The sun., 1916-10-30

to u " ildS uoNh
the so-called 'hyphen" issue that II,
true features have been obscured. TIL
record since August. 1914. shows tina,
the problem Of divided allegiance II
largely the result OF the acts and omis'
slons of the present Administration
When the wal broke out the question
sharply arose whether Americans should
regard the conflict from the standpoint
OF their respective origins or from that
OF their duty as Americans to uphold
the principles upon which their Govern
ment was founded and wish for the
vindication N Strengthening OF those
principles as the result OF the war.
IL there was one man In the country
for whom 1t was improper to say tina,
II was natural that citizens Of the
United States should take sides In the
war according to their ancestry and to
wish for the victory Of one or the other
Of the warning nations according 70
whether they or their ancestors came
from that country. that man was the
President of the United States. He Is
the very man. however. who put forth
that most dangerous and pernicious doc
trine. Addressing the nation on August
10. 1914. he said
The people Of the United States are
drawn from many nations. and chiefly
from the nations now at war. II Is nat
ural and inevitable that there should be
the utmost variety Of sympathy and desire
among them with regard to the Issues and
circumstance of the conflict. Some will
wish one nation. others another to sue
coed In the momentous struggle.
He went on to deplore dissensions
which he had thus himself deliberately
invited and he deplored them not be-
cause dangerous to American principles
but as fatal to our peace OF mind!
To this declaration is to be traced
the taking sides by certain OF our fell
low citizens exclusively upon the basis
Of racial sympathies and without regard
to the effect OF tho war upon the cause
of freedom. They were told that for
them to do SO was both natural and
inevitable when they should have been
told that for them to do SO would be
Inconsistent with their duty as free
citizens OF the American republic. The
immense majority of them are part OF
an immigration to this country induced
largely by the desire to exchange the
status OF quasi serfdom for that of free
citizenship. That immigration owes It's
origin to the ruthless suppression Of
German liberalism by Prussia in lS4s.
Certain OF our fellow citizens whom the
President thus misled into siding with
the autocrat who would rule Europe
with the mailed fist are the sons OF men
urhn AL a.. ~
death at the hands Of the soldiers Of
that autocrats grandfather; while
others had forsworn allegiance to the
German Emperor and sw0rn to supper
and defend the constitution OF the
United States. Urged against any
tendency to take sides on the basis OF
their ancestry. there IL no reasonable
doubt to suppose that they would have
failed in their duty. But when the
President himself said what he did say
and when his words were carried all
over the country not only by their publ
cation In the press but by their being
placarded in every post Office in the
United states with the original in the
English language and translated into Ger
man and three other foreign languages,
no wonder they were led astray. The
fault Is not theirs but that of the man
who misled them. They had a right
to look to him for guidance. They did
so and were misguided. Thereupon
agents OF the autocrat. emboldened by
the Presidents words. worked with
might and main to make them good.
They were allowed freely TO organize
these citizens Of ours for work in the
interest Of that master and they did so
aggressively. using as their Instrument
our corporation laws and even a charter
granted by special act Of Congress.
After ~arousinE their d~isloyalty Mr..
Wilson sought to make capital out OF II
in his own political interest. lie sought
to make 1t evidence OF disloyalty for
any one to oppose his reelection. He
proceeded to contribute to the national
platform OF his party a declaration de-
nouncing and insulting those who were
doing that which he mad previously
said was natural and in%evita BILE for
them To do. But while 1t was in his
power and that of his party to strike
at the very foundation Of d~isloyalty In
his country by repeating the act Of
under which it had been or
ganized. they refrained from doing so.
Evidence OF the misuse OF tina charter
to the detriment Of the country had
been published in fac-simile form on
March ?. 1915. in the New York World,
the chief Administration organ. BY re-
ferring TO the disloyal organizations as
alliances in the plank contributed by
him To the Democratic platform. Mr..
Wilson plainly pointed to tina system
federated In the National German