Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-06-20
lRy Associated prcss.l

~ designed to bring to people of tho
United States quickly To Il thorough under
standing 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 Ia
JOIN with their very hearts and soul, IN
the s~tupendous task was advocated by
Pomeroy Burton, IN an address which he
delivered 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 n follows:
For nearly three years the grim and
bony index finger of war has pointed
straight this way.
For nearly three years. and each sue
cceding day with accommodating force. ur-
gent reasons have existed for putting in
order the defensive machinery of this
country.
after nearly three years of war on n
scale such ~ the world never dreamed of
before, involving country after country
and sweeping steadily on like an over
whclming tidal wave, with warning after
warning of the most definite character
the Lu~itania. the Sussex. the Arabic
with lightning flashes and dcafening pcal-
Of ;hunaCr from the darkenlng skies 10
Ell al Who were not blind and deaf Of
the approaching storm: despite all Of these
today finds great masses of the popnla-
.ian Throughout the United State, danger
on~l, apatl cite and Oblivion, L. the acute
peril which threatens them. II also finds
thi~ country a~tourdingly unpreparcd.
II an not one ~ those vino believe the
allies can be- defcatcd-they must surely
conquer in the end; but 20 serious arc
some features of the war situation today
that unless the people Of the United States
awaken quickly To q full sense ~ their In
diyidual responsibilities and join hearth,
in the work of organizing the country for
war on an ,normon~ scale. there i almost
certain to en~ue y long period If gha-ily
fighting and world wide ~utfering-witi
rum and starvation on every ~ihc-and
ny a long period ! mean from five to TWEEN
t. years. or more.
"Thc war program cannot ~ made e.
fcrtiyc without the tull cooperation 81 the
people. That cooperation cannot be- eN-
pecied until the people have been arou~ec
to 4 full aud complete understanding 81
the war. what II means To them and Their
future. and 1T the obligations and rc~pon-
>ibilitics which develop upon them II II j. 4,
be won within the next two wears.
Il would ike t. repeat with the utmo~'
empha,i- what | had the privilege If stat.
ing recently to the Merchants Association
Of New York that ii j. absolutely e~~entia
for those who are shaping the general w
program, without further delay. 10 organ
ize and project. under government dircc-
tion. a great and far-reaching campaign
of information designed to make the PEG
pic understand this war. II should ~
made to reach the ewes and the heart
and the full understanding Of the people
~ freely using the advertising ana thi
news columns Of every useful p%uhllrit "l
in the United State. and hv using nh,
movie. the billboard. the pp-tonirc-. IN,
public buildings. the railway stations. an,
the public convCvancc~. ~ was done IN thI
great publicity campaigns which were ~lc
ccS-fullv used tn arouse the people ~ Eng
land ~ y full sense Of their danger an,
Their Responsibilities al q critical period q
the war. In addition ~ this. ~choolro"m~
| tho lecture halls. the rhurchc-. the libra
ric~. the city halls, the public squares -al
the meeting places Of the people ~ ever
I state Of the union ~hnuld rC-ound with tn
roice, ~ America greatest and mos
furreful ~praker,. telling the T".plc NV
truth. the basic facts about this wa
'If. coupled with this urgently needle
campaign. there could he accomplished
radical revision of the French and Eng
llSh censorship rules. permitting u niue
trccr flow Of all sorts NJ war facts an
: war developments from the fighting AREA
than j. possible under existing conditions
;. the effect. | feel sure would bc cnormousl
beneficial to the whole allied cause.
For Instance. would II not ~ IA
height of wisdom to reverse the polio
which even vet conccal~ from the world th
full truth about the incredible actrocitie
III Belgium. atrocities which, IN po-~ihl,
have been outdonc in Rumania. and whic
mp to now have not been publicly di-clo-
ed: adopting q new policy which woul
release 10 the whole world the story :
appalling barburitie~ pCrpctrated by N
Germans there-many of them toe horrihl
IT, describe from u public platform. tn
all Of them serving To- show the people her
what they might expect IN the event of
Hun invasion Of the United States; whu
sort of enemy. ia fact. II ~ tina; We ~
Fiubtinu. .~n,-ip. tLa fianIi-b dewitt