El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-06-28
CAMPBELL ON THE GERMANS.

Editor FL Paso Herald:
You have published a number OF COM
munications in reply to my article On
| Germany's course in the war appearing
/ IN your issue OF June 3. Articles not
] supported by the names OF the writers
Z VIII receive no attention The reply by
I Gustav C. HOenes is so typical OF Ger
I man military necessity and antaEcnis-
/ tic TO American ideals that IL should
. not go unchallenged- 1t is an exemplifi-
I cation OF the statement that defence OF
I Germany's course in the war is morally
/ obtuse and evasive- he confuses the
! individual OurlaWry OF soldiers serving
J under the American flag. which dis
I honors them. the American flag and
( American citizenship and which bears
{ the condemnation, not the sanction. OF
/ the American government, with a reign
I OF military terrorism organized and di-
{ rected by the German military machine
I as an act OF the German government
I The issues are national. not individual
The criticism is not OF German citizens,
much less American citizens.
! one crime cannot be justified by the
I allegation or proof Of another. Inasfar
as other nations may have anticipated
3 or followed German military outlaWry,
they also are under condemnation by
the world.
The statement that by inheritance in
! language, Jurisprudence. political
B economy and social ideals and customs.
America Is essentially English is not
D
Rev DR.. Cornelis Woelfkin, OF the
I Fifth Avenue Baptist church. OF New
Z York nobly states what I believe 70 be
the sentiment Of the mass Of American
citizens Of German origin in these
words;
Unless Germany can give us grounds
and reasons far better than any she
has vet put forth. her appeal for our
neral support must inevitably fail We
DO. not believe in the divine right OF
kings nor that the kaiser is specially
anointed by the Holy Ghost for his
roasted propaganda We do not believe
IN the overvaulting ambition OF a Pan
German program We do not believe
tuat a culture which tramples ob1fea-
lions underfoOt and desecrates national
honor IS having any mission IN the
world today. We do not believe in a
doctrine Of might being right and
which may abrogate ali law on the
special plea OF selfish, ambitious neces- /
we do not believe in war upon
clVlIlans with view to terrorizing a
people. We do not believe In repriSaIs
tnat make for savagery and barbarity
Unless We can have better reasons than /
new at nand, and assurances Of o re-
turn 10 the observance Of national con- I
ventions, we must despair Of Germany's
culture. integrity, and good faith
20 Iar nave spoken as one who
mas tried TO read on this subject. and
express the senCmnet which / think
has possessed your minds ana hegrts
IN our present crisis. Now let me sneak .
a word for my own self.
Fifty years ago a soldier serving
through the whole civil war persisted
on the minltor Patapsco in Charleston
narbor. His body. recovered. was buried .
in u orr Johnson cemetery On Tuesday J.
next shall stand beside that grave "a I
90 houor 70 the memory Of my father. /
lie was native Of Germany and mar z
RED German girl. BY heredity the I
blood In my veins is German blood I I
snail look across the sea with q pain /
OF soul. and pray.
20 land OF my father. o people OF 4
my mothers tongue, my heart is 4
grieved for thee May God comfort and I
heal thee. May he rescue thee from
shame and tyranny. May he defeat the .
counsel OF wrong and sin. May he stir
thy better instincts and make thee re-
pent OF evil May he tighten again thy
torch Of honor and glory that thou
mayest be worthy Of thy noblest his
tory and traditions. But If thou persist
In the course OF lawless dishOnor, then,
with shame and sorrow. I stand in the
front rank 70 proclaim thee isolated
from the morality Of civilization. a 7
ruthless buccaneer, lawless national
pirate who must give account ut ths
court OF humanity and history and the I
throne of holy God in whose ears
come the cries Of murdered innocents'
!. L Campbell