Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-05-27

American people, but the servants ol
the American people, and the rest OF
the people are their fellow citizens.
Our duty is to stand by the coun-
| try. 1t is our duty to stand by the
President-as by every other official
just SO long as he stands by the
country. 1t is no less our duty to OPP
pose him whenever, and to the extent
! that, he does not stand by the coun-
try. If we fail to oppose him under
| such conditions we are guilty of
moral treason to the country. The
President and our other public Of
the rest of us. 1t is an infamy I'M
truthfully to assail our public serv-
ants-or any one else. But 1t is our
duty to tell the truth about our pub
lie servants, whether the truth be
pleasant or unpleasant. The higher
the public servant and the more i'm
portant his task, the more careful we
| should be to speak only the truth
about him: and the more necessary it
is that We should tell the full truth
about him.
Dangerous To Tell Truth
During the past year the action of
! the Administration. taken largely
through the Postoffice Department
has been such as to render it a mat
! ter of some danger for any man. and
especially any newspaper, to speak
the truth. il that truth be unpleasant
to the governmental authorities at
Washington. The effect OF this atti-
tude has been very marked POLITICAL
~ Such coercive power tends to
make upright men, even although
they are strong men, cautions about
telling truths which ought to be told.
1t forces weak men to praise the Ad-
minstration whether it does we'll or
ILL 1t invites INSCRIPTIONS men who
desire to serve Germany to gain Ii
cense to do so and to secure ad-
vantages by praising the Administra-
ton. especially when II has acted
wrongfully and by supporting it
politically. There are cases where
all competent and honest observers
are morally certain, that political
support has been given, and is now
being given, to the Administration by
various newspapers. especially Ger
man American and semi socialistic
newspaper, because Of the club thus
held over them by the Administra-
ton.
From the very nature Of the case
there can rarely be positive proof in
such cases. But as regards the most
striking cases of favoritism, those
concerning the Hearst papers as
compared with the suppression of
Tom Watson's paper. and the attack
(for nominally wholly different rea-
sons) on The Metropolitan" I herein
give the facts which prove exactly
" hat l have alleged.
THE Postmaster General has raised
the issue; ! met 1t squareiy. and he
shall nat evade it. The Administration
has successfully endeavored to prevent
expression OF opinion hostile to it and
TO put premium upon supporting the
President personally and politically
without regard to whether his actions
country.
Criticises Creet Bureau
THE Administration, through the
Publicity Bureau, under the lead Of Mr.
Creel, is conducting a gigantic news
propaganda with the public money. Mr.
Creel's activities are exercised nomi-
nally on behalf of the country, but in
reality primarily on behalf of the Ad-
ministration. Mr.. Creel announces and
publishes himself as the special repre-
sentative Of the President. and is per
mitted by the President SO TO announce
and publish himself. He assais the
publications that truthfully expose the
shortcomings of the Administration,
and, without regard to the. facts, he,
personally and through his bureau. &C
lively upholds the Administration as re-
CARDS those matters, such as the air
craft program, in which there have been
grave governmental shortcomings. This
IL partisan political propaganda of the
very worst type. carried on with pub
lie moneys, under the guise of public
work The editor of The Metropolitan
wrote Mr.. Cree, on March ::
! e Is 1t right that you should use the
time and money of your bureau. which
is supported by the American taxpayers.
to defend members of the Administra-
ton from criticism in the public press
| Are you not in fact the personal press
agent of the President and members Of
| the Administration
What the editor Of The Metropolis
tan thus stated IN the form of a query
should be stated affirmatively as an I'M
questioned fact.
Takes Up the Challenge
! Il have said SO much by way Of max
] ing the general situation clear Now
as to Postmaster General Burleson !
, challenge. This can De divided into two
| parts; First Mr.. Burleson denies that
| the Administration has ever discrimi-
mated improperly against any publica
I ton, and, second. he denies that it has
ever failed to proceed against any pub
| LEGATION which ought to have been pro-
! ceeded against.
! "First-'The Metropolitan Magazine
! Golfers Weekly and The New York
/ Tribune have consistently upheld the
war. They eagerly demanded that ue
| should go to war; they supported the
| president in going 10 war; they have
cordially upheld every measure for pros
ecuting the war. But they have also
told not all OF the truth. but some
small portion Of the truth, which II
was absolutely necessary to tell about
the Administration failure to conduc!
the war eficiently. They have only told
even this small portion OF the truth
when it was imperative so to do in or