Sanborn, who was the president of the Nashville German-American Society, supported Germany at the outset of World War I. He supported Austria's ultimatum to Serbia, opining that the Balkans were "on the plane of semi-savagery." However, in a 1917 interview with "The Tennessean", he said, "There cannot be the slightest doubt as to the loyalty of the German-Americans to the United States in the current crisis." He went on to deny that he had pro-German sentiments, saying he was "clean."