Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-07-09
Smash that dsmnable Hun propa.
ganda and we will smash the German
line.--Gensral pershng.

General Pershing has seen Condi-
tons mt home and he has faced the
German troops in France. He knows
that Germany has a powerful war ma
chine, but he is not afraid of it. lie
knows that American soldiers are the
match for the troops OF the kaiser, and
that American spirit "over there is as
stanch as mans heart can be.
What General PcrShing is afraid OF
If he knows fear AZ all--is not the
high explosive shell. the poison gas. the
minenwerfer or the machine gun, but
The secret, treachorOus. underhauded
German propaganda that is still going
on here in the United States.
Secret Propaganda Goes On.
II Is certain that the secret German
propaganda goes on. II reaches into
the homes and wrings the heartstrings
OF the mothers whose sons are going
overseas. 1t sneaks into the factories
where war work il being done and
whispers to the workers TO slow un. II
penetrutes into the meeting halls of
labor unions and says "strike." On
the railroads, whore hundreds of thou
sands of workers are struggling with
the greatest congestion this country
has ever known, the German propa-
ganda spreads discomfort. To the
farmer it says "hourd' and TO the city
consumer II whispers Of eXtortion and
profieering. 10 the man Of business
1t prates Of government inc0mpetency
and inetliciency; and to the derelict.
the W0nderer the tramp-if You please
lit breaches class hatred and revolt.
Loves the Pacidst Here.
Germany the nation which glorities
war above all else, loves the pacifist
in this country Pence 81 the favorite
topic Of conversation among the pro-
Germans. They would quit cold, wound
compromise, would do anything, in
short, except fight ont this war to a
finish ana crush forever that menace
Of mllitarism which, above all things,
the pactist IS supposed to abhor.
Creating Fiction ana Jealousy among
the nations allied against the kaiser
is one Of the propagandlSts' most eff
fectiye methods. They are active
abcttors of that group of Americans Of
irish extraction who are bitter against
England. They work effectively among
the half educated who, by superficial
reading Of United States history, have
been accustomed 10 regard England as
Americas traditional enemy
They create dlStrust and suspicion
Of Japan, and both here and Ia the
Orient have so Sown the seeds Of sus-
picon that at times 1t seemed as
though Il conflict must inevitably en-
sue. Down In Mexico bandits like
Villa get money and supplies from
mysterious sources, making necessary
the holding of considerable Ameri-
can force on the border.
How far reaching and well organ
lied the German propaganda was in
This country Just before we entered
the war was shown In 1918 when mem
bcrS OF congress were flooded with
nearly Il million kilograms, all Of iden.
teal wording, protesting against the
shipment Of arms to the enemies Of
Germany. The American Embargo
Conference was the organization be-
hind these messages. II sprang up al
most IN a night and million tele-
grams cost n lot Of money.
The American Truth society was IN.
other Of The organizations which
seemed to have plenty Of funds and
sought to influence members of con-
gross in favor of prohibiting the ship
inent of arms anil ammunition. Then
there was the German-Amerlcan Ma.