like set Of mountain
engines going through railroad yard. They were
Just as noiseless and inconspicuous-and efficient.
"It was rough stuff said an American, but
they made it work. They got the vital statistics
about every newcomer in town, If they had to go
through his baggage. If they suspected him of
possessing interesting information they fairly hung
over his shoulders if he had conversation in
public place l don't know how much real good
they did, but they certainly worked at it."
Bribing Newspapers
In the propaganda department they we're as
open as if they had been buying wood Spanish
newspapers are frequently approachable, through
the business office In normal times the advertis-
ing is scanty and not we'll paid for and the top
most circulation of any paper is 100000. The
10000 circulation. When war came the circula-
ton fell for time and the advertising almost dis
appeared 1t was the Germans chance.
This paper received so much and that one so
much" one is told here. The and sums
freely hawked about. In consequence there were
some astounding changes of front Papers which
had been wramly pro-ally one day appeared quite
as warmly pro-German the next. At one time it is
stated there were but eleven papers of any stand
ing In Spain which remained pro-ally. This is the
more remarkable, as observers agree that the
country was warmly French in sympathy before
the war, and the papers were very generally pro-
ally in tone Immediately after the war began
These sums not all disbursed by the Ger
man government. Gomez Carrillo, Spanish writer
of violently pro-ally sympathes, comments admir-
ingly on the trained disciplined manner in which
the German companies and individuals here spent
money to further their national cause. A German
who is said to have done the largest business with