New-York tribune., 1918-06-23
Gernany;s Mexico
from the Report of the Amer;cc..
Federatiom of Labor Mission
to Merico
to Merico

A/H were the storm centre Of most
w VICIOUS campaign of Germ.r
propaganda This propara,A.
started at the time we crossed the hora.-
and we occupied the front page. ~ 49,
most prominent newspapers of Mexico .vs-'.
oay' and several times a day, and we mr.,
sumo are still being 40 honored f..
uhateiy, this campaign was not as ;,..,.
gent as 1t WIS industrious, and the srs..
exaggerations. viifcations and silJv u.. y,
tvae'eo IN our favor and helped our vo,t
VIC we're called strike breakers, jinsoes
were accused on the front pages and sd,
torlaiiy Of being there in the interost. 80
the brutal Allies. and our object was tn
force peace-loving Mexico to fight her ooos
11ieno germany on the side of the tb;sf
ana murderer, America. accounts appearsd
IN these papers of America stealing Ter.s
Arizona and California from Mexico
"The leading paper of Mexico. sEl peu.
erata,' is morning paper It is NOT n-n
German, but German. 1t is owned bv
group of Germans and is sold as tho .ca~
man paper The same group get cut an
evening paper called 'Nacionale.' The .d,.
torlals, while we were there, were attack;r,
US and preaching syndicalism. An anarch;st
or syndicalist editorial appeared dailv. The
workers were warned against the bland;sh.
ments of these 'Yanquis,' and told that !,
syndicaism rested the only hope of .ba
oppressed worker. Other papers, commonly
said to be subsidized by Germany. ham,
mered ut US with somewhat leas venom
Excelsior and UNIVERSAL the only papcr.
In Mexico that dare to give any iustfca-
ton to the Allied cause, gave complete and
accurate reports of the meetings.
These papers are fighting for their ex-
istence and are up against strong force.
we collected clippings from all these m
pers, and they are very interesting reading
In addition to the front page headlines and
editorials, they got out special bulletins on
account OF us, and posted them on the
buildings of the principal streets of Mexico.
Iney got every important statement we
made and either distorted it or reversed II.
even when our statements were made in
the most open and public manner. If we
said the workers Of America had not sur
rendered the right to strike, they wouic
edit the statement: THE YANQUrS Ex-
FUSED. They admit that the A. F.
of l.. has forbidden the workers from strik
ing for the war period On the heels Of
this would appear a condemnation of US
for driving and compelling our membership
to go into the state militia Their edi-
torials and articles were continual bid
for something to happen
"On Saturday it was discovered that the
Germans had forbidden the management
from letting the mass meeting be held there
on Sunday, and the committee on arrange
ments were so informed. They immediatelv
leased another theatre, in as good loca-
tion. and before we arrived it was filled. in.
Guiding the three galleries, and this in spite
OF the fact that on Sunday morning an
article appeared in Eel Puebla' to the effect
that a free lottery was to take place in
some theatre, at the same time as our meet
ing, and free tickets would be circulated
for the drawing of 1000 pesos, divided into
large and small amounts.
"The working people, as the government,
are in financial straits, and we shall not
soon forget these men and women packing
our meeting ahead of time and the splendid
ovation they rendered US. Time will not
permit a recital of all the clumsy, false,
foolish and laughable efforts of this di-
vision Of Germania to upset our work. As
far as the workers were concerned, they
finally drove all the doubters over to US.
Our Sunday meeting was the greatest sue
cess of all, and there was some measure Of
satisfaction in seeing the stolid faces Of the
'El Democrats group occupying the near
est box to the stage Their creatures were
scattered through the audience. but were
we'll known and were refused the floor be-
cause they did not represent any of the
syndicates (unions). One man who had
been occupying the stage near the box in
which the El Democratic group were seated,
a member of the union, got recognition at
the close of our addresses, and repeated
the charges that 'El Democratic had been
making, that we had again stated that the
A. F. of L. had forbidden strikes, that We
were helping in the persecution Of the l..
w. w. martyrs in Jail in Chicago, etc. He
was laughed and Kissed down by the au-