SATURDAY DECEMBER 18, 1920

Grey River Argus, 18 December 1920, Page 2

SATURDAY DECEMBER 18, 1920

PUBLIC MIND IN A STRAIT JACKET. ,

There are more obstacles to the formation of a sound public opinion in Australasia to-day than tlicrc used to be before tho war. The" censorship has been added to the other fetters that have for long operated to confine the public mind"* in a strait jacket. Almost universally tho Press remains capitalistically controlled, and tethered to an economic and social philosophy that has outgrown its utility and holds back the progress of "the community in a thousand ways. The so-called powers that be act as if they were quaking in their shoes for the preservation of privileges that confer upon the few unmerited advantages at the expense of the many. The cable service that reaches all sections is at its very soxirce dominated by influences that are at enmity with the A r cry idea- of true democracy. But the legironing of the Press — the power whu-h used to be si synomym for freedom — is one of the worst handicaps wlik-li our age and generation has to labour under. We quote below a candid, and indeed an astounding confession from a legislator. We could also cite a journalist whose paper is quoted to New Zealanders time and time again as an organ reflective of American public opinion — the "New York Times" — which is shown by him in its true guise as an organ that does not reflect,* but actually misrepresents and suppresses honest public opinion, and whose one mission is to propagate tho effete doctrines of capitalism. What applies to America is equally true oP the great majority of papers in the British Empire and other countries, and it is no wonder the saying that reform is an exceedingly slow growth n> best can be held to be the truth. It is a fact that none can deny the Pierpont Morgan interests control absolutely the capitalist press of the United States. As -far back as 3917 the "American Socialist" pointed out how this truth Avas brought to light in the United States Congress by Oscar Callaway, one of the representatives from Texas, a member of Congress. His statement appears on pages 3320 and 3321 of j:h.e Congressional Record of February 0, .1917, and was placed- there Avith the unanimous consent of all the members of the House of Representatives. The statement reads: — "In March, 1915, the J. P. Morgan interests, the steel, shipbuilding, and powder interests ; and their subsidiary organisations, got together 12 men .high up in the newspaper Avorld and employed them to select- the most influential newspapers in the United States and a sufficient number of them to control generally the policy of the daily press of the United States. These 12 men worked the ' problem out by selecting .179 newspapers, and then began, by an elimination process, to retain only those necessary for the purpose of controlling the. general policy oi! the daily press throughout the country. . They found it Avas only necessary to purchase the control of 25 of the greatest papers. The 25 papers Avero agreed upon; emissaries Averc sent to purchase the policy, national and international, of I hese papers; an agreement Avas reached; nn editor was furnished for each

paper to properly supervise and edit information regarding the question of preparedness, militarism, financial policies, and other things of a national and international nature considered vital to the interests of the purchasers. This contract is in existence at. the present time, and it accounts, for the news columns of. the daily press of this country being filled Avith all sorts of preparedness arguments and misrepresentations as to the present condition of the United States Army and Navy, .and the possibility and probability of- the United States being attacked by foreign foes. This policy also includes tho suppression of everything in opposition to the Avishes of the interests served. The effectiveness of this scheme has been conclusively demonstrated by the character of the stuff carried in the daily press throughout the country since March, 1915. They have resorted to anything necessary to commercialise public sentiment and sandbag the National Congress into' making extravagant and Avagteful appropriations for tho Army and Navy under tho false preteneo that it Avas necessary. Their stock argument is that it is 'patriotism.' They are playing on every prejudice and pussiou of the American people."