The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-05-25
Some Surprises.


Immediately following the publication in
the newspapers of the United States of Pres
ident Wilson's note to Germany bearing on
the sinking of the Lusitania the Associated
Press compiled editorial utterances from
several scores of the most prominent of those
papers in various parts of the country.
Included in these comments are some that
are not only real interesting, but instructive
because they were more or less unexpected.
The German-American, press took a stand
which few well-nformed readers thought it
would take. During the past several months
this part of our secular press has seemed to
forget the second word of it's hyphenated de-
scription and to remember only the word
preceding the hyphen. Thereby it has caus-
ed no little impatience among patriotic
Americans, who were rapidly wearying of
such course.
And, when the present crisis came, there
were some of the German American news
papers which still forgot. Their expressions
were a strange combination of autocratic dis
dain and puerle picayunishness.
But these were the EXCEPTIONS both in
number and prestige. Perhaps the most in
fuentiaI German-American newspaper in the
United States is the New York Staats-Zei-
tung. 1t came quickly and squarely to the
forefront with this:
Nor is this a time to burden mill
lions of the American people with I'M
Just and unnecessary anguish OF mind.
The German-Americans must suffer in
any conflict between the United States
and Germany, pains of which their fell
low citizens can never know anything.
It is rather a time for showing them
the greatest degree of consideration.
They have fought to uphold the flag in
the past and they will do so again
against any enemy whatsoever. They
deserve the fruits of past loyalty until
they have forfeited the right to claim
them. There has never been but one
flag under which the German-American
ever fought. There can never be but
one flag under which he will ever fight.
1t must have cost the distinguished editor
of the Staats-Zeitung something to write
that Conscientiously, no matter how mis-
takenly, he has fe't of late that the American
administration has not been strictly neutral
and that his fatherland has suffered morally
and materially as a result; but here, at last,
the issue was Enthusiastically drawn. One
must needs be, while penciling that edito-
rial. either German or an American. The
hyphen must be discarded for the time be-
ing. 1t was filed away for future refer
ence-and the word German was filed along
with it.
Another of the strongest German-Ameri-
can papers of the country is the st. Paul
Volks-Zeitung 1t lost no time in thus ex-
pressing itself and evincing it's patriotism:
1.-The stand taken by the president
serves notice on our own so-called lead
ers and the irresponsible lingo press
that this country will not go to war
without full justification. We are glad
to see the president take such strong
stand for upholding the rights of Amer
lean citizens; we sincerely trust he will
demand that hereafter all countries
will respect our right to the sacred
freedom of the seas. What
ever the outcome, no matter how great
the sufferings and mental agony that
German-Americans would undergo,
there can be no question about their
loyalty to the Stars and Stripes.
On the same day of the Volks-Zeitungs
editorial comment still another influential
German-American organ, grieved at the
thought of war between its native land
and it's adopted country, gave this touching
expression to its grief and apprehension.
Said the St. Louis Die Westliche Post:
For the press of the whole country
there is at present but one sacred duty,
to leave nothing undOne to avert inner
strife. That we Americans of German
descent with a bleeding heart contem-
plate the possibility of an armed con-
flict between the United States and the
land of our forefathers, no fair minded
person will condemn us for. There still
is hope for an honorable understanding
on both sides May Providence grant
that the worst may be aYerted."
Germany's emperor endeavored to per-