The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective LeagueHough, Emerson
History
The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective League
Hough, Emerson
American Protective League; Propaganda, German; World War, 1914-1918 -- Secret service -- United States
Nor is it to be believed that Germany has ceased in her propaganda.
She does not believe herself defeated even now. The undying occult
spirit of the old Teutonic Knights still lives to-day in America. Now,
you will begin to hear attempts to make us dislike England, attempts to
incite Ireland to revolt against England, attempts to make us dislike
France, stories that England and France owe us much for everything they
gave us in the way of equipment, aeroplanes, munitions; stories that we
will never get back any of the moneys we loaned to the Allies; stories
of how simple and innocent the German people are, how anxious they are
to be friendly to America. That is all propaganda. By this time we
ought to know how to value it.
Of course, the German language papers in this country were hotbeds
of propaganda and sedition. Some of them were suppressed by the
censorship, some by the indignant American people who informed the
courts of justice. Most of them by this time have become tame since
they have seen the penitentiary sentences imposed upon the more
outspoken of these German editors living in America. These foreign
language papers were prominent in New York, Chicago, Milwaukee,
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and other cities. They show the strength
of German sentiment in America. Every one of them was a center of
propaganda, at first outspoken, then more careful. The great majority
of these papers, in order to protect their business investments,
tried to cover up when they found which way the wind was setting. The
censorship officers were flooded with complaints against these papers.
For instance, there came all the way from Indianapolis a complaint
against a paper printed in Baltimore, Maryland, “The Bavarian Weekly.”
A. P. L. had many extended translations of articles printed in this
paper, the general tenor of which was a laudation of Germany and German
methods. One wonders what Germany would have done to any American
newspaper printed within the confines of Germany which might have
expressed such hostile sentiments against the country harboring it.
In addition to these, there were, of course, the English language
papers which for one reason or another were covertly or outspokenly in
favor of Germany. Papers all the way from New York to Pueblo, Colorado,
were bought or were attempted to be bought outright by German capital.
The most sensational scandals of this sort came out of New York.
It is known that in many towns the German element undertook to sow
seeds of discontent in the minds of savings bank depositors. Rumors
got out—no one could tell where they started—to the effect that the
United States Government was going to confiscate all the savings of the
people; that the bonds would never be paid off. Of course, all this was
absurd, but it had its effect upon servant girls and others who were
loyally putting their savings into the securities of the government. It
cost a great deal of time and expense to run down such rumors.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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