The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-11-18
How Extensive German
Propaganda Developed

Today everybody knows that there
is a vastly ramified propaganda in
America, as In all other countries.
But we are still only half awake to
its seriousness and it's extent. Elihu
Roots statement at the head of this
article falls on our ears as by no
means q commonplace. Yet it should
have been a commonplace for many
me nths past-certainly since the Won
Papen and Boy-Ed exposures showed
that Bernstorff himself was directing
the propaganda.
Germany's strongest card In the
war, her greatest superiority, lies not
in her military technique, her dis
cipline and organization, but in her
ability-through a systematic propa-
ganda planned and begun many years
ago-to make use of certain political
elements in all enemy and neutral
countries. The elements relied upon
are not from any one class. They
In one country it is the uonarch
whose approval is obtained for Ger
man war methods and German peace
aims; in others the aristocracy. the
capitalists, the workingmen-or the
members of some particular church or
race. No possibilities are neglected;
| individuals as we'll as groups are
worked upon. The corruptxble are
corrupted, the timid are frightened,
the weak hypnotized by German
power. Cranks and sentimentalists
are captured in battalions; all that Is
necessary for the German agents to
do in their case is to make q selection
from among their many stock phrases
of those which serve German objects,
quietly suppressing those which do
not, and booming those that do. From
a practical point of view this colossal
! ! hioh enmeshes
the whole world is Germany's most
stupenGcus achievement, whether in
peace or in war.
Why can autocracies wage war bet
ter than democracies We dismiss
this question with too little thought.
It is SO easy to answer that where
periods in the hands of few persons
it is possible to evolve better organi-
zation, training, and technique than
where power is in the hands of the
divided and mutable many. This may
or may not be true. It may be doubt
ed If the French Army-in view Of
the inferior wealth, numbers, and
strategic position of the country-is
of poorer quality than the German.
II the French military organization
1 Is inferior it is not much inferior.
Germany's chief advantage lies quite
in another direction, namely, in her
power, physically and mentally. to
| suppress German minorfties, both in
| time of war and in time of prepara-
ton for war, which Is favorite Ger
man definition of eace. Minorities
are repressed physically in the bar
racks and mentally In the schools.
The barracks teach the lesson that
a war against their win they are
helpless hostages, who will be shot
down until the Kaiser is either de-
feated or accomplishes his objects,
and that the burden Of defeat es-
pecially will be shifted to their
shoulders. Thus, they are never
ready for revolt and always ready for
the Kaiser's peace. At school they
are ''indoctrinated'' with Kaiserism;
history, politics, morality, are all Of
the Hohenzellern brand. The purpose
here is to make them desire a war
when the Kaiser desires it. Even
" hen this purpose does not wholly
81, coed the incubation or indoctrina-
ton has it's result, and rational OPP
position to war and militarism is
paralyzed In most pupils.
Now dernocracies can repress MI
norities neither by physical fear nor
by governmental propaganda-and as
soon as a government attempts these
n ethods it ceases to be a democracy.
But there is nothing to prevent an
sutocratic foreign government from
cracy. Even If this propaganda is
openly directed against the demo-
cratic government, no way has yet
been found by which the latter can
effectively defend itself-short Of the
very difficult, costly and slow pro-
ress Of general enlightment Of the
whole community. But this line Of
democratic defense is totally useless
in war time, since It requires many
yena. II not a generation, and in
far less time the enemy's prophgan-
da would have accomplished all its
purroseL
This +, opaganda is all the more dif-
ficul' &C combat because it adjusts
itself to the form Of government Of
the country where II operates. Jay
Gould said that the Erie Railroad was
Republican in Pennsylvania and DEM
ocratic in New York. The German
propaganda Is monarchist in Greece,
aristocratic IN Sweden, clerical in
Spain, and ultrademocratic-no $50
cialistjc"-in America and the entente
countries. It operates 50 exclusively
from underneath in this country that
it was scarcely noticed by our we'll
to-dc and educated classes until tho
war was almost three years old.
AMERICAN TROOPS
ARE INVADING" CANADA.