From CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Vol 54 p 2947f
February 9, 1917
Mr. CALLAWAY. Mr. Chairman, under unanimous consent, I insert in the
RECORD at this point a statement showing the newspaper combination,
which explains their activity in this war matter, just discussed by
the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. MOORE]:
"In March, 1915, the J. P. Morgan interests, the steel, shipbuilding,
and powder interests, and their subsidiary organizations, got together
12 men high up in the newspaper world and employed them to select the
most influential newspapers in the United States and 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 of the daily press
throughout the country. They found it was only necessary to purchase
the control of 25 of the greatest papers. The 25 papers were agreed
upon; emissaries were sent to purchase the policy, national and
international, of these papers; an agreement was reached; the policy
of the papers was bought, to be paid for by the month; an editor was
furnished for each paper to properly supervise and edit information
regarding the questions of preparedness, militarism, financial
policies, and other things of 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 the country being filled
with 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 included the suppression of everything in opposition
to the wishes of the interests served. The effectiveness of this
scheme has been conclusively demonstrated by the character of stuff
carried in the daily press throughout the country since March, 1915.
They have resorted to anything necessary to commercialize public
sentiment and sandbag the National Congress into making extravagant
and wasteful appropriations for the Army and Navy under the false
pretense that it was necessary. Their stock argument is that it is
`patriotism.' They are playing on every prejudice and passion of the
American people." --end citation
Congressman Oscar Callaway (1872-1947), Democrat from Comanche TX,
served three terms. He wanted to run again, but lost the party's
nomination. James Perloff quotes him in _The Shadows of Power_
(Appleton WI: Western Islands, 1988)--a book about the Council on
Foreign Relations. Thanks to [EMAIL PROTECTED] for spotting
this item and posting it to Usenet....
-- _
Dale Wharton [EMAIL PROTECTED] M O N T R E A L Te souviens-tu?
