Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-02-22
Mr.. WOODS, JoB-ANp OURS

Mr.. WOODS JoB-AND OURS
A German weapon is to be turned
against the kaiser when former Police
| Commissioner Arthur Woods of New
York undertakes his campaign Of
| American propaganda in Europe. Tc
be sure, he will not follow the German
plan in all its devious twists OF
bribery, falsehood and ground glass
distribution. Nor is it probable that
he will devote the major portion OF
his attention to the people Of the ma
| tons with which we are at war.
Mr.. Woods will find much to occupy
/ his time if he counteracts the pro
German and anti-American propa
ganda which has been and will be
spread so skillfully in France and
England, largely with the aid of so
cialistic agitators.
BY this time 1t can not be divulgine
military secret to say that Ameri
cas- participation in the war during
the present year must Of necessity
be on limited scale as compared with
what the people of France and Eng
land have expected. No doubt the
governments of the allied countries
know to nicely what they can count
on from America, but the people, or a
large proportion of them, expect the
| full force of Americas vast resources
to be thrown into the balance against
Germany during the coming summer.
If there were nothing else to pre-
vent this, the lack of proper shipping
! facilities would be an effectual bar
No two authorities seem able to agree
definitely on an estimate of the mum.
her Of men erica will have at the
front either early in 1918" or at any
time before next winters SHOWS in
terrupt the fighting. However. there
| is every reason to believe that the
spring of 1919, if the war lasts until
then, will find America in it to the
very limit, with ample men and guns,
ships and supplies, to send home the
knockout punch and floor Prussian-
ISM
In the meantime. the admirable
spirit with which the British public
and the French public are carrying
the burdens of the war as they have
carried them for almost four years
will be attacked, in an effort at under
mining, by all the willy tricks known
to German propagandists. 1t is the
irony of fate that socialism, with its
insane chatter Of naturalization and
world brotherhood, is the greatest
aid to the propagandists Of the most
merciless autocracy in the world.
Socialism, working in England and
France and urged to assert itself by
the spectacle of socialisms riot OF
lawlessness in Russia, even now Is
urging certain classes in those coun-
tries to turn against their govern
ments and weaken the prosecution Of
the war against Germany on the same
silly theory which Trotzky voiced in
explaining Russia's withdrawal from
the war: 1--WE can not fight the geo
pie of Germany, peasants like our
selves"
And because this is in line with the
aims of Germany's paid propagandists
it is difficult for France and England
to oppose either the sincere but mis-
guided socialists or the traitorous pro-
Germans.
Just here is where Mr.. Woods and
his American propaganda can find
their field of activity. 1t will be his
task to counteract the enervating in
fluence of socialism and pro-GermNl
agitation in France, England and Italy
by spreading the news of Americas
preparations for ending the war. II
the spring and summer campaign de-
velops the continued deadlock which
would strike an average between the
German boasts of conquest and the
allies hopes for further demoraIiza.
ton of the Hindenburg line, the peo-
pie of England, France and Italy
both in the army and in civil life
must be encouraged to draw on their
last ounce Of loyalty and determine
ton to withstand the renewed offers
OF peace from Teutonic sources.
Germany. now that her peace plans
have failed as far as the western and
italian fronts are concerned, will fight
desperately to break the lines and
morale of the allies before America
can rally her full strength in France.
And il Germany fails to win the mill
tary victory which her generals and
junkers have promised the German
public so confidently, we may expect
peace offers next fall and winter to
be baited with apparent concessions
OF territory for the purpose Of at
tracing the pacifist and socialist
strains in every allied country.
To Offset this effort Mr.. Woods must
maintain ceaseless campaign Of au-
thoritative Information from America.
He must take to France and England
the assurance that American crops
will provide sufficient food for the al
lies next winter. that American camps
will supply sufficient soldiers to take
over the bulk Of the western front in
1919, that American ship yards will
turn out enough vessels to solve the
U-boat problem. that American dollars
and American vigor will help rebuild
the battle-scarred ruins Of France and
Belgium and Italy, that American 10y
atty will reward the loyalty Of the
British, French and Italian patriots
before another year Of sacrifice and
suffering can be forced upon them by
the war.
He must show these courageous
Europeans, too. the peril in which
their governments and their individ-
ual hopes for post-bellum happiness
are placed by any offer OF peace from
the Teutons that will permit the kai-
ser to hold sway over the vast terri
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