The Washington herald., 1918-10-22

The other oficial estimate OF The
Leader is the indictment OF Berger
by the Federal grand jury last
March for alleged violation of the
espionage act by means of articles
printed in The Milwaukee Leader" d"
The indictment quotes Eve editorials
which also appear in whole or in
part in Burleson's brief
The most charitable critics of
Brisbane say that many of The
Leaders editorials to which the
government. through the Postoffice
Department, took exception so close
ly resembled much of the editorial
matter in the Hearst publications
that 1t was only natural for Hearst s
editor to defend them. Harsher
critics believe that Brisbane saw
the handwriting on the wall" and
I feared that if The Leader were
banned for anti-war propaganda the
next culprits would be the papers
of his employer.
Supported Hearst Propaxanda,
Berger supported in The Lead =
er most OF the Hearst propaganda
against American participation in
the war. He made tremendous
enort to involve us in conflict with
Mexico. He attacked England and
emphasized the Irish question. He
expressed great admiration for so
cialized Germany" and applauded
German success in the Balkans. He
praised Germany's action in regard
to Poland. He tried to keep Amer
lcan passengers off armed liners
he lmpugned the good faith and
democratic purposes of the allies
AFTER America declared war Ber-
ger followed many OF the leads OF
Hearst and Brisbane. He continued
to attack England and dwell on
Americas conflicts with the mother
country. He pictured America as
forced into the war against its will
! He obstructed the Capitalization OF
the direction of the war in Wash
lngton. He emphasized-almos in
the words of Brisbane-the amount
or money and the number of lives
the war would cost. He dwelt on
the historic precedent against for
elsn entanglements. He was ever
READY TO make a premature peace.
IN August of last year Berger
urged peace conference at the
same time and almost in the same
words as Hearst. When the arsu-
ment was expedient, Berger urged
America to trust to revolution in
Germany TO correct abuses. provided
an immediate peace was made.
Took Additional Risk.
Moreover. anti-Brisbane men point
out that through the Leader certain
forms of Hearst's pre-war propa-
ganda were kept up which appar-
ehtly seemed too dangerous for
great properties like the New York
American and the Evening Journal
to risk, once we were at war. Such,
IN particular, was the claim which
Hearst made violently at the end
OF March, 1917, that If the United
states went to war lit would only
be IN order to insure the safety of
wall street investments in foreign
bonds, foreign debts and American
munition factories. Berger's paper
kept up this line of attack during
/ the whole summer of 1917, when
America was actually at war.
through the Leader something
was thus accomplished that Hearst
and Brisbane would not risk in their
own papers.
Here, taken from the brief of
postmaster General Burleson. are
some of the propaganda that Bris-
bane's money in the Leader did a
share to make possible:
June 70, 1917.
@Why We Are In This War;
TT is, Of course, superfuous to
ask our government why We entered
this war. Any student of economics
| and observer of national and inter
national politics knows very well
why we have entered.
First: The entente allies were
| practically at the end of their rope.
IL the United States had not en-
tered the war would have been over
by this time About s., ooo. 100000 OF
notes and other obligations which the
allied powers owe to Morgan, Schwab
and Company-to the munition max
| ers and exporters of all kinds OF
war material in America-might not
have been worth much more than
80 cents If the allies would have
| lost the war.
Second: Industrial stocks of GER
tain kinds-eommoniy called war ba-
| bies' in Wall Street-haye reached
| fa1alo21a pricAR Their very exist.