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Show GEORGE CREEL ON ! WITNESS STAND Testifies at Trial of Max Eastman, East-man, Editor of the Masses. NEW YORK, April 24. George Creel, chairman of the committee on public information, took the witness stand today in the trial of Max Hast man. e(tlor of the Masses, and others connected with the publication who are accused of obstructing the draft law. Creel Refutes Roger's Defendants. Testifying regarding statements made by one of the defendants, C. Merrill Rogers, the paper's business manager. Creel controverted Rogers' assertions that during a conversation between the two. Creel had approved the writings contained in the issue of I June, 1917. Rogers had gone to Washington a few days ago, the defendant testified.1 to submit tho contents of the maga-sine maga-sine to Creel, then at the head of the! censorship board, and Creel had found nothing objectionable. Creel testified he told Rogers there was no law which gave him the authority au-thority to pass on the contents but that it vas for the department of justice jus-tice to determine whether its character charac-ter was objectionable. Creel swore he told Rogers that the whole tone of the magazine was not in accordance with the spirit of the law, in his opinion. Creel conceded that Rogers had manifested a desire on the part of th editors to make their publication thoroughly acceptable to the government. Some months before America entered en-tered the war. Creel said, he himself had contributed an article to The j Masses. Asked whether he had received re-ceived the impression from Rogers that the paper was pursuing an antl-conscription antl-conscription policy, Creel said Rogers indicated no such attitude Because of his acquaintance with Max Eastman, East-man, former editor of The Masses, and one of the defendants and because he held him and the other editors in high respect, Creel continued, he had been anxious to have them assume a proper attitude toward America's war i ogram. The visit of Rogers to Creel, the former declared in his recent testi mony, was made at the suggestion of Mrs. J. Sergeant Cram, who was anxious anx-ious that an advertisement she had submitted on behalf of "The World Patriots," should receive the government's govern-ment's approval before It should ap- pear in The Masses, This advertisement advertise-ment Included a pledge for applicants to sign, reading: "I will not kill nor help to kill ray fellow man." Creel, testifying on this point, said he told Rogers that he believed the advertlse-menl advertlse-menl "epitomized treason," but then I he had not the authority to forbid its publication. Before Rogers left Washington, Creel said, the defendant gave him to understand that The Masses' policy would be changed. "I told Rogers,'" Creel concluded "that it was the duty of every publication pub-lication to accept the war as a fact to fight fair if it must fight and not try to break the purpose of America by opposing its will " As the witness passed the table where the defendants were sitting Max Eastman East-man rose and shook hands with Creel and the two walked to the door, where they talked for a few minutrs before Creel departed. rtr |