The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-05-03
GERMAN POLICY
CAUSE OF CRISIS
which Is More Serious
Than Ever Before.
Our COUNTRY HAS SUFFERED
Much In the Way OF German
Affronts, Supported By
German.AmeriCanS.
has STOOD ALWAYS FOR RIGHT

Realizing that a crisis has beer
reached in the relations between the
United States and Germany, the
New Yorker Herold is calling fol
immense peace demonstrations"
The place for the New Yorker
Heroid to hold its immense peace
demonstration" is Germany, not the
United States.
The United States is not violating
Its pledges to Germany. 1t has not
murdered German women and chill
iren in cold blood on the high seas
1t has not made a mockery of its
solemn promises. 1t has not defied
the law of nations. Its hands are
not red with German blood.
Nor have it's hired agents plotted
against the domestic peace and Sc
curity of the German people. Or
conspired against their government.
Or sought to intimidate German in
5ustry by bomb and torch, No
American citizens are under indict-
Rnent in Germany for crimes against
German life or property in relation
TO this war. Nor has the United
States waged an unofficial war
against Germany month in and
month out under the mask of
friendship.
Great as our grievances are, nu-
rnerous as our wrongs are, there is
no intention of beginning hostilities
against Germany by way of redress.
All that is contemplated is the sew
erance of diplomatic relations that
have become a continuing lie by rea-
son of the persistent bad faith of
the German Government. There
will be no war unless Germany
makes war on the United States by
an overt act of war, and that issue
is wholly in the hands of Germany.
War may come as one of the acct
dents of a severance of diplomatic
relations. If il should come the
moral responsibility will rest in a
very large measure upon the So
called German-Americans of the
United States.
They could have made it impos-
sible. They could have made even
a diplomatic break impossible. They
could have kept the United States
and Germany from all misunder-
standing if they had remained true
TO their American citizenship.
1t was not necessary for them to
refrain from sympathizing with Ger
many. It was not necessary for
them to cease from hoping for a
victory for Germany. 1t was neces-
sary only for them to remain rig
idly and unyieldingly American in
support of their own government.
If they had been pro-American in
stead of pro-German when the sub
marine zone was proclaimed, Ger
many would never have ventured
upon this policy of unrestricted
manslaughter. If they had been
pro-American instead of pro-German
after the Lusitania massacre, the
crisis would have ended then and
there. But they have never been
pro-American in any controversy be-
tween the United States and Ger
many. and Germany has relied upon
them to resist by whatever means
were available the enforcement of
American rights and the protection
of American life and property. Even
to-day they are organized against
the President of the United States
and blatantly threatening him with
political destruction for the crime OF
being pro-American. Their political
conspiracies now extend into every
Congressional District in which they
can muster handful of votes. Be.
cause of their professed political
strength and their arrant disloyalty
20 the United States, the German
government has deluded itself into
the belief that the Government OF
the United States is helpless. that
pledges to the United States need