The Washington times., 1919-02-04
PROPAGANDA PROBE
MAY WIND Up TODAY

The Senate propaganda investiga-
tion after three and a half months of
public and secret hearings was sched-
uled to come to a close today.
Clyde P. Steen, of New York, presi-
dent Of the National Association OF
City Editors, took the stand as the
last witness to tell the facts he learn
ed in a years study Of the foreign
language press OF the United States.
Major L. Lowrey Humes, counsel
for the committee, submitted von''
minous bill prepared in his office, the
enactment Of which he believed would
effectively arm the Department oil
Justice and the War Department IN
dealing. with any spy or propaganda
menace in the future.
Bradford Merrill, general manager
of the Hearst newspapers, who was
to have been the last witness before
the committee, submitting a defense
of the editorial policy Of these PUBL
cations before and after the United
States entered the war, decided not 10
appear. Instead he submitted to the
committee two pamphlets containing
reproductions of editorials, cartoons
and news stories appearing in the
Hearst newspapers to allow the com
mittee to Judge for itself whether the
attacks of witnesses before the COM
mittee were justified.
Began with Brewers.
The Jones resolution. under which
the investigation was conducted, vas
approved in the Senate September 10
last year. 1t sought an investigation
OF the political activities Of the Tinted
States Brewers Association and the
several State associations. mention
ing only incidentally the subject CT
German propaganda in the United
States. However, after devoting one
week to the activities of the liqIor
interests the committee did not re-
turn to this subject spending pTac-
ticaIIy all of its time listening to
witnesses who brought charges Of
pro-Germanism against newspaper
publishers, editors, reporters, college
professors, and others.
Two lists Of names. one produced
by A. Bruce Bielaski, former chief Of
the Bureau of Investigation OF the
Department of Justice, and the second
by Archibald Stevenson, of the Mill
tary Intelligence Department, caused
sensations because of the prominence
Of the persons listed and brought
many demands that individual names
be stricken from the record Of The
committee hearings. The first was
ian important list Of names" found
in the files Of DR.. Heinrich Albert,
chief German propagandist in the
United States, and the other list
Of those persons the military intelli
gence division regarded as ''paci-
fists"
Criticize Policy.
The committee has been criticized
in some quarters for going into and
condemning the records of persons
who were active on one side or the
other before the United States en-
tered the war. Very little Of the evil
dence dealt with events that occurred
after diplomatic relations with Ger
many were severed.
Hundreds of witnesses were heard
while the investigation was in prog
ress. Many volumes will be filled
with the testimony when the hear
ings are printed. Thus far only the
first weeks testimony has been print
ed. 1t makes a volume of 1900 pages.
No estimate of the cost of the in
vestigation has been made. The
printing of the hearings alone will
run into many thousands of dollars.
witnesses have been summoned from
points as far from Washington as
Los Angeles and Dallas, Tex
IT is unlikely that the report OF the
subcommittee of the Judiciary Com
mittee, which made the investigation,
will complete it's report during the
present session of Congress. The
present agitation for the repeal of
restrictive legislation enacted dur
ing war, in the view Of some members
Of the Senate, will prejudice the sue
cess of any new legislation for the
suppression Of propaganda the com
mittee may suggest, If action upon
il is long delayed.