Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1914-1915, 1914-09-10
CERMANY''S ALL
IS At STAKE

ID Al 0IAA[
(By Herman Ridder, Editor of New
York Stats Zeitung.)
New York, Sept. 1.-The news that
came over the feverish wires contains
the announcement Of the use of native
Indian troops by England against
Germany. Not many years ago, Brit
ain waged a war against these same
people. Every child knows the story
Of India, where the natives were LASH
ed to the mouths of cannons and shot
to pieces. When it comes to tales of
cruelty and barbarism, let not Eng
land hold up it's hands in horror and,
pointing at the German, say, "thank
God, I am better than they"
In this connection, I read with con-
siderable amazement of the horror of
the sensitive American press over the
dropping of bombs in Antwerp, while
the same press brought, without the
least thrill of dismay, the news of the
dropping of bombs in Nurnberg by a
French aviator. Does a German bomb
in Antwerp differ in any way from a
French bomb in N%urnburg?
In England the opponents of war,
and l understand that they are repre-
sented in the house of commons,
maintain that the foreign office failed
to do everything possible to avoid the
war. It is certain that England knew
of the agreements, and the plans and
purposes Of France and Russia. Eng
land knew on July l of this year what
all the world knows now-namely
that Germany and Austria had been
isolated by the intrigues of diplomacy
if the triple entente, and that the
dream of Edward VII to crush his
hated nephew was about to be real
lied. The fact that England, Russia
and France join the chorus shouting,
"the kaiser did it, the kaiser did it"
will not blind history when it places
the responsibility for this war.
Those were trying days during July
for the German government. From
every side it's enemies were preparing
its humiliation. The action of the
German socialists have made a deep
impression upon me. I know the
temper of that party. There is no
group of men anywhere more loyol to
its principles, more steadfast in it's
purpose. Had this been a ruthless
unnecessary war of conquest, dictated
by the kaiser and a militar autocracy
the socialist party in Germany would
have declined to participate in it.
They would have permitted them
selves to be shot rather than support
such a war. The ridiculous story
printed at the outbreak of hostilities
that 100 socialist leaders were exc
cuted has gone to join that great
army of misrepresentation and false
hood that is being augmented day by
day with reports Of German cruelty
and German barbarity.
Germany is fighting the world. Civ
llized Europe is calling upon uncivil-
lied Africa and Asia to wipe out the
Teutonic empire. Strangely enough,
a part of public opinion in America,
stimulated by a powerful press appar-
emily, favors the allies.
Some time in the seclusion of my
study I ponder on this question. Am
l the less American because my SYM
pathies are reused when the odds are
six to two? Am I the less American
because I am thrilled when a young
vigorous empire defies the world to
crush it? Why is it that I find some
thing heroic and stirring where you
remain cold and unsympathetic?
Wherein lies the difference in your
point of view and mine? Is there no.
compromise ground upon which we
can meet in thorough accord and har-
mony? We agree, do we not, that Ger
man culture and German science have
placed the world under a deep debt of
gratitude.
We all deplore this miserable wal
which can do no one any permanent
good. We all want to see it ended
within the shortest possible space Of
time. Yet we are divided in our SYM
pathy over the two parties engaged.
You rise in horror when death is
dropped from a Zeppelin, and I look
with dismay upon the use Of the Afri-
can, Turco and Asian Sikh against the
white nan You smile in satisfaction
when hundreds of millions of dollars
Of German commerce is wiped out in
a few sudden weeks, and fail to realize
~ Of 1,o,, oro 1iusr~ -, &bo Howe ~,L.~~