The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-08-15
WHERE DID YOU
GET YOUR FACTS?
Just One Pertinent Question Will
Settle PrOpagandists.

An intensive campaign to arm the
people of the United States against
pro-German propaganda will commence
on August 18th, to continue for two
weeks. Forty thousand Four Minute
Men will take active part in the work
of warning the people against the pro-
German propsgandist. explaining his
methods, and furnishing a weapon with
which to combat him.
In the bulletin of information issued
for the use of Four Minute speakers by
the Committee on Public Information,
it is stated, on the authority of high
official of the Department of Justice,
that e-tenths of all German plotting
against this country has taken the form
of printed and spoken propaganda.
In this work full advantage has been
taken of statements made by German
sympathizers of American birth, the
propagandists realizing that greater
consideration might be anticipated for
such workers than for material origi-
mating from more obviously prejudiced
quarters.
The bulletin for speakers quotes an
example of this type taken from an ad-
dress by an American minister who
was very much of militant pacifst."
xReprlnted in pamphlet form by the
Germans, the more bitter and denunci-
atory parts of this address have been
since repeatedly scattered over the
American and British lines by German
aviators.
This particular example is given
special significance because of the fact
t at precisely the same propaganda has
reappeared verbatim in a book publish
ed in America, purporting to be the
posthumous work of Pastor Russell, a
well-known American preacher who
died a considerable time before the ORR
ginal address appeared.
The title of this work is THE Finish
edlMystery" and the seven publishers,
who interpolated some dozen or fifteen
papes of matter taken piecemeal from
the propaganda pamphlet, exactly as
scattered over the Allied lines by Ger
man aviators, are now serving twenty
year sentences in the Atlanta peniteu-
tiary, imposed under the espionage act.
1t is pointed out that the danger in
such work consists not so greatly IN the
amount of damage each propaganda is
able to accomplish in person before he
is arrested, but in the repetition of his
propaganda by the idle and curious.
Quoting from the Four Minute Men
bulletin
''To arrest the propagandist without
arlesting also the progress of his
propaganda is of little greater value
than to uproot the dandelion after all
its winged seeds have been scattered
over the lawn.
The point is made that the Depart
ment of Justice is thoroughly organized
to catch the propaganda, and if the
people will combine to put a stop to
his propaganda, this phrase of the Ger
man offensive also will meet complete
defeat.
To accomplish this, it is recognized
that it will not be possible for the
public to memorize all the facts upon
the war and so be in a position to give
official denial to each and any rumor.
The volume of such rumors is too
great and, in addition, new SUBJECTS for
propaganda are being uncovered daily.
A simple test-question to be applied
to everything that sounds like pro-Ger-
man propaganda, is the weapon now to
be placed in the hands of the people by
the Four Minute Men.
The nature and application of this
test-question may be best Illustrated by
the reproduction of one of the illustra-
tive four-minute speeches given in the
bulletin.
This example is of unusual interest
because of the fact that it has been
pronounced by authorities of national
standing to be the most perfect example
of four-minute speech ever produced.
There are two illustrative speeches
given in the bulletin, entitled respecti-
vely, Working for the Kaiser" and
Working for the U. S. Az
The one in question deals with the
subject Working for the Kaiser" and
is particularly noteworthy in the pos
session of the so-called shocking quail
itu, deened essential in arrost;.1x 4La