The age-herald., 1898-07-20
LOYAL TO THE
 STARS AND STRIPES The Germal-AmerlCan Citizens of Bir-
 min6ham READY TO DEFEND THE FLAG Ties That Bound Them to the Father
 land Broken ACundor.
EMPEROR FELL" ONLY BLUFFING
President Lesser, of the Birmingham Turn Ve- rein, and Other Representative Citizens, Give Expressions of Patriotism
 America First in Their Love.

| mingham, as well as of the whole United | States, are loyal to the stars and stripes | the emblem of the home of their adop- | tion.
 The patriotism of these sturdy people Is | put to the severest test in the possibility | of a war with Germany, growing out of | German interference in the faraway Phil l ippines, where Admiral Dewey has planted "Old Glory" and is so ably defending it. Almost one man they speak out in no uncertain tones and give expression to | their love and devotion to America, and | their determination to even bear arms | against the fatherland, if need be. Even the tender ties that cling as happy
 memories of their childhood days are swept 1 away before the intense patriotism that 1 is manifest to this Hand of the free and the home of the brave'
 The movement that has been started to prove their loyalty to Uncle Sam by pre- senting him with a magnificent modern battleship is gaining ground, and more liberal contributions will be made to this
 fund than by the German-American citi zens Of Birmingham.
 The incident that occurred at Manila
 when the German cruiser Irene was
 promptly called to time by Admiral Dewey
 and the possible complications that might
 arise from it. prompted an Age-Herald re-
 porter to interview a number of the prom
 inent German-American citizens yesterday
 with the result that without an exception
 they sgave expression to the most intense
 patriotism to the United States as against
 Germany or any other nation. The follow
 inC a a fnvU of ba
 among the representative Germans of the city:
 Emil Lesser, president of the Birming- ham Turn-Verein, the leading German or ganization of the city, and editor of the
 Birmingham Courier, the leading German
 paper of the state-"I do not believe that
 the present controversy will result in war
 between the two countries. The interests
 at stake are too great on both sides, but if
 it does then the German-American citizen
 will take up arms in behalf of the country
 of their adoption.
 Some of the most prominent and inhu-
 ential Germans in this country are coming
 out in statements that in event of war be-
 tween Germany and America they would
 be found on the side of the American coun-
 try. Among them I notice Gustav Tafel
 the honorable mayor of Cincinnati, O., and
 one of the most respected Germans in
 Ohio Then there is Colonel Leopold Mark
 brett, president of the Volks-blatt, the
 best German paper in the United States,
 published at Cincinnati, and also Bernhard
 Beitman of New York whose influence and prominence in German-American circles
 has been felt no little.
 "Carl Schurz is another who has openly
 expressed himself. Schurz has a national
 reputation He has given a statement in the 'Nation" in which he condemns and
 protests against the unfriendly statements bv some Germans He calls on Germans and the German press to be not mistaken.
 He says that the millions of Germans who
 are now in America will shed their last
 drop of blood for their adopted country.
 "The German citizens of Birmingham,
 almost to unit, are loud in their express sions of patriotism and stand ready to shoulder arms for America" B. Steiner, of the banking house Of
 Steiner Bros, and president of the Com-
 mercial club:
 Emperor William will not fight Amer
 fca In his usual way, he is bluffing as he
 has done with every nation in Europe, with success. Although very cratic, the em-
 peror Is a very fine business man and looks
 out for the commercial interests of Ger
 many, America being perhaps the largest purchaser of his sour wines as well as large consumer of other German products,
 he could not afford to fall out with us. ''The fierce competition in trade between the United States and Germany in the South American countries brings on fric- tions, and in my opinion will lead to war in less than ten years. When that time comes the Germans in this country and their children will be found in the ranks fighting for old Glory" I"
 Attorney Richard H. Fries-"We are Americans. Emperor William reminds me of a saying of Bismarck in referring to Lord Saulisbury: "A common lath painter like iron" The American people should not | look seriously on the half-crazed German | emperor, as his craziness is a trait superin- duced by Hohenzollern hereditary in1u- | ences.
 Americans, of German descent, are now raising a fund for the purchase of battle- | ship to be presented to the American gov- | ernment.
 'I have of late frequently spoken to a | large number of German-Americans and they are of one accord-that in the event | of hostilities between this and any other | country they would be found fighting for l this country shoulder to shoulder with the | native Americans"
 Hon. Samuel U1lman, president of the | board of education-"The all-absorbing | question today is What is Germany going l to do at Manila? Will she try to inter- | fere with Dewey?' We are no longer in | doubt how this typical American will an- swer. With this comes another question: | What is going to be the attitude of the l thousands of German-Americans in the | United States should the misfortune | arise in bringing on conflict with our forces at Manila This question will be l answered in no uncertain tones. While the l Germans here love their fatherland. their