Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-08-21


home to the Americans, anxious to maintain their
faith In Germany, the conviction that Americas
sovereignty was being outraged, its people killed.
its inner peace deliberately attacked and its inst-
tutions, founded in sacrifice and offered to the
world. not only despised but in danger of destruc-
ton.
Germany has forced America, as it has forced
almost the entire world to defend itself by arms
Nobody but those suffering from myopic idealism
sympathies can anything else. Some of
have suffered when the scales have faEen-cut
away by facts. At last clearly. We have
not been drawn into the war by capitalism, or by
cOmmerciaism or by national policy. For months
we have been living in a state of war; deliberately
planned by nation whose leaders for ten years
have been preparing some day to fight America
and who have counted our good nature
ardice, our appropriateness as a lack of national
sef-respect.
Here are the facts
We fighting this war, In the first place, be-
cause Germany made upon us.
For years she has sought to build up in Amer
lea a community more loyal to herself than to the
United States. Money has been lavishly spent in
Germanisic societies, alliances, and associations
to win the admiration and loyalty of American
citizens Our universities have been fattered,
our professors have been honored for this rea-
son. Praise of the kaiser has been inserted
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, a neutral nation, as if 1t
were an enemy. PrO-German publications were
founded and subsidized, strikes we're organized,
manufacturing plants blown up plots
against nations with whom we had treaty rela-
lions formed within our borders bombs
were placed on ships in our ports. Hatred of
America Systematically disseminated through
Germany and efforts made to involve us in
trouble with, Japan and Mexico.
In reply to repeated protests against these
and other acts of Germany, to be mentioned pres
emily, we have received promises and explana-
tons which were 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 us into favorable
notifications of its terms.
The right of trade with beligerents which Ger
many had always claimed even to the benefit of
our enemy In the war with Spain, and which at
Germany's own insistence is universally recog-
nzed in international law, was treated as the
violation of our neutrality and alliance with her
enemies. And finally, the proclamation of unre-
stricted destruction of neutral ships upon the
high a notification to the United States
that 1t was no longer a sovereign people, but
that if it would sail the seas in safety it must
conform to conditions set by power that defed
international law, humanity. and elemental NOR
atty.
In the second place we defending ourselves
against Germany because the German state has
entered upon program which means the destruc
ton of democratic Institutions.
The Prussianzation of Germany means that the
policy of Prussia to carry economic and po-
ltical expansion by is TO be extended
throughout the entire world
We recognize that there were once and we
dare believe that there are, two Ger
manys. one liberal and the other autocracy
based on militarism The struggle between these
two forces since 1915 has been a steady subjuga-
ton of liberalism in Prussia and the other Ger
man states to the will of a Prussian feuda
ment in any true of the word has been
fought by Prussian leaders relentlesSly. 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 1866, 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 a
sal of The kaiser. A great mitariStc. anti
democratic state like southern Germany, sub
servient to Prussia, has been started and all but
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