New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-17
FRIENDSHIP WITH GERMANY
American Liking Has Been Killed
for Many Years
To the Editor of The Tribune.

Sir: Your correspondent Professor
Horrwitz pleads to-day for friend
ship" between the United States and
those kindred countries, England and
Germany" Ny ancestors came to
America before there were here many
Germans, except the Hessians that vera
sent to murder the English-American
founders Of this country, at the behest
Of the German King then on the Eng
lish throne. As an American / should
like to say that friendship for England
we have in largest measure; we owe her
much more than enough to counter
balance any injury that England may
have done us in the past, or that she
may be doing now in connection with
censored mail and Checklists" We got
from England much of ethical and
spiritual worth; whatever harm she
may now be doing us is merely to our
pocketbook.
Also, we remember we'll how the Eng
lish commander, Chichester, stood by"
at Manila Bay, when the German ad-
miral, Won Diederichs. was showing of
in true Prussian and Hessian fashion.
That was different from the way in
which our naval vessels stood by" Q
few days ago off Newport, while one Of
the same Prussian pirates that sank
our helpless women and children on the
Lusitania went gayly about the same
noble kind of work-the only kind of
work that the proud German navy is
now able to do, notwithstanding the
paan of triumph sung by the Kaiser
after the great victory" Of Jutland!
wonder if some Of our naval men didn't
get sick at the sight and at the noble"
part they played at the great German
victory at the Battle Of Newport!
And | wonder what Admiral Dewey
thinks!
Even before this war our friendship
for England, France and Russia was
real and true and strong, and now it is
warmer and stronger than ever. Under
normal conditions our friendship for
England, France and Russia would
naturally be stronger than for Ger
many; the mental and spiritual makeup,
so TO speak, of those several peoples
and ourselves would make it SO. In
stinctively we have felt that as we
thought Of them so they really were;
and this war has shown US that our
judgment was correct. But, being ia
miliar with the methods and the work
ings and the spirit Of Prussan militar-
ism, as the whole world had clearly seen
il for many years before this war, it is
not strange that Americans that read
and think have all along had strong sus-
picions about Germany; in whose case
likewise has our judgment proved to
have been true. Nor do we feel that all
the responsibility is to be put upon the
Kaiser and the War Lords; for there
must be something radically wrong in
the spiritual fibre Of the people when
such things as Germany has been guilty
you can't make q "sow's ear out of .
silk purse"
The sentiment Of this country is pre-
ponderantly pro-Ally, and what makes
that so also causes the American peo-
pie to feel toward Germany in much
the same way as the French and English
feel; and American friendship for Ger
many will be a plant Of nearly as slow
growth as the French and English
variety, even IL in the meantime we
ourselves have no trouble with Ger
many.
That is a fine letter Of Professor
Horrwitz, and one cannot but admire
the scholarship and the spirit he dis
Plays; yet the fact remains that Ger
many has killed for many years the
growth of American-Gcrmanf friendship.
Paterson, N. j., Oct. IL, 1916. W.