Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-10-13
Why We Do Not Favor Germany
ABLE REVIEW OF THE
SITUATION BY DIR.
G.. w. ELIOT.

the New York Times most STRIKING ar
ticle on America and the issues OF tht
European war. 1t aualyzes luminously
the causes of public opinion in the
United States as regards the war, and
states comprehensively why the whole
weight of American opinion is on the
side of the allies.
| The article runs as follows:
The numerous pamphlets which Ger
man writers are now distributing In the
United States, and the many letters
about the European war which Amer
cans are now receiving from German and
| German A American friends, are convinc
ing thoughtful people in this country thai
American public opinion has some
weight with the German government ano
people, or, at least, some interest FOL
them; but that the reasons which de-
termine American sympathy with the
allies, rather than with Germany and
Austria Hungary, are not understood in
Germany and are not always appreciated
by persons of German birth who have
lived long 10 the United States.
1t would be serious mistake to sup
pose that Americans feel any hostility OF
| jealousy toward Germany, or fail to
recognize the immense obligations under
| which she has placed all the rest of the
world, although they now feel the Ger,
man nation has been going wrong In
theoretical and practical politics for
more than hundred years, and is today
reaping the consequences of her own
wrong. thinking and wrong-dOing.
m
concerning which American sympathy is
strongly with Germany.
W-The urification of Germany,
which Bismarck and his co-workers &C.
complished, naturally commended itself
TO Americans, whose own country is =
firm federation of many more or less
different states, containing more or less
different peoples. While most Ameri-
cans did not approve Bismarck's meth.
ods and means, they cordially approved
his accomplishment of German uniica-
ton.
(2)-Americans have felt unqualified
admiration for the commercial growth of
Germany during the past 40 years, be.
lieving it to be primarily the fruit OF
wel-directed industry and enterprise.
Gall educated Americans feel
strong gratitude to the German nation
for it's extraordinary achievements in
letters, science, and education within
the last 100 years. Jealousy OF Germany
in these matters Is absolutely foreign
to American thought, and that any ex-
ternal power or influence should under
take to restrict or impair German prog
ress in these respects would seem to all
Americans intolerable, and, indeed. in
credible.
(4-All Americans who have had any
experience in governmental or educa.
tional administration recognize the fact
that German administration-both In
peace and in warts the most efficient
in the world; and for that efficiency they
feel nothing but respect and admiration,
unless the efficiency requires an inex-
pedient suppression or restriction OF
individual liberty.
(5)-Americans sympathize with a
unanimous popular sentiment in favor OF
a war which the people believe to be
essential to the greatness, and even the
safety, of their cOuntry-s sentiment
which prompts to family and property
sacrifices very distressing at the moment
and irremediable in the future; and they
believe that the German people today
are inspired by just such an overwhelm-
ing sentiment.
WHY OPINION FAvoRs THE ALLIES.
How is it, then, that, with all these
strong American feelings tending to
make them sympathize with the Ger
man people in good times or bad, in
peace or in war, the whole weight of
American opinion is ON the side OF the
allies in the present war? The reasons
are to be found, of course, in the politi-
cal and social history Of the American
people and in its governmental philoso-
ply and practice today. These reasons
have come out of the past, and are in.
trenched in all the present ideals and
practices of the American common
wealth. They inevitably lead Americans
to object strongly and irrevocably to
certain German national practices of
great moment, practices which are out
growths of Prussian theories, and ex.
periences that have come to prevail in
Germany during the past hundred years.
In the hope that American public opin-
ion about the European war may be a
little better understood abroad, 1t seems
worth while to enumerate those German
practices which do not conform to Amer
lean standards in the conduct of public
affairs:
(a) Americans object to the oommittal
of nation to grave measures OF foreign
policy by a permanent executive-Czar,
Kaiser, or King-advised in secret by
professional diplomatists who consider
themselves the personal representatives
OF their respective sovereigns. The
American people have no permanent ex-
ecutive, and the profession of diplomacy
hardly exists among them. In their con-
duct of their national affairs they utterly
distrust secrecy, and are accustomed to
demand and secure the utmost publicity.
(b) They object to placing in any
rulers hands the power to order mobili-
zation or declare war in advance of de-
liberate consultation with representa-
tive assembly, and of cooperative action
thereby. The fact that German mobili-
cation was ordered three days In advance
Of the meeting Of the Reicbstag con.
fouuds all American ideas and practices
about the rights of the people and the
proper limits Of executive authority.
(c) The secrecy of European diplo-
matte intercourse and of international
understandings and terms of alliance In
Europe is in the view of ordinary Amer
leans not only ine1pedient, but danger
GUS and unjustfiable. Under the Con-
stitution of the United States no treaty
ne ( otiated by the President and his cab
met is valid until it has been publicly
discussed and ratified by the Senate.
During this discussion the people can
make their voice heard through the
press, the telegraph and the telephone.
(d)-The reliance on military force as
the foundation of true national great
ness seems to thinking Americans er-
roneous, and in the long run degrading
to a Christian nation. They conceive
that the United States may fairly be
called a great nation; but that Its great
ness is due to intellectual and moral
forces acting through adequate material
forces and expressed in education, pub
lie health and order, agriculture, manu-
featuring, and commerce, and the re.
sulting general well.being of the people,
1t has never in all its history organized
what could be called q standing or q
conscripted army; and, until 20 years
ago, its navy was very small, considering
the length of its sea coasts. There IL
nothing In the history of the American
people to make them telieve that the
| t,,o 0raoknoaa ~ pafiona danenda mr.