New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-05-24
w .GERMAN PERIL,

Tho current UtteTance OF the German AHl""'-
! sador concerning the alleged German peru III
/ South America Is welcome as an auulIiOn'.
/ and if is 10 be hoped. convincing and final
refutotion of one of the most ineXplicaDle ana
oroundless inventions that have ever been made
| for the Indictment of suspicion and animOsity
| In international affairs. Again and again III
recent wears it has been gravely stated that
under the snrreptitiOus and sinister machlhA-
lions of the German government, parts OF
South America, notably some of the southern
states of Brazil. were being numerOusly ana
densely cOlonized with Germans, most or Whom
were German soldiers in disguise; that already
such colOnlsts Outnumbered all other nhaDl-
tants that Of course, they all remained loyal
German subjects, and that one of these days
probably very soon, there would be a revolt,
these German settlers would claim the prOtec-
ton of the Fatherland. the imperial government
would intervene with navy and army, ana IN
a twinkng the best part Of the South Amerl-
can continent would become German col
ony. while the poor old Monroe Doctrine might
''go hang" Also 1t might and should have been
appropriately added when the skies fall we
shall catch larks
Baron Speck Won Sternburg points out that
in the twenty-four years 1S71-'94 the total Ger
man migration into the South American CON
tinent only s6.53S or an average OF 1905
a year. and of these 34.719. 2279 year.
settled in Brazil. The figures for the three
years 1857 not given but in none Of
the seven years 1S9S-19O4 did more than S21
Germans enter Brazil-in the last named year
the number being only 1856 At the present time
the total number Of German-bOrn people in Bra
I'll is. according to German authorities. only
about 2OO00 and of these only 5000 have re-
manned German subjects These figures from
German sources. accord closely with official
nd 10 no ed as
substantially correct We need do no more than
to add the reminder that the civilized pOpula-
ton of Brazil is about 15.0OO.0OO in order to
expose the absurdity of the notion that that
republic or any of its states is in danger Of
being Germanized. The idea of 5000 Germans
overwhelming a republic Of 100000 and
sweeping ii willy -nilly into the arms Of the
empire is simply grotesque And if there is
no such danger in Brazil there is certainly none
in any other part Of the South American CON
tnent
The fact is, there has been entirely too much
talk all over the world about ''perils'-Ii erman
perils. American perlls. Yellow perils. and what
not. There is no German peril In South Amer
lea excepting the danger that through superior
energy. adaptiveneSs and business shrewdnesS
Germany Will still further distance us in the
markets Of those countries. There is no Amer
lean peril in Europe. excepting the danger that
the superior resources of this country will give
us an insuperahle advantage over some OF those
countries in certain departments Of industry
and commerce. There is no Yellow peril for
Europe or America, save such as may be
created by one or both Of those continents
through unjust treatment OF China For all
these perils, imaginary, potential or actual. the
remedy is to be found in working Justly and
1udiciously all day rather than in lying awake
all night worrying and seeing things in the
dark There is no sense in bowling and lament
I ing because we sell Brazil less than onetenth
/ OF her imports and are far outstrippe1 by Ger
many. The sensible plan is to run more Ameri-
can ships to Brazilian ports to cater to Brazil
ian tastes and needs and to push our trade as
intelligently and as energeticaIIv as Germany
is pushing hers. That is the way to deal with
the German peril"