Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-01-04
GERMANY WAS EVER JUST.
During Our War with Spain the Ger
i man Government Preserved
b. Great Fairness. ~

As to the conduct OF Germany during
our war with Spain, while the press,
with two or three exceptions, was any
thing but friendly, and while a large
majority Of the people were hostile to
US on account Of the natural sympathy
for small power battling against Z
larger one. the course of the imperial
government. especially of the foreign
Office, under Count Won Buelow and
Baron Won Richthofen, writes Andrew
D. White, In Chapters from My Diplo-
matte Life in Century. was all that
could be desired; indeed, they went 50
lar on one occasion as almost to alarm
US. The American consul at Hamburg
having notified me by telephone that
Spanish vessel, supposed to be loaded
with arms for use against US in Cuba,
was about to leave that port, fastened
to the foreign office and urged that Wig
orous steps be taken: with the result
that the vessel, which in the meantime
mad left Hamburg, was Overhauled and
searched at the mouth Of the Elbe. The
German government might easily have
pleaded, in answer to my request, that
the American government had gener-
ally shown itself opposed to any such
interference with the shipments of
small arms to belligerents and had
contended that it was not obliged to
search vessels to find such contraband
of war, but that this duty was incum-
bent upon the belligerent nation con-
cerned. This evidence of the fairness
OF Germany took pains to make known.
and In my address On the following
Fourth Of July, at Leipsic, declared my
belief that the hostility of the German
people and press at large was only tenn
pcrary and that the old good relations
would be restored. Knowing that my
speech would be widely quoted in the
German press, took even more pains
to show the reasons why we could bide
our time and trust to the magnanimity
CT the German people. One thing /
then and always reminded my hearers
namely, that during our civil war,
when our national existence was tremb-
ling In the balance, and our foreign
friends were few, the German press and
people were steadily on our s1de..
AS the war with Spain progressed.
various causes of difficulty arose be-
tween Germany and the United States,
but l feel bound to say that the German
government continued to act toward us
with justice. The sensational press in
deed continued its work on both sides
of the Atlantic On our side it took
pains to secure and publish stories of
insults by the German Admiral Died.
erichs to the American Admiral Dewey.
and to develop various legends regard
ing these two commanders. AS mat
ter OF fact, each of the two admirals.
when their relations first began in Ma
Mia, was doubtless on his guard against
the other; but this feeling soon yielded
to different sentiments.
The ineffably foolish utterances of
various individuals spread by sundry
American papers were heartily echoed
in the German press, the most noted
among these being an alleged after
dinner speech by an American officer
at New York club, and congressional
speech in which the creature who made |
it declared that "the United States, hay-
ing whipped Spain, ought now to whip
Germany" Still the thinking men in
trusted with the relations between the
two countries labored on, though at
times there must have come to all of US
a sense of the divine inspiration of
Schiller's words, Against stupidity
even the gods fight in vain.'