Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1918-12-26
"A PATRIA" MOVIE PICTURE
FILM WAS PROPAGANDA

the trend of the senatorial investiga-
ton of the pro-German activities in
this country during the war, not
only since We have been in the strug-
gle, but also from the time the war
began, are finding some interesting
reading.
They are finding a whole lot of
the people were ready for the propa-
ganda features that fell to their lot.
The testimony brings home some
things that have happened here. 1t
shows how propaganda measures
I were brought right home to this
| county and how readily most of the
people here fell victims to it. The
| few who did not, were laughed at as
being so radical that they saw things
that did not exist. The credulous
ones who are interested enough to
watch the course of this investigation
are finding out that they were duped.
Persons who read the Heast pa
pers, and there are some of them sold
here, find that they got ideas based
on false premises and that the Hearst
money and Hearst combination were
mot used to back the United States.
( but to fight our ally, England, and to
try to foment trouble with Japan.
| To charges or statements made OF
| Ilearst's activities, which are proven
! by copies of kilograms. cablegramss
etc, Hearst sends out through his
service something that seems to be
the best defense he can offer 1t is
rather a confession and avoidance"
stated legally. He admits the facts
and tries to eyade the consequences.
| One place in his statement he says
/ he opposed the passage of the es-
pionage law because he feared it
would injure the democratic party.
| He then attempts 10 prove that he
was right in opposing the law pass
ed for the protection of this country
against pro German agents by al
tempting to show that the Hearst pa
| Pc were responsible for any posi-
! BILE gains that might have been made
at the last election by the democratic
party. He says he seeks no de-
| Tense.
There are lot of people who re-
member the showing of "Patria." the
| film being shown generally all over
the country. People will remember
that the same was put out by the
Hearst International Film service.
They will also remember that the
American flag was flashed on the title
of the film and as often as it could
| be worked in, similar to the manner
in which the American flag was used
on the Hearst papers. when Mr..
Hearst as stated in his'telegrams to
his editor thought it would leaa to a
better sale of papers.
| People will remember there was a
large hue and cry in the Hearst pa
pers about this film. the story of the
same running as a serial in those
publications. The story was poor.
the stage direction and the picturiza-
ton of the theme was poor work, in
fact the whole thing was inexpressi-
bly, crude from dramatic stand
point. The only thing there was to
the picture was the attempted featur-
ing of Mrs. Vernon Castle and the at
tempt to show the Japanese secret
service or propaganda workers as op-
Grating in this country to the detri-
ment of the United States. The in
yestigatiop before the senate shows
this to have been anti-Japansese pro-
paganda calculated to work up pub
lie sentiment against Japan and to
gloss over the German situation.
| The testimony OF the secret service
men show that among others, George
Sylvester Viereck, who published
the "Fatherland." which for a long
time was Holy Writ, so far as Ger
many was concerned for the pro-Ger-
mans here, had out on the road eigh
teen statesmen of books. etc, from
his publishing house. These men
made it their especial business TO stay
with the Lutheran ministers and to
do a little propaganda work on the
side. Secret service men estimate
that about 100000 men were out on
these Jobs through the country.
| There are many other phases of
the situation that people who have
been observing will remember here.
the phases of propaganda work here
and there that come right home to
| this city and people with the usual
| clarity of hindsight will be able to
see now what they never saw be-
| fore