Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1915-02-26
WILSON AND LINCOLN.

Norman Hapgood, in Harper's, eu-
logizing Lincoln as pacifist, closes
his panegeric OF the great war Presi-
dent in these words: How can those
who trust the genius of Lincoln better
celebrate his birthday than by dedi-
eating their support to the Foreign
Policy that since last July has been
persucd by the American govern
mcnt?"
After enumerating classes whose
dangerous hysteria threatens the
peace of the country-beginning with
the German Ambassador, "an open
propaganda" and Dir. Dernberg, Il
'semi-ofiicial associate" he charac-
terizes the "liyphenated Americans"
as the most dangerous.
Now, as an American who recog-
nizes "Great Britain" as the Father
land of eight tenths of the ruling
class in this country, | desire to mako
"A few kindly meant suggestions to
this latter class, and to PROFOUND an
inquiry:
In the first of thee suggestions
German Americans will concur, AMI
it is this, that prior to the uneXampled
rape of Belgian autonomy, there was
no pronounced anti-German sentiment
in the United States, nO;withstand-
ing our kinship with the English, our
immemorial affinity with the French,
and our long and cordial interchange
with the Russian.
That this was largely because of
the high character of our German fell
low citizens is so obvious that it needs
no repetition, and but for their swift
defense of country they have aban-
doned their justification of meas
ures reprobated by the moral sense of
the world, these cordial relations
would have continued.
do not claim that these measures"
have been infractions of international
law, because recent events have shown
that there is no such law, but that
they have been taken in open and
contemptuous violation of that Higher
law, which has decreed the wreck of
Empires, dynasties, and ill-governed
republics from the beginning.
The law that defines unjust war as
murder, and the subjugation of un-
offending peoples robbery; the law
that has set aside the seas as the
highway of the nations, and the land
rs the peaceful habitation of their
people.
Even if Il nation of agnostics, or
fatalists, like the Mohammedans) =,
should reject this higher law, how will
1T hope to evade their memorable law
of nature that demands an eye for an
eye, and tooth for tooth-the law
of retribution?
British descent, who would not have
rejoiced to see our surplus food
stuffs shipped to German ports for
the use of the German people. but this
satisfaction was denied to us by the
stupid obscession of their own rulers.
why by appropriation of call food sup
plies to the use of the army" placed
such supplies in the category of "ab-
solute contraband," and for this condi-
tion our hyphenated friends hold the
American government responsible.
There are "no" Anglo Americans
who want this government to deviate
n hairs breadth from its unwavering
attitude of strict neutrality, and none
who would not deplore the awful ca
lamity that might force us into war.
And that unthinkable condition would
be rendered all the more horrible by
the presence among us of large
element of adopted, or naturalized
citizens who seem determined to place
themselves in the position of disloyal
Americans or alien enemies.
And now the somewhat hypotheti-
cal, (and altogether problematicaD
question ! PROFOUND to those un-
baked Americans or sublimated Ger
mans is this: "ln the event that an
American ship is destroyed in the
prosecution of an indefensible block
ade and American lives are lost, under
conditions that would precipitate war
with any power), will you side with
the country which has adopted you,
OF whose laws (and acts) you are
sworn to defend, or against it?
Very earnestly,
HARRY NJ. SMYTHE.
North Tazewell, Va.