Washington Journal., 1916-06-09

HClOuSly lhS nODiS SiiNNiS W
origin.
Now let us glance hastily over the
papes of American history and compare
the influence of Germans and Germany
and Englishman and England upon the
United States. During the War of the
Revolution almost as many of the Eng
lish-American inhabitants of the colonies
were opposed to the war as were in
favor Of it. This great class was known
as Royalists or Tories, and it abetted
the cause of Great Britain both
actively and passively from Massachu-
sets at the North to Georgia in the
South. On page 141 of Montgomery's
American History we read that one
third of the population of Carolina was
Tories. On page 225 of Wizards His
tory of the United States we read: On
the 25th of April, 1777, 1000 men under
Governor Tryon, major of the Royalists,
or Tories, having passed the Sound,
landed between Fairfield and Norwalk.
The next day, proceeding to Danbury,
they compelled the garrison, under Colo
mel Huntington, to retire; and not only
destroyed the stores, but burned the
town. In 1877 a cabal was stirred up
against General Washington by friends
of General Gates, who wished to have
him supplant Washington as commander
in-chief. General Conway was ring
leader of the plot. Congress appointed
Conway inspector-general. The plot
failed and Conway's office was given to
Baron Won Steuben. a Prussian officer.
All of these conspiratorS were men of
English descent. The armies of Colonel
Tarleton, the British leader who SO pro-
longed the war in the southern colonies,
were largely recruited from, and greatly
aided by, the Tory population of these
colonies. Who were the two greatest
traitors of the Revolutionary War?
They were Major-General Benedict Ar
mold, Of English descent, and Major
General Charles Lee, an Englishman by
birth. In happy contrast to the actions
of these men, we note the two great
campaign leaders of Frederick the
Great of Prussia, Baron Won Steuben
and Baron de Kalb, proferring their in
valuable service to the cause of free
dom. History states that the Cont
mental Army was an undisciplined and
unframed mob, until it was whipped into
shape through the indomitable skill and
military genius of Baron Won Steuben,
the great drill-master. The division
over the Revolution between Patriots
and Tories wa so even that it is doubt
full whether the cause of patriotism
would have triumphed without the aid
Of German, French, Polish, and other
foreign assistance.
The War of 1912, or second war with
Great Britain, was caused by the ag-
erosion of Great Britain upon Ameri-
can commerce and violation of inter
national law by the British navy. The
New England States, composed of a
population almost exclusively of Eng
lish descent, opposed this war. We read
in history that they exerted the most
alarming and reasonable opposition to
the war. The States of Massachusetts
and Connecticut refused their militia to
the call of the general government. Not
a single German-American voice was
up-lifted in protest or opposition to the
war.
In the great war of the Rebellion we
find the large German population OF the
Northern States rallying solidly to the
support Of the federal government, CIV
ing gladly their money, property, serv-
ices and lives to the right cause. The
fact is, that without the aid of those of
German blood and descent the wal
would have resulted in a disastrous is
sue. The names of the great German
American officers Of the armies Of the
North would fill a volume. What did
Great Britain do during this, the great
est crisis in the history of the United
States? 1t aided and abetted the cause
Of secession in every possible way,
cept by an open declaration of wal
against the United States.
Other sources of dispute between the
United States and Great Britain have
been numerous. In 1842 there. was the
dispute " the Canadian boundary line.
AT the same time Danial Webster de-
clared that in future England must UNI
derstand that IL flag would protect
American vessels against Great Britain's
so-called right of search" In 1916 oc-
Cured the dispute with Great Britain
over Oregon; in 1893 the Boring Sea
dispute, and in 1896 the Venezuelan dis
pute. In recent years there has been
the Panama Canal dispute and serious
trouble threatened with Japan, the great
heather ally of Great Britain in the
Orient.
lister from its first edition will display
d surprising Il,inDCI VI 0Slliidi ldtiSo'
We must presume that a large majority
of these German names represent men
of German blood. To cite a very few
we may mention Admiral Schley, the
hero of Santiago; Admiral Osterhaus,
late commander -in-chief of the Atlantic
feet, and Admiral Winterhalter, present
commander-in-chief of the Pacific fleet.
Does the. nation quest the fidelity, 10y
atty and patriotism of such men?
The impress OF Germans and those of
German descent upon the birth and
growth of this republic is a glorious and
mighty one. To show that republics are
more grateful than kings, the applica-
ton of the term h%yphenated citizen, or
other vilifying appellation to citizens of
Teutonic blood, should be stopped. We
have the authority of the Emperor of
Germany that there are no German
Americans. He has stated that persons
purporting to be such are either Ger
mans or Americans.
The author OF this articel is Of Ger
man, French and Irish descent. There
fore, he is a very much hyphenated
citizen, although his ancestors emigrated
to America before the American Revo-
luton. If the hyphen is to continue in
use he mi style himself a triple by