Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-23
Pussian Mtarists Deude People With Poisoned NelUs


o' oosoiute power over the German
press TO influence public opinion
everywhere In Germany where news.
apeIs are printed and read, telling
the German journalists what not 20
write, what to write and how To write
outlining articles and serving a,,,
news that will be accepted in tho rs.
motest hamlet of the empire as the
spontaneous opinion of their fayorite
sneet' The Kaiser owes not a littIe
OF ms success in dominating and mis-.
,eauing the German masses to this
Nachiareilian institution of the press
conference in the otherwise deserted
Reichstag building
IN the first months of the war. the
berlin censors encountered unexpected
airhculties in dealing with the press.
by the terms of the law the newspa.
pers We're bound to submit only ar.
.ic,es ana news of a military nature
10 be censored. The willy Prussian cen.
sor. however, soon began TO argue that
ulplonatic and even general political
hcw" had certain bearing on tho
war ana must in consequence be cen-
sored.
Editors Under Duress
Editors refusing to ac ept this view
were continually in trouble. News
papers were constantly being confis.
Gated and suppressed. and not a few
journalists were arrested and impris.
oled Tor publishing articles about the
Governments foreign policy, or even
speeches. made in the Reichstag, with.
out hrst asking the censors permis-
sion.
| finallN, relations between the press
ana 'le censor became so strained that
the Government decided something
must be done to conciliate and at the
same time, if possible. definitely fetter
the recalcitrant newspapers. The Ber-
'lin publishers and editors. who had
long been complaining that they got
no war news, were blandly informed
that the Government itself was will
ing TO give them military and poit
lcal information regularly. part of
which they would be permitted to pub
lish, while some communications woul,
be strictly confidential This was the
birth OF the press conference, tn,
list meeting Of which took place in
January, 1915. Ever since then /,
has met twice "A week. through all tn.
trials ana tribulations of the war. And
yet, even in Germany, most people
know nothing about it, and this i.
eno iiH ueta'eu account OF ts pro
oe.ui'iss that mas ever appeared II
o.,S,,,,, ,,,,,,,,. ne man roV
bondage in which it keeps the press e
be widely known
Every MONDAY and Thursday morn
ing. at about II o'clock. you notice
thin stream of individuals. with tn,
inevitable leather portfolios. unde
their arms, disaDpearinE with an i'm
portant air into the silent Reichsta!
building. once i'll while a big gra,
motorcar. decorated with the mono
gram OF the war once or the FOreigi
uhnce' dashes up and disgorges per
sonage III unknown oedeckeu with lrol
crosses ana riooons OF various orders
! whom the individuals in pain clothe
salute Witn low BOWS ana much ooss
qu.ou' uo''''s VI ''a'S
Iogether theE mount TWO nlshts Q
, wide stone stairs and enter the pres
conference room. The president c
, the conference. AN elderly newspape
man, but a reserve officer, IL yo
| please, and in full uniform, rings
: bell to intimate the meeting has b'
! gun, and the liveried attendant hasten
to leave the apartment, carefully clio
ing the door. before which he mount
! guard so that no profane ear ma
I overhear the state secrets present.
2 to be discussed.
! .psrsonsx.s" Dominate.
: At a separate table, in a distinct
!, dominating position, are assemble
the representatives of the Imperi;
Government. Each department OF IN
: Government has its special delegat
; A colonel represents the War Ohic
. a major the general staff, comman
;, er the Navy Department, while I'll
!, Foreign Office is represented by an e
= ambassador Officials OF the Coloni
. Office, the Department OF the inter-.
!. and the Food Department make up Il
= list. All these functionaries seem e
tremely bored and look with undi
!, guised and naughty disfavor on Il
. ,,,,h,od journalists. Every Berli
q ,ana, and most of the more importai
y nroyincial papers send a delegate
Y this assembly, whose business 1t is
u take notes of the deoate ana wate
: over the interests or ms employel
! These delegates must oe III possessi'
'Hs %6:% S", ne