New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-02
AMERICANS AND GERMANS
A Plea for the Drawing Of a Line Be
tween Them in the United States.

To the Editor Of the Tribune.
Sir: I beg that ! may b" permitted
10 suggest in your columns that II Is
time to reckon nm some practical way
with the ugly facts Of German propa
ganda IN tine United States. The chal-
lenge flung % insolently IN our faces
BY the German societies At their anna
ing meeting in Washington should be
taken up and answered, regardless OF
the so-called amenities. We should
have done with the fctichlstical idea
Of neutrality which has induced Us
hitherto Il condCnc uncountcd German
breaches of the ordinary laws OF hos
pitality. Persons like BernstorH, Dern-
burg and Ridder We can afford TO ~.
more their faulty is so obvious ana
besides. sc have made up our minds
about the war. But these societies
now deliberately organizing 20 subNert
American ideals OF government are
striking at the roots OF our natlonai
life. | am no alarmIst. J nave no eN.
recitation of German invasion OF
these shores But the Washington pro
nuncamcrto offers the clearest posi-
bic evidence that # such an invasion
! we're to occur it would lind here sew
cral million Germans prepared TO Ia
Cllltate It's progress.
Il would be idiotic after the expert
cncc Of Belgium, France and Great
, Britain i'm the matter OF German cs-
Homage, to assume that the Germans IN
this country w,uld hesitate between
the interests Of America and those OF
, their "Fathcrland." They would be for
the "Fathcrland" first, last and all the
time, and we should have 10 pay the
I ~.
, litter observations a. rejecting the
prejudices Of Grass anti-Gcrman.
! have travelled IN Germany. | have
known Germans there and at homo.
am fairly we'll acquainted with their
} literature and their art, their morals
and their manners. | know all about
the mice" German, especially the
( southern part of the empire. But that
! has nothing 10 do with the hyphenated
/ marplots Who, as their Washington
! platform wildly shows. would freely
| cmbroil US with Europe IN order to ala
| Germany. These people have found IN
! the United States q prosperity they
could not find i'm the "tatherland.'
I They are released here from the press
urc of that mlitarism which reacts 50
harshlv upon the whole social fabric
/ OF the "Fatherland." I'm the security
! Of our political system they save their
! skins, make their fortunes and enjoy
every blessing of equality. E"cn from
; the matcrialistic point Of view Of tteir
| own philosophy it is plain to the way
| faring man that what they have left
/ behind them is not TO be compared with
wha. they obtain here America well
comes them ungrudgingly, and in every
, thing that mears benedcent opportu'
nity she gives TO them with both hands
! But now these ungratefuI children OF
her ADOPTION would sacrifice her TO the
"Fatherland.' The bascnoss Of L
! stinks in the nostrils Of an honest
! man.
Something unQuestionably must be
done TO combat the German peril JUS
brazenv let loose in our midst. Organ.
ization must be met -ith organization
+ In newspapers, in pulptS, on the public
I platform. i'm clubs and other sociaI
places. wherever Americans can give
voice 70 their opposition TO this abhor-
rent movement they must MAKE them
( selves heard n, as the Washington
meeting announces. the fight is to be
carried into politics, let us accept tho
issue and 60 after the destruction OF
/ il as we would 20 after any founess IN
I the public health. Rut let II be under
stood. let it be proclaimed from the
| house,ops. trat this is not civil war
not war between two bodies OF Amer
leans. II is a war between Americans
/ and Germans Let the line be drawn
sharp and deep, for all men TO see
AN AMERICAN
Neu Nork Fob 1915