Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-02-09

ley, peloW winch are INSCRIBED ms last WORDS:
"Goodby, ALL goodby. 1t is Gods way. His
will be done, not ours"
The papers everywhere are full of gossip
about Provost Marshal General Crowder and
his standing with the powers that be in the War
department all of which is of special interest
TO us out here where General Crowder started
his upward military career while stationed in
Omaha There is just one way to determine
whether General Crowder was, or was not,
reprimanded by his superior officer, and that
is for congress to send for all the papers in the
case and make them public. There is altogether
too much smoke already to remove the impress
sion that there must be some fire underneath,
and General Crowder has made too brilliant
record as director-general of the CONSUMPTION
that gave us the army that licked the kaiser to
be lett resting under the slightest vestige of a
cloud. The documents in the case will show
how far the War department magnates would
have blocked the work of General Crowder had
they had their way and to what extent they
have ignored his recommendations. His latest
suggestion IS that the machinery of the draft
boards could be advantageously used to take
the census next year, but, of course, it will not
be done that way because such demonstrating
would offer no jobs for deserving democrats"
| happen to know that General Crowder had a
plan worked out to use this machinery also
Tor the process of rehabilitation. His plan
would simply reverse the motion of the wheels
by which the men for the army had been drawn
from civil life and send them back through the
same channels, it would have the draft board
make the final physical examination just as it
had the first, and discharge the men just as they
had been sworn in. This would have kept the
soldiers in the service and subject to discipline
and drawing their pay up to the moment they
were restored to their homes and it would
make sure of bringing them back where they
belong instead of to some training camp or set
ting them adrift at a distance from their des-
fiuatinn IN mai the Of he tr;r 4la,-
own resources But this plan of rehabilitation
evidently received no considerations would
have extended the life of the draft boards and
kept the provost marshals Office going until
the job was finished-and rehabilitation is be-
ing effected on a hap-haZard scheme that is
drawing all sorts of complaints and criticism
Whatever record has been made for General
Crowder in the War department archives, the
record made by him and his magnificent achieve
ment5 by the public stands out as the one shining
example at Washington of thoroughness and
efficiency in the conduct of our war activities
enjoyed the unique experience last week of
being the lone male guest at luncheon with six
teen women. No, it was not premeditated thus
to favor me, but it just so happened. The in
vitation had come from the Womans Press
Club OF Omaha and was so pressing it simply
could not be declined had there been any dis
position to gig out. In response to a question
/ endeavored for those present to draw the diff
cult line between publicity and news, and to
put up a defense against the growing imposi-
ton on the newspapers inflicted in the guise of
publicity campaigns which is something less
clear to the average person on the outside of
a newspaper even than it is to those on the
inside. News, l explained is what is happen
ing Of public interest from day to to day, while
publicity or propaganda IS something often
masquerading as news, but really designed to
work up patronage or support for some per-
Torrance, activity or ism. News is news only
once-it does not cali for repetition unless there
is some later development or application or
different angle. Publicity or propaganda, on
the other hand, seeks to secure its results by
successive presentation, When folks come to
us then with request for repeat we may
know it is not news but publicity that they are |
offering, and that it should properly go into
the advertising columns as paid matter. OIL
course newspapers seldom treat publicity cam
paigns that brusquely-we are more than lib
era in giving space that costs US lots of money
to worthy enterprises, but we think we have a
right TO- object to having complacent free
horse ridden to death.