New-York tribune., 1918-05-27

WV United States says that the
powerful Hearst newspapers
have been dangerous to this country"
and "helpful to Germany" the question
raised is one Of such vital concern to the
American people as may be Judged when
we are told that more than two-and-a-
half million Of them read those papers
every day. Not only is the Hearst press
an influence moulding and coloring public
opinion at this critical time, but the pub
lie welfare is still more involved when we
remember that Mr. Hearst himself is
talked of as probable nominee for the
Governorship of New York, and even as
a candidate for the Presidency. How
seriously this is regarded by one city of
taken, after Colonel Roosevelt's attack,
by the Mount Vernon Board of Alder
men, who have voted sto bar 'The New
York American" and Evening Journal
from circulation, distribution or sale in
that city for the duration of the war.
Challenged by Postmaster General
Burleson to make specific his charge that
the Administration had failed to dis
cipline various powerful newspapers
which opposed the war, or attacked our
allies, or directly or indirectly aided
Germany against this country" Colonel
Roosevelt replied that the "prime ex-
ample of failure by the Administraticn
to proceed against really hostile and
damaging utterance" was afforded by "a
failure to deal with Mr. Hearst's papers
as it has dealt with certain other
papers" The Colonel points out that
the success of the Hearst propaganda
would have defeated England and France
and left us to fight Germany alone. AS
quoted in "The New York Times" he goes
on to say:
cat the very beginning of the war
the government proceeded successfully
against Tom Watson's publication in
Georgia. Yet Tom Watson had done
nothing that was anything like as dan
gerous to this country and our allies and
as helpful! to Germany as Mr.. Hearst had
done.
at is interesting to remember that the
Administration had full warning about
Hearst's probable attitude by his previ-
Gus editorials attacking Germany's foes
and defending Germany. have before
me at the moment a copy of The New
York American editorial of June 6, 1915,
signed by Mr.. Hearst himself, saying that
we have no right to ask Germany to re-
fraln from submarine warfare against tbs
commerce of her enemies and that the
Lusitania was an English vessel and was
properly spoil of war, and that it's de-
struction by the German submarine was
in accordance with the authorized and ac-
cepted rules of warfare.
After we went into the war, on April
IL, 1917, Mr. Hearst wrote: Stripping
our country of men, money and food is
dangerous policy. Our earnest sugges-
tion to the Congress is that it impera-
lively refuse to permit the further drain
ing of our food supplies and our military
supplies to Europe
Ihls, OF course, was equivalent to
demand that, after going to war we should
turn around and help Germany more than
II We had continued to remain neutral.
On April "a, 1917, The New York Ameri-
can said: The painful truth is that we
are being practically used as a mere REIN
1orcement OF England's warfare and Eng
lands future aggrandizement' This. of
course, was an effort against our ally and
an effort to pander to anti-English preiu-
dice in the interest of our foes, and moth
ing else. On May II it advocated orr
spending all our money on preparing our
army and navy here at home. and so
compelling Germany, if she wants to
night, to come to u.s. which was, of course.
equivalent to answering that we would
render no aid to defeat Germany until
she had defeated our allies and was pre-
pared tosattack us single handed.
Un May 20 the same DaDer said of Tho
eHor's 10 noat the Liberty Loan: If you
want our food and wealth sent abroad to
help suffering England, buy Liberty
bond, furnish the sinews of war; In view
or Hearst's continued effort to excite
hatred between the United States and
England, the implication of this sentence
cannot be mistaken. In the very next
sentence he subtly attempts to appeal to
all men with feeling of affection FOR