South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-02-11
LIES BECLOUD
RUSSIAN ISSUE
English Newspaper Delivers
| Pointed Sermon Regarding
Situation In Russia.

LONDON. Feb. 1c-Undcr the cap
lion The Propaganda Morass." the
Manchester Guardian delivers al
pointed sermon on "lie factories
which have beclouded the Russian
issue
The Guardian recounts boldly the
various lies that have come out of
Russia. from one side or the other,
and IS particularly ironic regarding
reports which the British govern
nnent has stressed. through the for
eign office or other channels. Tn
Guardian names no sources. how
ever. contenting itself with a clear
Indictment OF the practice of carry
ing wartime propaganda methods
forward into peace sine In vain
hone OF saving Russia by deluding
Ut gland"
Effects Of lies.
THE recent war revealed I'm all
the cornbatant countries an enorm-
Gus addition 20 the munitions of
mendaCity," says the Guardian.
1T was the first great war since
the rise OF tho modern science Of
systematic publicity. Everywhere,
in varying degrees, the conviction
was evinced that O. good lie may hit
your enemy as hard as. at any rate,
poor bombardment
Almost every days paper shows
how hard IL may b. to get the genie
of war propaganda morality back
into the leaden pot from which war
released the unsavory being. For
months past the press has been
drenched. from some unknown
source with what is simply war
propa gandist information about
Russia Since the German propa-
gandist descriptions Of the alleged
pandemonium OF insurrectiOn. mu-
tiny and despair reigning in England
during the war. there has been pub
Hshed nothing more obviously self
convicted OF falsehood
Stories Untrue.
First. for g period, we We're ask
ed 70 believe shat a mere touch Of
the allied finger was needed to top
pie the Russian soviet government
into destruction. That was found to
be untrue Then we were told that
the soviet government was. anyhow.
on its last legs as 95 per cent OF
Russians detested II and would well
come Denikin and KOlChak with
open arms. That was found TO be
untrue.
at one time we were told that IL
was all an intrigue Of the Germans.
That was found TO be untrue. and
the German help was found TO be
going 10 the anti-soviet Yudenitch.
At another time we were told that
bolshevism was run by a little gang
of Jews. That was found to be un-
true.
"At another time we were told
that the little gang OF Germans. or
of Jews, were going 20 Overrun Asia
and take India from us. Then we
are asked to believe that all the
primitive cruelty Of a Russian civil
war is 10 be found on the side of the
FIVE per cent of Jews, Germans. etc,
and none OF Il on the side of the 95
per cent OF real Russians struggling
against them.
"Iie Factories"
Meanwhile we see the alleged
FIVE per cent systematically routing
everywhere the armed supporters of
Yudenitch and DenilJin chased out
of Russia-Denikin and his armies
across half Russia. almost from Mos
COW TO the Black sea. We find the
/ alleged cabal or crazy anarchists
carrying on year after year a gov
eminent TO which more and more
of the moderate elements are ap-
parently rallying-Or which. at any
rate, they refuse 10 resist with for
eisn aid. And where we can get at
dret hand the report of some intel
ligent and straightforward English
man who is not entangled I'm any
Tropagandist organizations we are
given a picture OF affairs in Russia
which bears hardly a point of re-
semblance 20 any OF these strange
stories OF the propagandists
lit viii not do.
Both parties to the Russian civil
war. like both parties to any mod
ern International war. have their
propaganda OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES our
troops in France called with blum.
honesty Tie factories
EFF either thinks it can save Rus
STA ny deluding England IL is pa
triotic Of IL 10 try. But for any part
OF the English press to accept the
propaganda tracts Of either Russian
faction at their face value and TO
present them 20 English readers as
If they could be assumed 20 rest on
serious evidence is an offcnse against
honesty. There is no longer the
excuse for an inI erfect sense Of evil
dence that there was during the
war. when n mans conscience could
give him an amnesty for circulating
anything true or false. that miEht
help 20 defeat a formidable enemy.
For cur part we feel that the
whole subject OF soviet Russia has
now been so hopeIessly obscured uu-
der acCumulations Of obviously par
tisaa falsehood that no definite
a.