Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-08-17

over which We have had no control has brought
home to the Americans, anxious to maintain their
faith In Germany the conviction that Americas
sovereignty was being outraged, It's people Killed.
its peace deliberately attacked and It's lnSt.
tutions, founded In sacrifice and offered 10 the
world, not only despIsed but in danger of destruc
ton.
Germany has forced America, as II has forced
almost the entire world to defend itself hy arms
Nobody but those Suffering from myoplc IdealiSm
sympathes can anything else Some of US
have suffered when the scales have fallrn--cut
away by facts At last We clearly. We have
not been drawn into the war by capitalism or by
commercialism, or by national policy For month,
we have been living in state of war, deliberately
planned by 4 nation whose leaders for ten years
have been preparing some day 10 fight America
and who have counted our good nature rs cow.
ardice, our unpreparedneSs u lack OF national
self-respect
Here are the facts
We are fighting this war in the first place, be
cause Germany made war upon US,
For years she has sought % build up In Amer
lea community more loyal to herself than 10 the
United States. Money has been layiShly spent In
GermaniStic societies. alliances. and associations
TO win the admiration and loyalty Of American
citizens our universities have been battered,
our professors have been honored for this rea-
son. Praise Of the kaiser has been inserted even
In the spelling books Of our public school system.
Spies have been everywhere
When the war came in 1914 German officials
many Of them in high diplomatic positions, treat
ed The United States neutral nation. as II ii
We're an enemy Pro-German publications were
founded and subsidized strikes were organized.
manufacturing plants were blown up, plots
against nations with whom we had treaty rela-
tons were formed within borders, bombs
were placed on ships in our ports Hatred OF
America was Systematically disseminated through
Germany and efforts were made to involve US In
trouble with Japan and Mexico.
In reply to our repeated protests against these
and other acts Of Germany. 10 be mentioned pres
entity. have received promises and pxplana-
lions which we're little less than insults The
treaty that had existed almost the entire life Of
The American republic was set at naught and
efforts were made to coerce rs into favorable
notifications OF It's terms
The right Of trade with belligerents, which Ger
many had always claimed even TO the benefit Of
our enemy in the war with Spain. and which mt
Germany's own nsistence is universally recog-
nized in international law, was treated as the
violation Of our neutrality and alliance with her
enemies. And finally, the proclamation of unre-
high seas was a notification to the United States
that It was no longer sovereign people but
that If It would sail the seas in safety 1t must
conform to conditions set by u power that defed
international law, humanity, and elemental NOR
atty
In the second place we are defending ourselves
against Germany because the German state has
entered upon program which means the destruc-
ton of democratic institutions
The Prussianization of Germany means that the
policy Of Prussia to carry economic and po-
litical expansion by is to be extended
throughout the entire world.
We recognize that there were once, and we
dare believe even now that there are two Ger
manys, liberal and the other an autocracy
based on militarism. The struggle between these
two forces since 1915 has been steady subjuga-
ton of liberalism in Prussia and the other Ger
man states to the will Of Prussian feudal no.
bility. Representative and responsible govern
ment In any true sense Of the word has been
fought by Prussian leaders refentlessy. Educa-
ton has been made creature of autocracy and a
source of international hatred.
The same fate has met every land Prussianism
has touched. Austria was beaten into submission
In 1856, and all the other German states were
made practically subject to the will of the Hohen-
zollerns between that date and 1870 France was
robbed and Inundated. The Balkan states were
kept In perennial war In the interests of German
expansion. Bohemia and Poland have been treat
ed with the same disregard Of popular rights as
has been Alsace-Lorrane. Turkey became vas
sal Of the kaiser. great milltaristic, anti
democratic state like southern Germany, sub
servient to Prussia has been started and all but
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