The Natchitoches enterprise. (Natchitoches, La.) 1888-1965, 1919-01-02
The Newspaper and the War

In casting retrospective view over
the past Is months, the period in which
the United States has been engaged in
the great worldwide war, we are as
founded at the achievements of this
nation. When war was declared We
had an army of about sixty thousand
men in active service. Our officers.
though few in numbers. were perhaps
the most capable in the world, but the
model upon which our military system
was based, had been demonstrated to
be entirely unadapted to the require
ments of modern warfare, and We had
to start from the ground up. and to
concentrate, organize, train and equip
our entire force. Yet in this short
space of time we developed an army of
three million men, and transported
two-thirds of the number across 5000
miles of ocean, infested with hostile
enemies, together with all their sup
plies, munitions, etc.
Such a task was never before ac
complished by any nation in the world,
and the vast achievement must be alone
contributed to the earnest, faithful and
hearty cooperation of all our people,
and a very considerable, if not an all
important part of this result, must be
attributed to the press and especially
to theJocal papers. They submitted to
a voluntary censorship and faithfully
carried it out. They were subjected to
many harsh rules, which they accepted
as patriots. They fought the German
propaganda in any and every form,
and overthrew every effort on the part
of pro-Germans to build up a public
sentiment against our government, for
which the German empire spent mil
lid p of dollars. They promoted pa
triotism in every form, and without pay
made the draft law a success, and car
ried all the Liberty Loans over the top.
as well as all the auxiliary programs,
such as the Red Cross and other war
works. They gave free Of cost at least
20 per cent of their space to the gov
ernment and upheld every measure
suggested by the authorities. In fact,
without their consistent, loyal, and
vigorous support, the food conservation
and the other things essential and
necessary to the winning of the war,
could not have been accomplished.
The government limitedsthe supply
of paper. They forced US to stop ex-
|te1tag saadit e essa a
II III, pis7sneed Oh living sWay :
copy Of our paper, if sent thru the
mails, and in fact stopp, the estab-
fishing of new papers, and did many
things that seemed to overthrow the
freedom of the press. Yet the press
acquiesced without a murmur, although
many were forced to suspend and go
into bankruptcy.
We do not believe that such patrio-
tism was ever displayed by any class of
men. At least we never heard of such.
At the time We did not think this es-
sential to the winning of the war, but
now we see that we were mistaken, for
it put stop to the German propa-
ganda. The German language press
and the traitorous allies in our midst.
>n.,1J NH AooJ tho onupfr,y with froo
copies, they could not send one million
of copies of their German propaganda,
unless it was paid for in advance, and
they could not give them away if sent
thru the mails. these measures bore
hard upon many honest and patriotic
publishers. but it killed the pro- German
papers. and thus by submitting to these
stern, but necessary rules, the news
papers did much toward the winning of
the war; yes, even more than any other
set of business men, and we are proud
of the profession The papers gave
their al to the country, tteir advertis-
ing space, which is their life blood, and
then to the exclusion of all things else,
their editorial space was thrown into
the pot, without stint, without meas
ure and without price.
We were called to these reflections
by the fact that many men and women
wore service badges or buttons, whose
labor in behalf of the Liberty of the
world was not one jot or title when
compared with the constant and never
ceasing labor Of the newspaper men,
who gave what they had, their labor,
their vigor and their substance, that
democracy might i've throughout the
world. and yet we have heard of no
honors being heaped upon them. How
ever, it was ever thus, for the man
that makes the greatest unseish sac
rifices, seldom receives the reward of
merit, wbic others less deserving.
flaunt their I,onots to the world. II
Mansfield Enterprise.