, 1922-04-05
cREEL METHODS ABOLISHED.

Conducting the government under the George Creel
method Of propaganda is out OF luck under the pres
ent Republican administration. At the height Of the
Wilson-Cr eelTu propaganda movement the var-
Gus executive departments, bureaus, commissions and
other agencies were printing 266 various publications,
running all the way from daily newspapers to weekly
and monthly magazines and journals Of very preten-
tious nature. Today there are less than 40 govern
ment publications.
Under the Democratic administration propaganda
machinery was costing the taxpayers Of the country
approximately $2,500,000 a year. Practically every
government official of any consequence had his own
publicity bureau. Although ostensibly these publica-
tions were for the purpose of keeping the people in
formed regarding activities of the various govern
mental agencies, their real purpose was to blow the
horn of the individual at the head of the department
or bureau which maintained them to serve the Demo
cratic party and to boost the bureau and become a
medium of propaganda for clubbing additional appro-
~priations out of congress for the purpose of maintain
ing and expanding the bureau. The taxpayers footed
the bills.
The Republican congress elected in 1918 attempted
to eliminate these publications by inserting in the ap-
preparation bills a clause which provided that no money
appropriated for any executive department should be
used by that department for the printing of any pub
location unless the same had been authorized by the
joint congressional committee of printing.
This effort of the Republican congress to eliminate
this tremendous expense and vicious propaganda was
nullifed by President Wilson, who vetoed it upon the
ground that it would give congress the right to exer-
else a censorship over the various executive depart
ments.
The Democratic administration at that time was
looking forward to the 1920 elections and it did not
intend to give up these various publicity mediums is
sued by Democratic administrative officials unless it
were compelled to. The Republicans had only a bare
majority in either branch and were unable, therefore,
to repass the act over the presidents veto.
In the appropriation act for the fiscal year 1922 the
congress again went on record against the printing of
government publications which had no purpose except
the dissemination of propaganda for some individual
or some special movement by providing that all publi-
cations which had not been specifically authorized by
congress must suspend not later than December 1,
1921. There was also a radical reduction in the ap-
propriations to the executive departments for print
ing and binding and a further safeguard was provided
for by making it necessary before any such publica-
lions could be issued for the head of The executive de-
partment issuing the publication to certify in writing
to the public printer that such a publication was neces-
sary for the proper conduct of the business of his de-
partnent.
As a result of this restriction there are now approx
mateIy only 40 such publications being issued, and as
a result of the cooperation of the executive depart
ments and the joint congressional committee on print
ing it is more than likely that half of these VIII be
either by passing entirely out of exist
ence altogether or by being consolidated with other
The budget law, as it now operates, viii assist ma
terially in preventing the renewal of this scandal, for
the establishment of a new publication by any execu-
agency and the cost of it will now have to be
upon f~avorably by the budget bureau before it
even be recommended to the congress, and under
the present economy program it is safe to say that no
such publication will receive approval of the budget
bureau that is not absolutely essential to the proper
conduct of the department which wishes to issue it.