The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-05


hostile to America The newspapers
are bitterly unreasonable over an af-
fair which in no way touches their ma
tionality nor affects them except in
These papers first denied the victory at
Manila declaring that it was American
blow and that no news had been re-
ceived from any other source, when
the truth is that the world knows that
the only news SO far received Of the
victory was over the Spanish cable and
through Spanish officials. If Ameri-
cans had sent the news, that in itself
would have been proof that Dewey
had captured the town and along with
it the cable, also. 1t is therefore in
comprehensive why the press of Ger
many should be so hostile, not only
hostile and full of apparent hatred and
malice towards this country in its eff
forts to rescue a helpless people from
tyranny and robbery in the name of
law. AS a contemporary observes,
one would think they would stop to
consider what effect their antagonism
might have upon American sentiment
not only toward Germany as a nation.
but also against everything else that is
German. What can these German pa
pers be thinking about in regard to
the millions of Germans and German
Americans in the United States? They
ought to be able to see that in this way
they may very seriously cripple Ger
man influence IN this country, and
thereby also cripple German trade with
the United States.
Probably the wisest thing Germany
ever did in relation to the United
States was to make it's splendid exhi
bition of German products at the
Chicago Worlds Fair. In that matter
Germany went far ahead of any other
foreign country, and it made a wonder
fully favorable impression upon the
American people. In consequence OF
the liberal and friendly spirit shown by
Germany at that time. and also be-
cause of the large increase in the Ger
man and German-American population
in this country, the old, narrow preju-
dice which some Americans at one time
entertained against Germans as
class had almost entirely disappeared
when German papers began their at
tacks on the United States. This spirit
Of hostility on the part Of the German
press was manifest before the trouble
with Spain arose, but It is especially
since we became involved in this dis
pute that it has been revealed in its
bitterness.
It is held that the secret of German
opposition to America grew out Of the
Venezuela question and the assertion
of the Monroe doctrine. But Germany
was not greatly menaced by the dec
laration made by Cleveland. It was
Great Britain which was most affected
by that affair, and Great Britain is our
friend in the quarrel with Spain. Be
sides, the German press cannot think
that by manifesting spirit OF hostility
toward this country it can frighten the
American people into abandoning the
Monroe doctrine. On the contrary, the
effect of such hostility will rather be
to make the Americans think that they
should fortify their coasts and build a
powerful navy. Whatever way it is
loked at, the attitude of the German
press is all wrong. 1t is unjust to the
United States. 1t tends to hurt Ger
man trade, and it cripples German
American influence in domestic affairs.
There is utterly no sense in it what
ever.