The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-11-08
CONTEMPT OF GERMANY
FOR THIS COUNTRY

q
"A Canadian paper very truthfully !,
says: |
The United States used to pride it
self on it's loneliness. In no country
in the world was more, made of ina
tional spirit" Our neighbors were
not wont to beware of entrance to a
quarrel, and whenever their quarrel i
was not followed by breach of the
peace it was usually the discretion of
the other party that prevented such as
issue. In fact, the United States used
to be rather hard to get on with. In
this respect there has been great
change for the better in the last
twenty years. Turbulence gave place
to some measure of that forbearance
which goes with power that has sense
of responsibility combined with it. In
recent years the United States seldom
forgot that
IT'S excellent to have giants
strength,
But tryannous to use it like giant.
Still, it was never safe to give it an
opening for row on the approach of
a presidential election. How readily
the injudiciousness of Sackville- West
was seized on to win for President
Cleveland the vote of the haters OF
Britain in his second election, and how
recklessly the second Cleveland adj
ministration made use of the contro-
versy over the Venezuela boundary.
The latter fare-up of Washington
"spunk" brought the two English
speaking powers to the. verge of war.
Even now the United States would
probably not brook much from Brit
ain.
Yet since the Beginning of the war
that is now in progress the United
States has borne from Germany more
of insult, defiance, tramping on it's
dignity and it's rights than any first
class power ever before put up with
from another. Little Holland, dearly
as she loves peace and overawing as
the might of her great neighbor is,
would have gone to- war with Ger
many had she been abused by the lat
ter as the United States has been. This
country does not regret that the
United States has been so long suffer
ing with our enemy. Every nation that
has an army now fighting Kaiserism
would be sorry for the United States
own sake to see it involved in this
terrible war, and would not consider
the belligerency of the United States
against Germany to be much of an adj
vantage to the Entente. The United
States should be ruled by regard for
its own interests, and if it considers
that some pocketing of its own pride,
some swallowing of its dignity, some
eating of humble pie, are preferable
to the present assertion of it's self
respect, that is it's affair. At Wash
ington there may be a true insight
into Germany's policy, and the self
restraint that is shown there may turn
out to be praiseworthy from the point
of view both of the worlds welfare
and of national interest.
When singing insult is offered to
man in the presence of others, they
will see it, and to close his own eyes
against it is only to produce painful
impression upon those others. 1t is
idle and pathetic for President Wilson
to affect that the U-53 adventure and
the sinking of the Marina with it's
American citizens are acts that may
have been committed without thought
of disrespect for the United States
He ought to perceive that they were
prompted and perpetrated in utter
contempt of his country and with the
design of bringing it into the service
II Germany as catspaw to pull the
;hestnuts of peace out of the fire the
kaiser has kindled in Europe. The
German government proceeded in the
most rufianly spirit in this matter.
The commander of the U-53 and his
crew were no doubt given to under
stand that they were going on mis-
sion of very great Importance to their
country. They were to land at Unit
ed States port, hold communications
with Germans and German-Americans
In that neutral country, communica-
tons Enthusiastically for belligerent
purposes. If this contemptuous dis
regard for the United States neutral
ity should have the desired effect of
provoking the Washington govern
ment to sharp action, then the pro-
German vote would of certainty be
thrown to the side of Hughes in solid
mass, and Wilson would be punished
by defeat. But this interference with
the neutrality of his country and in
the political affairs of his country did
not provoke any protest from the pres
ident. Then the commander of the
U-53 carried out the next portion of
his orders, no doubt confirmed by
Bernstorf, namely, play the ruthless
pirate almost within the territorial
waters of the United States. There he
sank five merchant ships, two of them
belonging to a neutral nation, and he
enjoyed the spectacle of American
warship crews rescuing his victims
from the watery grave he made for
them. Would that not drive the Unit
ed States into protests or acts of a