The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-21
DEUTScHTHUM.
Letter From Moreton Frewen. N. p.
on German Psychology.

WI VVi"uu
To THE EDITOR OF THE suN-Str. In
previous letter you permitted me TO
draw attention to the moral and also
to the economic aspects of modern Ger
many, and | asked whether an indus
trial organization which aspired to the
hegemony OF the universe through force
and fraud should not properly he dis
! persed and dispersed for It's own sake,
/ by economic pressure, applied. and for
| n generation to come applied. by the
leading forces Of civilization. Only by
! economic non-intercourse can the self
respecting peoples settle with the rat
! Ting sabre and the Prussian Jackboot.
! Close the external markets against Ger
many and that jackpot will be quickly
| down at the heel. Since tho publication
! OF that letter In THE SUN / have re-
ceived q considerable number of letters
/ from German American sources. not OF
| course generally amiable, but one or
two admitting mat perhaps the only
path to peace open IL nation has
| started out to murder Its neighbors
might be an International league which
could decree social and commercial nom
intercourse on wide lines; a sort Of
| Papal bull In the twentieth century.
One German gentleman who writes
to me from the good State Of Illinois
has this to say: II have met you with
our friend John Altgeld. and you criti-
cised England's currency policy quite
as freely as any German or American.
I am therefore disposed to read what
| you write. and II you can satisfy me
| that an immoral Court Camarilla' in
| Berlin has engineered this war, then.
too, know exactly where Altgeld
would have stood were he now alive"
| The writer goes on to admit that his
own father and Altgeld's father had
80. III, NAI -
| tho fleshpots Of America, but because
there appeared to be no chance OF any
true democracy wording out in father
land where incidents such as the re-
cent Zabern incident the cutting down
OF the lame cobbler by Lieutenant Foerst-
ner) are acclaimed by the military
power over the head Of the civil power.
In acknowledging my unrecalled cor
respondents letter I reminded him OF
what Liebknecht had said OF the Reichs-
tag 1T Is merely a fg leaf to cover
the naked absoluttsm OF the Govern
| ment"
No public man OF our generation was
more cruelty traduced than Governor
Altgeld. John Altgeid was not in any
sense a politician, but rather a philoso-
pher OF the Karl Marx type. This letter
from his friend has started me think
ing where Altgeld would he in this the
greatest crisis OF all In human history.
| cannot fathom the immortality OF those
Germans in tho United States who In
a matter OF this kind lie to one another
and to tho world only because the
Kaiser, on whom they turned their
backs, seeking liberty, bids them to lie
through his subsidized agents. Very DIFF
ferent in our history has been the att
;ude Of the better sort OF Enslishman
| think OF Chathams last speech de-
| nouncing the British Government foi
It's treatment OF the revolving Colonies
| myself was quite satisfied that kru-
gers treatment OF the uitlanders. who
were a majority in the Transvaal. was
! tyranny. The Transvaal was lire.
denta" our action was an Instance OF
that extremely Interesting irredentist
movement everywhere with which this
century has got TO reckon. ! thought
that majority down there in the Trans
vaal had clothed itself with the rights
OF man" But many OF my countryTmer
ror whom | had great respect. james
/, Bryce. Campbell Bannerman. +. G
Selous. were ardently with the Dutch
Is II conceivable that German Ameri
, cans have been 30 poisoned by theil
= professors that they are. as We arr
told a unit for this rape OF Belgium?
, | hope that this letter may elicit from
some representative and detached Ger
man In the middle West what ne he
lieves John Altgeld's attitude woulc
have been. When on his death be,
Frederick the Great said that he Wal
glad TO go that ne was tired OF rulini
over a nation OF slaves" OF that sam'
Frederick our historian Macaula,
wrote He was a tyrant Of ex'raor
binary military and political talents
81 industry more extraordinary still
without fear, without faith. and with
out merry: tvrant who drilled hi
. people as he drilled MS grenadiers."
In addressing his soldiers recentl'
. the Kaiser said, There is but one will
and that Is mine" That statement.
! am aware from our persona intercours.
, would have gone far TO determine All
! geld's attitude Il was that sort OF gov
Z erning down instead OF govern nS NJ
/; which had decided his father TO g. int,
r exile. and | cannot help thinking tina
had Atgeld lived he would hsv
powerfully rallied German American
20 seize this opportunity to destro
I rather than 10 uphold tho HohrnZol
: lerns. Why are the very condition
which drove the pick OF Germauy's son
! overseas not only 10 he perpetuate
within their F'atherand hyt TO overflow
into the Balkans into Belgium. and, oh
the humor OF II. into England herself
There is but one will, and that
9 mine" Ana to this appalling Pop. a
= to a modern Canossa the piutocraCN
? the swell mob saobs OF the Unite
n states have repaired for years past
- Surely there will he much food for re
Election when Chicago-recrulted Newpo'
reassembes the coming summer Tn
Germans who have emisrated to ~
= United States and also ny wholesale {
q the dominions OF the British Empr
Il have gone oversea-and II is necessar
q to emphasize this po!nt--not becaus
@ Germany had no room for them the
p have gone out on the toe OF the Prus
sian jackhoot. Let Professor Rohrh.cN
80 much in evidence in the recent Rerli
psstorals. bear witness This professc
q writes:
r 1t Is apparently hopeless TO explain
n The English that so far from desiring ou
4 let's for our surplus population in new tel
d ritory we have surplus population
= Germany.
@ or let US put on record what the (
9 lustrious Professor Lassen OF Berli
: writes to his Dutch friend: We al
morally and intellectually superior I
all men. We are peerless SO too al
o our organizations and institutions" {
J. these organizations he adds that the
= are the most perfect political creation
rs known to history" or Hollweg
" writes that h IS the most eminent
d living men" Is II any wonder, gingers
J. UP In this fashion, that great nat o.
Is albeit as to population II has mo e.,
a homie surplus should emgrate to Coo
county, Illinois? But why shoul
:, ! Greater Germany sDlendld1y democrat