Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1915-11-22
THE NEW C~opPERHEADISM

Tn every war in which the United
States has engaged, save that with
Spain, says the New York World, an
element of the population has been
in opposition. The Revolution pro-
duced its Tories, the War OF lSlz Its !.
"blue-light Federalists," the Mexican
war it's 'bloody-handed Wings and
the Civil wal its "Copperheads." All
of these factions were fiercely de-
nounced in their day, and prejudice
against most of them still exists. Yet,
aside from the Tories, conclusive
proof of overt acts is lacking, except
possibly in the cases OF a few IRE
sponsibles.
Recalling these phases OF local his
tory, it is noticeable that strife III
Europe in, which we have no part has
developed more violence against
American life, Jaw and property than
all the domestic sedition and consplr-
acy of all Our own wars omDine
We are assailed on every side by Or
carnations VIGOROUSLY operating IN
behalf OF Germany. Never before in
all history has a nation at war Oh at
peace suffered SO much from assas-
sination, bribery, forgery and incend-
iarism.
We are slaughtered if we work in
factories OF which Germany disap-
proves We are in a state OF siege
industrially and commercially. Oar
labor is bribed; our passports are
forged. Ii Germany does not like the
destination Of our goods, the torch Is
mysteriously applied to them. Inc
commodities which W e send abroad,
if displeasing to Germany, carry with
them bombs that are expected to
blow ship, passengers, crew n car
90 to destruction. A people at peace,
we can have no peace that is not hall
marked by Germany.
1t may be that the German govern
ment is directly responsible for these
conditions. If so, it is making war
upon the United States as truly as 1t
ever made war anywhere. There IS
nothing conjectura1, however, about
the fact that many German-Ameri-
cans, acting for themselves or in con-
cert with subjects of the German en-
peror, are promoting most OF the mis-
chief. Without them the United
States would be in fact, as it is IN
theory, a land of peace. Unassisted
by our own citizens, Germany cannot
carry on hostilities here in secret tor
a day.
All OF this is preliminary to the as
sertion that in the present emergency
a peculiar responsibility rests upon
true American citizens OF German de-
scent. Federal detectives, gracnd Jur-
les, prosecutors, courts and pen1ten-
tiaries are dealing with German
American Copperhcads as they never
had occasion to deal with native
American Copperheads in Civil war
days;.but that is not enough.
Because at that time some Demo
Gratis were Copperheads, the whole
party was stigmatized To answer
that libel the Democrats sent hun
dreds of thousands Of their young
men into the Union armies; they held
some OF the most important places i'll
Lincoln's cabinet; they were repre-
sented in the field by many OF the
bravest and ablest commanders. Al
ways exaggerated for partisan pur-
poses, American Copperheadism per-
ished, chiefly for the reason that the
great party in whose name it operat-
ed proved by deeds as we'll as words
that it Aas not a Copperhead.
Shall the new Copperheadism III
America have a like fate? If so, the
Germanic citizenship which it dc
grades and disgraces, too long silent,
too long indifferent, must speak and
act, not for Germany, but the Unit
ed States; not for kaiser, but for self.