The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-29

IN eS4lu8tpu, ~. k.s 0eHt. 49,
)selists could we'll aAeFd to with
w their attention from ahreed
q concentrate on WeshiDetQn tor
terial for those thrilling stories
espionage and political intrigue
ieh the public 80 eagerly de-
ars. For . long time the popular
eelist has delighted to let his
racters get into all kinds Of
1spes and have hair-bFsadth e.
es and discover importaat ~
lts of state In such places ~
peva. Petrogfad, Monte Carlo and
me. They could do Just ~ well
Washington.
Since the war, washington has
nome in 3 certain sense the cap
y of the world. With all nations
king to the United States a. the
l6der Of international activity our
j6onal capital has taken on in
Rsed Importance.
Washington ss q headquarters
h diplomatic activity has long had
Sasiderable vogue, but never SO
ch as at present. The increased
iness of this character started
p the war when the propagsn-
6tts and diplomats, special COM
sioners and plenipotentiaries OF
aaprincipal nations came here as
Snl is drawn to a magnet. Nearly
al OF them have stayed and ply
thir trade as diligently as ever.
HE treaty Of Versailles provided
f&several new states in pursuance
oflhe doctrine Of self-determina-
tn which President Wilson intro
dtnd at the peace table. All of
the nations wers born in turmoil
al have been encountering diff
q Yes in holding their hard-won
id9fity.
ne opinion has become fixed in
Euppe that a government can ac-
Goldfish almost anything by con-
wiring the American public OF the
jui&ce of its cause. 1t seems that
thewhele world bows to the col
leeMe American mind, and. in con-
SCIENCE. every effort is made to
aplAl to that mind.
Bureau SupplaRts Junta.
1e foreign lobbies frequently
taN the form of information bu-
rean Such countries as Esthonia,
Latsa, and Lithuania have bureaus
Will headquarters at Washington
wheee millions of words of in
forlntioh" are sent broadcast to
the American press showing the
devEpment of each country, stat
ing b nationalistie aims and fire.
queMy holding up to scorn the
committing aspirations of other peo-
Piles. The information bureau is
the saceessoF of the old-fashioned
diplmatic agency or junta which
usedio be in vogue here.
Tire is no doubt that these bu-
reaui make a substantial impress
sion throughout the country and il
appSSs their home governments
are ell justified in believing that
the american press is as impor-
tant.f not more so, than the de-
partknt of state in connection
withllmerican affairs.
TIKI newspapers in the last veal
have lad a good deal to say about
the Oita government. 1t will be
recaIh that the conference on the
limitllon of ornaments devoted ne
little ttention to this small notion
offici1ly known as the far eastern
repuDlc. Much of this attention
this Worldwide publicity. aros'
from he efficiency of the Washing
ton iubrmation bureau maintained
by thu Chita government which a
psychological moments ISSUED
statenlnts to the press, or. ii
other ssords, to that vague collec
tive fEtor in world affairs, thu
American mind.
The development has gone so fal
that sGeral of the old established
embassies maintain on their diplo
matte sitaffs, highly trained news
paper correspondents. Sometime
these Ne brought from the hom'
countrts and have such impressive
titles y press attache. More fire.
quentlythey are American journal
lists enjoyed in this country. 1
is the eneral opinion that the bes
results are obtained from tn
Americn newspaper. man becaus'
he is ntlre familiar with the Amer
lean mad and knows more accur
ately hnW it can best be appealed
to. E
All raders of American newspa
pers haA seen a great deal OF agi
tation encerning Philippine indie
pendenN This springs largel,