Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-23

uation on the various fronts. lie usu-
ally merely comments upon the latest
official war bulletins in much the same
vague way as do the military critics
of the German newspapers. who, in.
deed, draw most of their inspiration
from him. If the French or English
bulletins have announced German
reverse, he tells the members of the
conference the reports of the enemy
are exaggerated and that instead of
ten Thousand prisoners the Germans
nave lost only Il fifth Of that number,
while the retreat of the German troops
was carried out according to orders,
without even the knowledge of their
opponents. While the staff represen-
tative is making this announcement,
which every reader of official German
war news will AT once recognize
hundred pencils are busy taking
down his words. which will appear In
print with slight variations all over
, Germany by evening. II the ma jor's
/ information is particularly meaGer and
| the neutral press has been full of
bad news, which the censor has with
held from the German~papers, some
bold spirit among the newspapermen
may ask for particulars.
81 have no more information To
the gallant majors Iaconic reply, and
the applicant for more news subsidies
worsted
Camoufsge Used
Frequently the Government dele
gates read "A report they have prepared
for the conference. II may be about
the submarine campaign. or the fo9t
Lett "a, In will
some neutral country. In such cases
the official in question invariably
warns the journalists not to take dowl
his words in shorthand. but merely t,
make notes of the most important
points. aud to write the story later
as fancy may dictate. so that ii ma!
be differently worded in each Dapel
and its official origin not apparent
This stratagem accounts for tn
, strange uniformity of most German
. newspapers since the war.
Influence OF the military authori
, ties over the German mind is so grea
that they have an easy time OF 1t a
the conference and can be as curt wit
, the newspapermen as they like. No
, so the Foreign Office, whose titled rep
resentatives often have violent alter
cations, especially with men like tn
sents the Agrarian Deutsche Tage!
zeitung at the conference. and othe
similarly aggressive journalists on tn
staff of Pan-German papers.
, During the submarine controvers
! with America furious disputes too
: place between Count Wedel. who a
I, that time was the delegate of tn
= Foreign Office. and tle advocates c
= ruthless submarine warfare. Th
= Foreign Office wished the German pres
, to refrain from attacking Americ
s. and President Wilson too violently, an
newspapers like the Taegliche Run,
schau and Koelnische VolksZeitung r
fused 10 obey. At one time Cour
!, Wedel declined to continue attendn
= the conference until the correspond
g ent Of the Cologne paper had ape
ogized to him for his conduct, an
!. for several weeks the Foreign OffiC
!, remained unrepresentcd.
II why Won Mumm Resigned
~ Before this incident. Count Wedel
n predecessor Ambassador Won Num-
a diplomat of the old school, had r
signed his position on the conferenc
In consequence of being accused by q
h representatives of Socialist papers
e. invariably Withholding all really |
t. teresting and important informatic