The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1915-06-18
Stand BY America

president by the extremists of both
sides were very unjust, it was equally
unjust to suspect the patriotism of
those who took sides. | feel well
enough acquainted with the Euro
pean-born Americans to believe that
| in war between this country and
any European power, the naturalized
citizens from that country would be
| as quick to enlist as native-born citi-
zens. AS | am now speaking to Ger
man-Americans, | am glad to repeat
in public what | have often said in
private and would have said in public
before but for the fact that it would
not have been proper for one in my
official position to do so-nemely, that
in case of war between the United
States and Germany-if so improba-
| BILE supposition can be considered
German-Americans would be as
prompt to enlist and as faithful to
the flag as any other portion of our
people. What l have said in regard
to the Americans is an in
PRODUCTION to an appeal which | feel
it my duty to make to them.
The Presidents Stand
"First. If any Of them have ever
in a moment of passion or excite
ment suspected the president of lack
of neutrality or lack of friendship to-
| ward the German government and
| the German people, let that thought
| be forgotten, never again to be re-
| called. | have, since my resignation,
| received numerous kilograms from
German-Americans and German
| American societies commencing my
| action; | think the Senders of these
telegrams understand my position,
| but that no one may mistake it, let
me restate it. The president is not
only desrous of peace, but he hopes
for it and he has adopted the meth
DDS which he thinks most likely to
contribute towards peace. My differ
ence from him is as to method, not
| as to purpose, and my efforts since
| reSigning have been intended to
crystalize public sentiment in support
of his efforts to maintain peace, or to
| use familiar phraSe-peace with
honor, but to remember that when |
| use the phrase, peace with honor,
| do not use it in the same sense
that those do who regard every op-
ponent of war as favoring peace at
any price Peace at any price is an
eplthet, not true statement of any
ones position of of the policy of any
group. The words are employed by
| JingoeS as an expression of contempt
and are applied indiscriminately to
all who have faith in the nations
| ability to find peaceful way out of
every difficulty so long as both ma
| tions want peace. The alarmists of
| the country have had control of the
metropolitan press and they have
| loudly proclaimed that the prolonga-
tion of negotiations or the sugges-
ton of international investigation
would be sign of weakness-and
everything is weakness that does not
contain hint of war. The lingo
sees in the rainbow of promise only
one color-red.
How to Secure Peace
Second Knowing that the presi-
dent desires peace, it is your duty to
help him secure it, and how? BY ex-
lertlng ypur< Influence to convince the
- ,Sstskasst-'at of this fact and
to persuade that government to take
ton of war. My fear has been that
the German government might, de-
spairing of a friendly settlement
| biSah TeldClOIlS, ana
thus create a condition out of which
war might come without the intention
OF either country. | do not ask you to
minimize the earnestness of the presi-
dents statement-that would be un-
fair, both to him and to Germany.
| The sinking of the Lusitania can not
be defended upon the facts as we
understand them. The killing of in
nocent women and children can not be
justified, whetehr the killing is by
drowning or by starving; no nation
can successfully plead the inhuman-
| lty of her enemies as an excuse.
While 1t is true that cruelty is apt to
begct cruelty, it can not be said that
the like cures like Even in war,
we are not absolved from the obliga-
ton to remedy evils by the influence
of good example. Let your light so
shine is precept that knows no
times nor seasons as it knows neither
latitude nor longitude.
Third. Do not attempt to connect
| the negotiations which are going on
| between the United States and Ger
| many with those between the United
| States and Great Britain. The cases
are different, but even if they were
the same, it would be necessary to
treat with each nation separately.
My personal preference has been to
repeat our insistence that the allies
shall not interfere with our com
merce with neutral countries, but the
difference on this point was mat
ter of judgment and not a matter of
principle. In the note to Great Brit
ain dated March 30, this government