The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-10-27
American Op;niion and the War.

summing up ot.American opinion the origin
of and responsibility for the war and the mora
aspects of its subsequent conduct is that furnished
of the War. The writer begins by sketching the
close and cordial relations existing between the
United States and Germany before the outbreaks
of the war and the many ties that naturally drew
the two countries together. He points out that
many Germans had fought in the civil war. that
our universities exchanged professors with like in
situations in the Fatherland, that the class of i'm
migrants Germany furnished us with appre-
ciated over all others. Enjoying these and many
other claims upon American sympathy at the
outbreak of the war, Germany thereafter proceeded
by blow after blow at our belief in her humanity
in her sense of justice, in her ideas Of honor to
utterly antagonize the nation whose true friend
ship she could so easily have kept throughout the
struggle and thereafter.
As to the origin and immediate occasion of the
war, while as the Times points out such men
as Samuel Harden Church, DR.. Eliot, of Harvard;
o. G. Willard. and James E Beck, after consider
ing the evidence with judicous impartiality I'M
cquvocally blamed Germany, not merely for caus-
ing the war but with deliberately planning it
long beforehand it is not probable that their views
or those of the majority of thinking men that
coincide with them would have greatly affected
the sentiments of the bulk OF the American people
who regarded the matter as largely academic, and
felt that the German people as whole could not
be held responsible for dynastic ambitions. The
the central empires the sympathy and good will
of all but the German-Americans and few pro-
nounced Anglophobes may be tabulated some
what follows:
The invasion of Belgium and the atrocities per-
pctrated there.
The whole-hearted manner in which German
men of learning and others justified and glorihed
in these barbarities.
The publicity campaign of DR.. Dernberg in
which money was lavished in brbing newspapers
and individuals with view to creating pro-Ger-
sentiment in this country.
The submarine campaign eliminating in the
Lusitania horror.
The Smelling of unfortifed towns on the Eng
lsh coast and the killing OF hundreds of women
and children.
The use of poisonous gas
The fomenting OF arson, strikes, assassina-
tons, etc, eliminating in the recall of DR.. Dumba.
The free use of forged American passports and
false afidavits and the attempts to fit out flbus-
tering expeditions in American waters The break
words of honor and their attempted escape.
The unanimous commentator of each and all
of these things by the whole German people, by
a vast number of German-Americans and by a
large subsidized pro-German press.
The reasonable attitude and utterances of
countless "hyphenated" German Americans, their
abuse of the President and their attempt to ex-
press their attitude by political action.
The Zeppelin raids resulting in the staying OF
hundreds of inoffensive women and children.
The brutal execution OF Miss Cavell and the
cynical deception practiced on United States Of
fcials who were endeavoring to save her life.
All of these things are not dealt with by the
Times in the article before us, which stops at
the Hespcrian incident. Considering first DR..
Dernburg's publicity campaign it points out that
no serious attention called to it until the
exposure resulting from the capture of the "fat
OF our Good Albert" and the sub
sequent publication by the British government
Of the documents taken from the pretended war
Archibald. The outstanding fea-
ture OF the former the German governments
evident lack of confidence in the integrity of one
George Sylvester Viereck; OF the latter, the as
founding effrontery of the Austrian government
which assumed to control the industrial activi-
ties of Austrian subjects in the United States.
States by Austria the munitions question
and which in sense connected with the afore-
said activities next considered. All Of these
matters had their effect in further alternating from
Germany her rapidly dwindling coteric Of friends
md admirers. But their effect as nothing to
hat of the series Of Submarine outrages" Men
Of such calber as Mr.. George Haven Putnam and
Col George Harvey and many others had already
ieoried the Belgian barbarites But with the sink
ng of the Lusitania cry of indignation went up
from every newspaper in the United States except
hose actually in the pay of Germany Even the
Los Angeles Times-in the absence OF its owner,
t is true-joned in the chorus of condemnation. |
The Lusitania incident is said to have been settled
70 the satisfaction of the United States govern
nent. But the cry of horror that arose all over
he country at the slaughter of over thousand
helpless men, women and children is scarcely |
lushed before it is again evoked by some new ex-
ample of German brutality-and stupidity. No
loubt in the future the opponents of kuur will be
,ble to think up additional barbarities. They can
commit no crime that will so ALLEVIATE them from
he respect of decent men the killing of Edith
-avel
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