The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-05-09
ashington Letter.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER


lican Publicity Association, through
its President, Hon. Jonathan Bourne,
Jr., today gave out the following
statement from it's Washington Head
quarters:
"One of the formost newspaper cor
respondents in Paris cables to his ed
itor as follows: IF rne American
people wish seriously to combat Boil
shevism they should begin at the Ho-
tel de Crillon.' He follows his warn
ing with the statement that a sympa-
thy for the cause of Lenine radiates
from the headquarters of the Ameri-
can peace delegation, that is causing
the Allied and American delegates to
lean toward a recognition of the Rus
sian Bolsheviki.
"The world has been awakened to
suspicion of the true state of af-
fairs by the recent return of Messrs.
Steffens and Bullitt from a special err
rand to Russia as representatives of
Mr.. Wilson. The reporr is known on
ly to him, but something of it's char
acter may be gathered from a review
of the past history of those gentle
men. Steffens has been pronounced
socialist for years. He is the man
who made a survey of Mexico, and
wrote that the Mexican peon repre-
sented the ideal of democracy, and
that the salvation of America lay in
following his example. 1t is stated,
also, that only few days ago he ur-
ged at least one American writer to
remain in Paris for the second great
French revolution, that he predicted
was inevitable and would be accompa-
MED by much bloodshed.
"Mr. Bullitt is a youth in his early
thirties. In February he went to
Berne to observe the Socialistic con-
ference that convened there at that
time. His presence was construed by
the Bolshevists and pro-Germans,
who were in control at that gathering,
as a distinct encouragement to their
cause. In that connection it is worth
recalling that Mr.. Gompers and the
delegates in Paris OF the American
Federation of Labor refused to have
anything to do with the conference.
After his return from Berne, Bullitt
is quoted as having told the President
that there could be no successful
league of nations until there had been
Solialisist revolutions in France, En-
gland and Italy.
with the knowledge that American
in Paris possessed of Steffens and Bill
lit, their appointment to the tremen-
dously important Russian mission
raised a storm of disapproval. 1t is
said that two of the foremost Ameri-
cans, both Democrats VINO are known
throughout this country, went to the
peace mission and made direct pro-
tests. They emphasized their convic-
tion that any report that Steffens and
Bullitt might render would be pro-
Bolshevist. While nothing Of their
report has been made public officially
it is common knowledge in Paris that
it is favorable to the government Of
Lenine and Trotzky. And not only did
they give aid to the Bolshevist cause
in their report, but rney permitted
themselves to be utilized by Lenine
as his special emissaries, and brought
back with them a proposal from that
gentleman to the peace conference.
what can the people at home in
the United States hope to accomplish
in stemming the tide Of Bolshevism
when their chief Executive and Secre-
tary Of State are engaged across the
water in lending encouragement to
that world menace? Of course the
agencies in this country
reflect the sentiments Of their chief
in Paris. The apathetic attitude of
the Post Office Department toward
the distribution of anarchistic liter
ture through the mails is evidence
enough of that fact. Bad as it is
for the President to advocate the del
egation of some Of our most cherished
to the tender care Of
league Of nations absolutely controlled
by foreigners, how much worse is it
which, if it succeeds in
for him to lend encouragement to
this country, means reign of ter
ror that will eclipse anything that
the war has produced"