The Portland daily press., 1898-06-24
GERMAN FEELING ABOUT OUR WAR.


Social Democrats and Liberals Our Only
sympathizers.
(Georg ID. Petersen in the New York In |
dependent.)
The majority of Germans disoredit
America. They think, and they assert |
that the United States intends to profit |
by the war. And this is the mildest wny
of putting their real meaning, for there
have been plenty to say that American
cupidity caused the war. Some journals
inform their readers that the whole people
desire Cuba. Others specify, attributing
the desire of annexation to sugar dealers
and corrupt congressman for private
gain. I took I'D files of old newspapers
in the railway station restaurants in Mu-
mich and Augsburg, and found number
of important ones that, in publishing
the declaration of Congress, omitted the
fourth paragraph, thus leaving their
readers unenlightened of the fact that the
American government has expressly dis
claimed all intention of annexing Cuba.
The Cologne Gazette published fair Sc
ries of historical articles on the colonies
of Spain with statistical tables to show
the result of Spanish mismanagement.
But the moral is drawn neither by that
great journal nor by any of monarchical
| bias, that Cuba and the Philippines
should be freed from it, The special ma
tional liberal organ of Prince Bismarck,
the Hamburger Nachrichten, calls the
Interference of the United States in
Cuba analogous to the interference OF
Greece in Crete. The application Of the
Monroe doctrine" it repeats itself by 60
ing on to say, ''is an insolent piece OF
presumption against the rest of the
world, and an absolutely unjustiti able
outrage, likely to provoke the keenest OPP
position of all the other American States
and of the European zones that have
American territory to loss.' And it de-
clares that what has "seduced American
politicians into megaloman1a is the
l great wealth of their country"
| Another devoted Bismarckian journal,
one of group founded by an infu ential
syndicate, the Dresdener Neueste Mach
richten, takes the war for its text often,
in order to draw from its lessons the
proofs of the superiority of the German
monarchical and military institutions.
The disorders in Spain are thus attributed
to 'the parliamentary government tibet
reigns over that unfortunate Kingdom.
A land is to be pitied, it says, where
ministers come and go at the will OF the
people. Germany, fortunately, is free
from the pest of parliamantarisn."
| Behold, too, what a botch Americans
are making of the science of war. Ger
many had her army modified within
few hours after the declaration Of war
with France. The Yankees cannot get
so, 900 troops moving after three or four
weeks; "and yet they knew war would
transpire, for they have been working to
\ that end for years back The trouble
all comes of the American system of sus.
tanning militia instead of standing
army. Germany, fortunately, possesses a
| standing army.
| This is the burden of the patriotic press.
| The Official papers, the Nord Deutsche
| Zeitung, the Stats Zeitung and the
| kreuz Zeitung and Post started out with
comments of the same tenor. But of late
| they have modified their inimical tone a
little, after having let their readers into
| the secret that the policy of the govern
ment requires them to. "Of course. "
one journal adds, "this neutrality in
comment need notsextend to technical
points and specialists opinions" and
| accordingly much is still printed by all
tory papers in criticism of American
army organization and legislation.
| 1t appears to be believed by the editors
of official and semi-oficial journals that
the government, the emperor, twill have
something to say when the bears skin is
| divided, at the termination of hostili
ties;' by which current hunting phrases
meant, when the spells of battle be dig
tributed. For there Is as much suspicion
| f0Stara6 n IA Inv of Ey,c md in,
the hypocrisy of America, and the idea
| prevails that what sympathy the British
| profess for Americans is professed with
the aim of securing indirectly, by gift or
purchase. the Philippine islands. And
the German government is pictured men
tally as on the alert to prevent this con-
| t1ngency; or, If it cannot do this, why
| then, to push to the front with demand
OF its own to counterbalance such favor
| 1tism. 'No disturbance of the balance
OF power can be or will be. borne" is the
cry in the Spanish-American matter as
In all others, by which is meant that if
England reaps the advantage it is ang-
OF friendship. Germany and the other
great powers will raise row and seize
some land somewhere for set-off.
This much about the majority and their
opinions. In listening to them one feels
what the chasm is that separates the Eur
oP0 VI ulOu0ICulCssl Dr66uluS lfo!u T6puD-
lean people; the one is under authority,
the other feels itself to be authority. Ger
mans surely have hearts as warm as those
OF other nations; yet the word of authOri
" goes forth to HAYS no compassion for
the Armenians; and they have none. 1t
tells them to blame the Cretans and hiss
at the Greeks; and they hiss and blame
1t sets the example of laughing to scorn
the idea that English or Americans have
unSelHSh ideals; and they follow They
credited British Indignation over the Ar
Een1an massacres to the invention of di.
plomacy, British liking for the Greeks to
mockery; and they go on to credit British
appreciation of the American outbIlrst of
wrath against Spain to calculation.
How could Americans expect a people
which has thus shown itself a docile ward
to political guardianship in all these re.
cent cases to be different in this similar
new case; expect Germans, in other
words, to give American motives their
que when Germans are but just out of
breath from calling Englishmen mere
hypocrites for siding with the Cretans?
1t was folly of the first order to expect