The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-14
THEs GE.RnfAN FRoGRAn1.
Pro1essor Joanalson Denounces the
 Course of That Country.
ae- Es;ll1ftor Of the CouI ant.

To the Editor of the Cpuraa1t.--
 To say that, because American pas sengers on the I41sitania were warn ed that the ship was likely to be tor Dedoed Germany was at liberty to cIroWn tE1ens is absurd. They were perfectly justmied in taking such warnings as bluff Since the days of BIackbeard and Captain Kidd and Iseas has, been destroyed without some attempt to save the non-coIabatant passengers. till the present war. Everybody knows that, should Ameri- can naval officers be ordered to sink a passenger boat without some effort would refuse and throw up their com missions rather than obey There. fore, the. warning Was against some lining which no one believed possible and could properly be disregarded-
 If GeEmany was attacked and was fighting for life desperately the crime S mi gat bs justified by the instinct of natural self-preseryation But Ger many is sfighting, as military empires always do, for conquest Alexander worlds tof sconquer- Rome stopped when all the desirable parts of the world were subJugated. year ago Germany was. the most prosperous nation 1.-the world She was grew ing rich faster than any other nation except the United States. She had plenty of colonies She had a. foot hold in China which would have en- sabled her to take the same position in that empire England has in India. There were no tariffs nor adverse mercantile regulations against her trade.
 To invade and plunder Belgium was absolutely without Justification That a Slavic fanatic had murdered the crown prince of Austria a thou sand miles away, is no excuse for shooting Belgian peasants who had never heard of the event, The ena- ton. that invaded Belgium without a pretexts would and will do anything Germany prepared for the war by , buying in 1913 $30O, ,000, GOO worth of munitions lbf war; and by training every man to be soldier and by eradicating. by an extraordinary phil osop1ly the ideas of natural justice from the minds of her people, and making them, if not serfs, eas least un- thinking machines for the autocracy to use. She sought conquest and has not the excuse of desperation for the slaughter of women and children, for she is in no danger of starvation or invasion.
 The consequences of the crime of Germany will be manifold Many persons will conclude that Christian civilization is a failure. For a gen eration no one will be able to hear a German name or look on a German face without horror. He may be most harmless and peaceabIe. but to US the innocent, round, bespectac1ed face will appear the mask of murderer. Behind him will traII- that ghostIy line of Belgian and LusitaniR victims. He will lack the tack to perceive this and aristoerats, like Dr. Dernberg. will not care if they do perceive the ddium attaching to their nation. They are I indifferent to the opinion of the world. We shall do injustice to the many Germans on account of the crimes and folly of the few. For the many are not criminal, they are sim ply stupid and servi1e
 Germany has sunk two, at least of o45r merchantrnen She says she will pay the damages after examination But Gernaanye does not pay fines, she collects them from helpless cities Let the owners of the Frye and the Gulf light try to sell their clainsi They would find out how much they are worth, nor would money .'salve our honorss smart. 2
 Suppose Germany successful. Eng