The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1921-04-09

still, as ! said before, think they
are more OF nuisance than a menace.
Ruth, wher Is that old history you
were showing me few days ago-the
leather-covered history written by
Samuel Whelpley and printed way
back In 1908? 70 uremember I read
something out of It to you and told
you that If you would put II where II
would be handy, ! would tell you
something more about II later.
Eyes, that's It. Now wait Just n
minute. All, here Is what | wanted to
find More than a hundred an dthIr-
teen years ago, the historian Whelp-
ley said In his book, when he was dis
cus1ing American newspapers. we
cannot omit the occasion of observ-
ing that several Of our public papers
have been conducted by Foreigners,
who, could 1t be presumed that they
understood the nature of our govern
moEt and civil policy, are utterly in
capable Of feeling any interest in, or
concern for, either. 1t Is a mat
ter Of serious regret that the people
of our country should give them coun
tcnance, be led by them, and look up
to the mas their political guides. : '
We hope we shall not be though i'm
pertinent when we ask what would be
the fate of an American printed who
shold go to London, or Paris, and set
up his political mandatory upon so
large a scale as those foreigners do
among u.s.
Now. remember, children, that was
printed in 4 revised edition Of Whelp-
lcy's history a hundred and thirteen
years ago. suppose the first edition
was printed several years earlier. The
point ! want to make is that in the
early days of this Republic great
historical writer was warning the
country against the foreign 'popgan-
dies, as Ruth called them. But, in
spite of the pests, we have gone on as
a nation, growing and developing. The
foreign propagandists have been
working all these years, and have
been troublesome at times. but the
nation has never been in danger from
them"
"Oh say, Uncle Ted, didn't you tell
us once that the United States was in
danger of being forced into a world
club that would make us send our SOL
dicrs to Europe to fight wars over
there, and that would give Europe the
right to settle Quarrels on this side of
the Atlantic Ocean? Didn't the Euro
pean people try to get us into that?"
inquired Jack
Some OF the foreigners wanted us
in and some them didn't. Although I
could not prove 1t, very strongly sus-
pect that Their was lot OF foreign in
fluence eXerted here under cover to
get us to go into the league, or world
club. Then there has been lot of for
eign propaganda to get the United
States to cancel about ten billions Of
debts due this country from Europe.
And | am told that there is foreign
propaganda intended to Influence us
in our merchant ship policy, and in
our naval policy, and in our policy rel
alive to putting tax on foreign goods
that come into this country.
"Now, maybe that man on the street
car was right. Possibly those foreign
people cause us a lot Of damage by
trying to guide our policies for us, but,
as said before, think they are an aw-
full nuisance but not of any real dan
ger. Of course, we have to keen watch
on what they are doing and prevent
them from misleading our own people,
and that may be a good thing for the
country. We take more interest in
running our own affairs when we see
outsiders trying to run them for us,
Most of the leaders of the Socialists,
who want to transform our govern
ment, are foreigners, but they are not
really dangers to the country, for they
work in the open and we can answer
their arguments. or look them up If
they advocate force or unlawful meas
ures.
"If our old historian, Whelpley, had
boon writing in 1921 instead of in
1903, he would have written Just about
the same, except that when he asked