The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1915-02-16
make me forget what seem to me N
duties as an American citizen.

duties rs an American citizen II / were
to take part in a propaganda the pur-
pose of which will be thought to be tC
attitude toward England Your circu-
lar letter speaks of England as Amer
ica's arch-enemy. 1t calls for New
Declaration of Independence which is
to eliminate all undue English influ-
ences from our American life.' And it
protests against the continued traffic
In arms and munitions of war which
practically arrays our country on the
side of England do not wish to en-
phasize the fact that the proclamation
of an embargo on arms and munitions
of war would be an altogether illusory
thing. Arms and other implements Of
war would, If our Government estab-
lished an embargo on them, be ship
ped from this country to Havana, or to
Vigo, or to some other neutral port
and would reach their destination from
there without any hindrance. What !
do wish to emphasize is that the es-
Establishment of such an embargo would
inevitably bring our Government into
conflict with England and might drive
us into war with England AS man
Of German blood / might welcome the
help which would accrue to Germany
| by such conflict between the United
States and England But as an Ameri-
can citizen l can not possibly support
a policy which would bring the terrors
Of war to our own country. What ]
feel bound to support, as an American
citizen, is a policy which holds itself
strictly within the now accepted rules
of neutrality, although, to my regret,
this policy, through circumstances
over which the United States has no
control, practically turns out to the
advantage Of England and to the detri-
+, ment Of Germany"
Dr. Francke's letter closes with the
following earnest plea:
| we have every opportunity in this
country to make felt what is best in
German character and life Let us
continue to do so; let us continue to
have prominent part in all endeavors
for political, civic, and industrial pro-
gress; let us stand for the German
ideals of honesty, loyalty, truthful
ness, devotion to work; let us culti-
vate our language, our literature, and
our art; let us fearlessly defend the
cause of our mother country against
refrain from political organizations
which would set Germans in this
Icountry apart as class by themselves
Such an attempt would lead not to the
raising, but to the degradation, of the
German name in this country It would
foster hatred instead of sympathy,
and only by gaining the sympathy Of
the majority of the American people
can We German Americans help the
cause of our mother country
Another German-American protest
against the program of the Washing
ton conference is voiced by the New
York Volkszeitung Uaborl. which de-
nounces the movement as "a danger
GUS agitation" which seeks to en-
broil the United States in a war with
England" Under the hypocritical
pretense of preserving Americas neu-
trality, this organization would actu-
ally imperil it," declares this workers
organ, which calls upon every Ger
man-American workingman in this
country" to oppose the movement
with all his strength"
On the other hand, the majority of
the German-American papers that
have reached us are in accord with
the New York Staats-Zeitung, the st.
Louis Westliche Post, and the Chicago
Staats-Zeitung in their hearty indorse
ment of the movement launched by the
Washington conference In his sign
ed editorial in the New York Stats
Zeitung, Mr.. Herman Ridder declares
that the conference was dominated by
Americans and was designed to pro-
mote policy which may be tritely
described as American for Ameri-
cans "a fact, he says, which will be
made clear by IAN intelligent and un-
biased perusal of the resolutions
adopted" These resolutions, which
follow preamble complaining of "a
foreign control of our news service"
British interference with our ocean
! commerce. and our expectation of
arms to belligerents, read as follows:
Therefore, in order to re-establish
genuine American neutrality and to
uphold it free from commercial. finan-
cial, and political subservience to for
eign powers, be it
Resolved, That we citizens of the
United States agree to effect nation
al organization, the object and pur-