The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-09-21
u. 5. PUBLICITY
CAMP Align HITS
PROP uganda. OF
HUN IN MEXICO
Pro-ally Sentiment Is on
y the Increase, Dis
patches Indicate
(By AssociateJ Press /,

Mexico City, Sept 19.-The Ameri-
can publicity campaign is showing re-
suits in Mexico The widespread dis
semination Of facts concerning the
war aims and accomplishment of the
| United States are, according to for
| eigners long resident here, bringing
! about a change Of sentiment which,
II not characterizable as love for
Americans, may at least, be called
respect.
The effect of the Allied blacklist
| becomes mere noticeable daily. The
Germans apparently have much less
| money than formerly to spend on
propaganda. German firms, forced
| to deal in hidden ways to secure
even the smallest imports from the
states, are less prosperous. Arrog-
ance Of German officials and business
men in public places is decreasing,
Since it became known that four
members of the American club, alone
in the building at the time, evicted
13 Germans who invaded the club,
there have been no further outbreaks.
Posters, pamphlets, reading matter
for newspapers, war photographs for
window display, daily official cable
reports, reading rooms, moving pic
lures and authoritative statements by
American officials on international
questions, are among the means
adopted by the United States gov
eminent to change the long standing
dislike for Americans that have pre-
vailed in Mexico. s~
Personal Missionary Work.
Through these various channels the
war aims of the United States, its ac-
complishments in the raising of a
huge army, the sending of a million
and a half men overseas in record
time, Its achievements in building a
merchant marine, it's enormous war
expenditures, and the unity of its
people, are being brought to the at
tenttoR of the intelligent Mexican
public in a way never before at
tempted. The campaign also is hav-
ing its effect on the American resi-
dents who, armed with facts and are
encouraged by news of American
successes in battle, are doing vigorous
personal missionary work.
Another effect of the truth cam
paign is the disclosure of the falsity'
OF the news reports regarding Ger
many's successes and aims, for which
Teuton propagandists are responsible.
1t has been shown that the German
papers published here do not receive
the news in the way they advertise,
that 1t IS taken from American pa
pers struggled across the border at
Laredo, distorted in the rewriting and
then telegraphed to German papers in
the capital and other cities.
Pro-ally Sentiment Increases.
Outward signs of the increase in
pro-ally sentiment are the number of
newspapers seeking news reports
from American sources, the amount
of space given in periodicals to Allied
war news, the increase in the number |
of posters that are not mutilated or
defaced, the additions to the ranks of |
pro-ally publications Of numerous
new periodicals and the growing pop
ularity of Allied moving picture films. |
When President Wilson, General |
Pershing, the American flag and !
marching American soldiers first APP
peared some time ago on the screen |
in a downtown motion picture theater
there was a protest. Recently, in a
theater holding more thans4,00 spec
tators,. in poor district where anti
American sentiment has been high, |
there was not a murmur when vir-
tually the same characters flickered
on the screen. In fact, one ardent
pro-ally Mexican had to be forcibly
prevented from making an anti Ger
man speech.
Germans Buying No Land,
According to mining and sme1ter |
men, reports that German interests
are buying up huge areas of mineral
and oil lands are quite contrary to the
facts. They assert that German min
ing interests are in sore straits and
that no ore produced in German
owned mine is being smelted.
There also is q noticeable lack of
the anti-American satire that former
ly pervaded certain theatrical per-
formances given in the capital. RE
Gently a Well-known star put on a
pro-ally sketch and achieved some
measure of success with it. |
That the German propaganda lead |
ers have realized their machine is
slipping a cog is shown by the well |
report that the man
agement Of Ell Democratic, leader in |
attacks on the United States, is to he |
changed. The post has been occupied |
by Rafael Martinez, deputy known
under the pen name OF rip Rip" |
who was elected to the senate at the
recent elections.