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Show THE CITIZEN ADMINISTRATION POWER MISUSED IN THE CAMPAIGN In the final days of the campaign an autocratic administration sought to maintain itself in power by methods of propaganda with which the German empire familiarized. the world during the struggle medium, publicity of nations. However valueable as a world-wid- e had proved to be to the various European governments before the war, it will be conceded universally that the junkers of Prussia had an amazing lesson to teach the world as to the effect of govern-mentall- y distributed propaganda. President Wislon took the cue from Germany when he appointed George Creel as propagandist extraordinary and publicity agent of the United States government. Mr. Creel has written a book in which he modestly intimates that, his department had much to do with winning the war. Whether his claim be well founded or not the administration appears to have become convinced of the value of propaganda wisely distributed at psychological moments. In fact, President Wilson showed that he had much skill as a propaplen-iopotentia- ry milgandist. He did all he could by notes, which Creel dropped by lions from the air into the German lines, to delude the Germans into the belief that they would receive merciful treatment at the peace conference if they would lay down their arms and form a free government to negotiate with the allies. No enemy was ever more miserably hoodwinked, but the point we make here is that the success of the propaganda was illuminating to the president and to those whose minds tliat run along with his. Never before in our annals was the power of the national administration used so shamelessly to win a campaign by means of propaganda. The state department was particularly active in its attempts to influence the campaign ,but neither adept nor adroit. To employ the vernacular its work was coarse.,, Had the plot succeeded it would have seemed clever, but failure showed its intrinsic absurdity. In the closing days of the campaign the state department gave out what it declared to be a report from Russia that American capitalists, because of association with the Republican nominee for president, had secured vast concessions in Siberia from the Soviet government. Without a direct statement to that effect, the impression was given that the Republican nominee was partner in an explota-tio- n company. Fortunately the cable censorship had been suspended and the Republicans obtained such a complete refutation that the state department was compelled to admit that its insinuations were unfounded. The comptroller of the currency renewed his attacks on the New York banks in the high tide of the political battle. The propaganda purpose, no doubt, was to convince the voters that the Democratic party alone could be trusted to protect the public from the barons of predatory wealth. This was an especially insincere and insideous maneuver from the fact that the Wilson covenant and the Democratic candidate were receiving the support of the most powerful group in Wall street the group known as the international bankers. of But perhaps the most hypocritical statecraft and stage-crathe campaign was the melodramatic attempt to capitalize the presidents illness. The president in his wheel chair was rolled out into the view of a propaganda mob on the White House lawn and a scene of elaborate pathos was staged. It may be that the president was not aware of the uses that were to be made of the scene. He probably argued that he was simply being given a quite natural and usual opportunity to plead for a matter near his heart. But the manner in which the scene was s visualized for the nation and the that were beaten by the Democratic candidate revealed a publicity plot to stir the hearts of the people. The president was pictured as a soldier stricken down in the No soldier mortally wounded on a battlefield of path of duty. France more truly sacrificed himself for his country, was the way ft tom-tom- i a ji !t the speakers publicity agents put it. And some went farther and pictured the senatorial oligarchy as the enemy who had struck fP L down the foremost patriot of the nation. Nor were the pleas of the president and of the Democratic can- f didate that the covenant be published a whit more sincere than the other methods of propaganda. While the covenant was in course of preparation and even after it had been completed the president withheld information concerning its specific provisions. Neither the administration nor any of its faithful supporters wrere clamant for publicity when publicity was most needed, but on the eve of election the spokesmen of the Demoto cratic administration, federal and state, almost burst with their n assumption of patriotism as they demanded that the league covenant be printed. All over the country this picturesque trick was adopted to impress the people that the Republican party was in a conspiracy to suppress !c the terms of the covenant. And yet the Republicans had worked ti hard and fast to get the provisions of the covenant before the people M at the time the president was so eager to rush the treaty to ratification without giving the people time to know what they were being tl let in for, as Secretary Lansing once expressed it. be in MISTAKING FLAGS oi er The United Press correspondent, writing of the first assembly of the League of Nations, uses one sentence which, though written (!i seriously, sounds like a brilliant satire. He says: It The Liberian flag made its first appearance here and was mistr taken frequently for that of the United States. bt The men who concocted the treaty seemed to mistake the United States for Liberia. At all events, Liberia obtained as much from the th treaty as did the United States. No more respect was paid the Amer in ican flag by the plotters than they paid to the flag of Liberia or the Di flag of Hejaz. We were given nothing and asked to guarantee every- in thing. Great Britain was given six votes in the assembly; the to, United States and Liberia were given one vote. m TAX NOTICES HELD BACK be ur The insincerity of the Democratic declaration that taxes had w not been raised was apparent to most of the taxpayers during the sii If remained doubters election after their campaign. any skepticism II should be dissipated by the tax notices they have been receiving P this week. ex it of has these the attention the that Perhaps escaped recipients notices are dated as follows : City and County Building, Salt Lake City, Utah, September 20, 1920. We advise any admirers of Democratic administration, if any be left, to peruse these tax notice? again and to ponder upon the meaning of the date line on them. Also observe the capitalized words, TAXES DUE SEPTEMBER pe ar 20, 1920. The date line shows when the taxes notices should have beer, mailed. The extra payments are made necessary by the increase in the levy over that of last year. The levy last year was 21.80 mills: this year the levy is 31.20 mills. Many paid on the old basis bee; us tax notices were sent to them last summer. Later the tax levy was raised and now they must pay for a second time this year. Notification of the extra taxes should have been made or September 20, but the campaign was in progress and the Democratic county treasurer, who was again running for office, did not kno'v how to break the news gently. For his own sake and the sak'- o' his running-mate- s he withheld the notices. Now they are sent otf only a few days prior to the date when taxes become delinquent an to th Li m; Je pa - ca of |