The Washington herald., 1915-08-23
Useless Insults to American Intelligence
In the CAPITAL.

Cotton having been declared absolute contra
band by Great Britain, with France to follow suit
great burden should be lifted from the shoulders
of those orators and editors who have been anus
ing the public with their attempts to conceal their
real purpose-providng Germany with supply
of cotton for the manufacture of explosves-with
the transparent pretense of great concern for
our commerce with neutral nations. The allies
are going to keep cotton out of Germany, and as
the British foreign office announces with the least
possible damage to the cotton interests in the
United States. Having been relieved of this part
of their task, the German pleaders in Washington
may now be expected-after the echoes of their
shrieks over the conraband order die away-to
put the loud pedal their dolcful strains about
other products OF the United States of which Ger
many is in need and which the allies, by utilizing
their ocean supremacy, refuse to let her have.
There are strong indications, however, that
very soon their whole mission will be automati-
cally terminated by the United States govern
mcnt. In all the speculation as to the step the
President. and his advisers will decide to take in
response to Germanys act of hostility, in the
wanton murder of Americans on the Arabic moth
ing short of the severance of all diplomatic and
commercial relations has been suggested, and
when this has been accomplished Germany will
have no further use for the services Of those who
have been willing to lift ten-times louder voice
against the policy of the allies which has deprived
Germany of supplies than against the wanton and
deliberate murder of Americans.
In their efforts to aid Germany to obtain our
cotton and other products they have filled the air
with hypocritical rawlings about the freedom of
the seas" and the damage to export trade, in
sulting the intelligence of the public. which is
fully aware that month after month during the So
called blockade our exports have exceeded by
many millions any previous record in the history
of the nation, piing up stupcndous balance of
trade in our favor. They have howled about the
cutting off of commerce with neutral nations,
in attempt to deceive people who know quite
we'll that exports of certain classes of COM
modties to neutral countries adjoining Germany
have increased much as 400 per cent in the past
year, clear proof of their ultimate destination.
The pleaders have stuck doggedly to their fool
ish task, one day telling us Of the slaughter our
cotton in sthe form of explosives is responsible
for, and the next asserting that Germany does
not want cotton for purposes, because it is
not used in making explosives, seeking to bolster
up one fasehood with another in bewildering sue
cesson. OF course, no one has been deceived and
not the government at Washington has been
moved But the signs that the jig is up and
that the appeals to all loyal Americans to unite
for this great cause (getting supplies into Ger
many will soon sound like the wailing of a ghost
in a barrel.
The estimate that has been placed on the in
tcllgeDce of the American people-thosc of the
nations Capital partcularly-is typical of the
whole German propaganda.