Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-09-21

lV2e2US ana ReU1e2US
NorthclitJe's Tribute to the
Newspapers Work In the War
have received transmitted with the COM
pliments of Lord Northcliffe, copy of what Is
sure to be one of the most historic and unique
issues ever put out by daily newspaper, being
tho Golden Peace Number" of the London
Mail which was issued under date OF June 80
1919, to signalize the closing OF the great world
war by the signing of the peace treaty at Yer
sailles the preceding Saturday.
The Golden Peace Number emphasizes the
golden value Of its contents by being printed in
beautiful golden letter-press upon high grade
paper and is embellished with Photographic re.
productions OF their British maiesties and
many of the leading characters in the war and
the peace negotiations The paper is eight
pages only and carries no advertising matter
whatever. but is priced to sell at . shilling a
copy 1t contains an epitomized chronology Of
the struggle, synopsis of the peace treaty
Alfred Noyes' tribute in verse to The Vic
torious Dead and a timely symposium by
noted writer's and authorities OF today on the
problems Of tomorrow. Most interesting Of
all. and worth quoting, is Northcliffe's person
ally written article on 1.-THE Newspapers and
becaule they have as direct application te
American newspapers as to British newspapers
"In no war before this has the power of
the newspaper press to sustain the spirit of
nations and to guide their efforts been so
nightly exercised The conflict which came
nearest to it in this respect was the. Ameri-
can Civil war. During our struggles with
Napoleon the newspapers had no influence
RI speolr Of a1fhoroh the eo1dier fear cd
and detested The Times. In the Crimean
war The Times did signal service to the
country by showing up the scandalous neg
lect of the war Office to supply our troops
with good food and war clothing, and decent
hospitals, but in general the press was con-
tent at sticking to party lines to follow the
lead Of politicians,
THE South African war gave the news
papers one chance to express the stern, un-
hnching temper of the nation. That was in
the black week of December, 1899. For the
rest the issues in that combat were small
are still slowly emerging and the decisions
to be taken not comparable in magnitude
with those which continually faced us from
August, 1914. onward.
"Many of those decisions would not have
been taken rightly if the press had not in
tervened. In France, although there the
strap of the censorship muzzle was pulled
very tight. in the United States, in this coun-
try, in the Dominions the newspapers had
more to do with the organizing of victory
than the politicians.
when the general commanding the Brit
ish forces in France considered that the en-
pire was in danger by inertia and muddle-
headedness. it was to a newspaper that he
turned, and it was a newspaper agitation
which obtained for the army sufficient
supply of the shells for want of which our
brave troops persisted by the hundreds upon
A,korc .,.,.G 81
which more than any other single policy was
due the swiftness of the allied victory, had
been called for insistently in the press long
before the value of it was revealed to the
political understanding. President Wilson
I could not have united the American people
training and the dispatch of their fine army
to Europe, had he not been supported and
explained at every step by the most nf1uen-
tial organs Of public opinion in the United
States
II do not mean to suggest that our heav-
lily censored newspapers made no mistakes
during the war; How could it be possible to
comment day after day, and to interpret OBJ
scure signs, and to search out more energetic
methods of warfare throughout four years,
without occasionally being wrong! But,
considering how they were continually kept
were at all times obliged by the censorship
to withhold from their readers great deal
that they knew. maintain that on both sides
OF the Atlantic the press gave more effec-
tual aid toward the winning of the war than
the politicians.
Some of those responsible for the con-
duct Of newspapers showed that they had in
all allied countries formed a more accurate
conception of the way to treat the people
than either the military or political chiefs.
They knew that the surest method of bracing
ths people up to bear i'll 'idings and to
greater effort was, not to spoon-feed them.
but to tell them the truth. Whenever the
cause appeared to be in danger the news
papers kept the public nerves steady, and it
was, as Marshall Hindenburg prophesied it
would be, the nations with the steadiest
nerve that won the war.
This very brief appreciation would be in
complete If did not mention the vast Sums
raised by newspaper effort for the wounded
the sick and those permanently sick like the
blind. In every one of our domnions as we'll
as the. British Isles, the press put into the
task Of Tightening the soldiers lot an energy
and an ingenuity beyond all praise
The half Of what the American newspaper
did for the winning of the war will never b,
told, nor can anyone outside of the inner cir
Giles realize the nsidious efforts of German pro
paganda which had to be constantly combatted
or of the obstacles put in the way of the mos
effective mobiizing of the countrys patriotic
publications. Most amazing of all is the fac
that the administration at Washington and con
gress, not only showed little appreciation o
this cooperation but with foolish censorship
increased postage charges. special taxes, an,
hopelessly demoraized distribution through
the mails, seriously impeded and impaired tn
| good work which the newspapers were doing
and even yet seem unwilling to lift the needles
burdens they piled on disguised as war measures
II