Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-02
GERMANS CHOKE
INDEPENDENT PRESS
Powerful Corporations Tight.
en- Grip to Suppress Demo-
cratic Tendencies.
BY PAUL AYREs ROCKWELL.
Special Correspondence of The Evening
Star and the Chicago Daily News.)

| BY PAUL AYRES ROCKWELL.
| Especial Correspondence of The Evening
| Star and the Chicago Daily News.)
| WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES. Feb
| ruary 27-The great German metal
! 1urgists have recently founded an ad-
vertising agency. the "Allgemeine An
zeigergesellschaft," called by abbrevia-
| ton the ala" 1t is a pan-German
enterprise. whose apparent aim is to
ments. but of which the veritable OBJ
| ject is the subvention of the press by
the distribution of advertisements.
Newspapers in Jeopardy.
The Fraukfurter zeitung of October
rs, reviewed the actual results obtained
by this pan-German society:
already twenty-four publishing
houses have Joined the Ala and are
ects. 1t is to be feared seriously lest
the newspapers, especially those whose
financial situation is none too solid,
show themselves, in their political ed
itorship, disposed to listen to the
wishes expressed by the great indus
trial world
The case of the "Ala" is not an iso-
lated one For a long time the PAN
German coterie has been attempting to
gain control of the press. The .'Nord-
deutsche Verlag and Treuband Gesell-
schaft," a publishing house founded for
this purpose, is developing itself and
constantly increasing by millions it's
capital stock. with q view of CONSTITUTE
ing an association of the pan-German
press; its capital has been increased
| from 3,500, 900 marks to 1000, 900 marks.
Several months before the war the
Krupp people founded an advertising
agency with a capital of 100000 marks;
this agency was recently reconstructed
with a capital of 100000 marks, with
| the support Of governmental author
| ization, which had been refused pre-
viously to several similar enterprises.
at is no longer to be doubted" says
the Frankfurter Zeitung, that the con-
| sentative and pan-German party will
| try to utilize this monopoly to make
| the socialist and liberal newspapers
| disappear"
Independent Newspapers Attacked.
| At this moment. when Germany is
considerably worried by the shortage
of paper, it is hardly necessary to I'M
derline the gravity of the meanace
which this veritab1e pan-German trust
ctuses to weight not only ppon the pro-
vincial Journals, but upon the great
party organs which have conserved a
| sort of independence.
| In a circular addressed recently to
| the local groups and confidential men
| Of the Pan-German League. the first
| president of the league, Herr Class,
wrote this significant phrase. The
| Berliner Tageblatt. the Frankfurter
Zeitung, the Vorwaerts. with all the
personages who inspire or uphold
| them. feel well that we are striking a
blow at their heart"
| What, then, is the end which the Pan
| German League. supported by the
powerful metal working organizations
and numerous press, wishes to at
| tain? The Muenchner Post answers
clearly:
Reichstag Is Out Of It.
IT the number Of adherents is small,
the claim % power is great. Our pan
| Germans regard themselves as the only
persons qualified to make peace. The
! Deutsche Tageszeitung designates the
men who will say the decisive word
upon the conditions to impose on the
enemy: First, the. military, linden
| burg and Ludendorff, Tripitz and
Scheer. Linsingen. Liebert and Keim;
then the professors of history, Dietrich
Schafer. Erich Brandenburg. Eduard
Meyer. Wilhelm Busch, Georg Won
Below. In third place, the directors of
nationalistic policies, Fuhrmann. Bac-
meister, etc. Finally the presidents of
| the Agriculture League and the Cen
| trail Union of German Manufacturers.
Alone will be excluded from the de-
liberations the Jews. the diplomats
and the reichstag."