New Britain herald., 1916-02-07
THERE IS X DIFFERENCE.

Canada is now in state of turmoil. Since the burning of the handsome Parliament buildings there have been ! nuRerous other incendiary fires. mo- | tably in the districts harboring fac tories producing munitions of war and without much ado portions of the Dominion's populace conclude that 1 the country is being made the victim | of attacks by an organized band of 1 alien enemies. Naturally, the Ger | mans are under suspicion. Guards 1 have been doubled and all foreigners in the provinces arc being diligently l sparing in it's arrests.
 1 On top of the whole affair some | one at this time comes forth with the l startling information that a German, Captain Hahn, is head of the Cana
 dian Intelligence Office. Straightway 1 there is a hubbub for it is further | learned that the Herr Captain, as they 1 call him, has brothers fighting in the
 
 they want his scalp. To this end
 sharp attacks have been launched
 against Sir Sam Hughes, who is re-
 sponsibIe for the Captain holding of
 flee. But Sir Sam is not dismayed.
 Iii fact he makes a reply that we'll
 deserves the consideration of all those
 who would unscathingly criticise their
 neighbors, one way or another. ITO
 be sure" says Sir Sam, in speaking of
 Captain Hahn, he is a German; his father was an officer in the German
 army and the Captain may have
 brothers fighting against us; but that
 makes no difference to mo. He is a
 brave officer and a better man than
 those who are libeling him and, what is more, there are other Germans in
 my department, too"
 As if the aforegoing is not enough to crush the spirit of any Canadian, Sir Sam goes farther and makes his charge complete After telling that Captain Hahn is now at the front,
 
 maligning him and against those very brothers in the German army, and that he has won high honors by his | work in the trenches. Sir Sam charges mouths until they have done as much | for their country as this German | Canada has got the German business all wrong" he says. This is not a | light against a people. It is d fight l against a tyrant. 1 may be called | )n later to fight a tyrant in the i United States, or England"
 That is a broadminded view of a situation which few seem willing to ,ake, but which is the only just way o look at the affair. It is hardly ! )elievable that any German who is big md brave enough to go out and fight or his adopted land is small and mean enough to have a hand in it's ! lndoing. Nor are those other Ger mans in the same service with Captain Hahn to be suspected If the dastard- y crimes which were perpetrated in Canada are laid at the door of any nationality it must necessarily follow hat the individuals who succeed in accomplishing such disaster are di- 'ectly connected with the spy system of a foreign office, and that they come nto the country pure outsiders. There are many mistaken ideas go- ng abroad both in this country and in Canada anent the activity of Ger ing destroyed because of the fine dis tinction that must be drawn between criticism of the German people, as a people, and the German government as government. No one in this coun- try has, as yet, accused the German people who reside here of wrong dO- ing, although agents of the German have been unmercifully scored when caught red handed There have been times when Ger mans were suspected of displaying more loyalty to the Fatherland than to the United States; but those. for the most part, were criticisms direct ed at mere residents and not citizens There is a difference. It is some what like the man who marri"s a maid,-he does not take unto himself her whole family.