Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-23
Views of the Vigilant>s
A WORD TO OUR GERMANS.
By Charles ]. RoeebauIt of The
 Viuilantes.

By Charles J. Roeebauit of The
 Vigi!antes.
 Before feeling runs too high for eo- | Der thought, let us sit down and reason 1 quietly. Just now we are enjoying a l moment of calm. The great majority | of Americans are leaving tc Washing l ton the ordering of events. Their blood l courses calmly in their veins. It will l not remain so long.
 i When the news of wounds and death
 among the loved ones at the front fills i the ca bles then there will no longer | be apathy in American homes. People will not smile when they see unfoided 1 in the street cars the pages Of Nle-
 reck's Weekly or the German language | pa pers. 0ecrying America and pra1sing | the HinGenburg.. Passion will be in 1 the ascendant. And German will not | be popular on the highways. Will 1t | not be well then to arrive at the mo- mentous decision which must be made 1 sooner CT later, while there is still 1 time to do so?
 1 The good or i'll will of the American 1 people for generations to come hangs l in the ialance. Prior to The events l of 1914 the sentiments of Americans 1 towards persons of German birth or extraction was decidedly friendly. In l fact, none of the nationalities tSat have sought our shores was so well come IS the German Even the inva- sion of Belgium, which aroused such intense feeling among Amerians, did not imme diat tely affect sentiment tow ards Germans domiciled in the United States. Had they not left the father | land largely because it's control was in the hands of the military party. to whom acne could be imputed such disregard for the rights of a weaker nation? Only when the German lsn guage press and so-called spol<esmen
 of Germans and German A Americans in his country applauded the acts of the Prussian military machine did Amer E,1or7 -111r IN0-r f.@ I@r1 It
 simiiation of their neighbors of Teu-
 tonic extraction.
 Even now, however. the American
 mind is not fully settled. Americans
 are by nature sentimental, and sympa-
 thy for the mental struggles of the
 German here has deterred many from
 antagonism. Their wrath is only de-
 ferred, however. if the attitude of these
 Germans continues to be fairly repre-
 sented ivy the Staats Zeitungs and
 German Herols, the Hearsts and the
 Nierecks.
 Again, I suggest, let us reason out
 the situ ation- in calmnesS. Why did Germans come to America? Either be- cause conditions at home were not to their liking or because they expected to find here opportunities denied them at home. Did they find the results they had anticipated? The facts speak and descendants of Germans are citi- Z2nS of these United States. Even the prosperous ones have not returned to Germany. What then of the future? that they will look for happiness and prosperity?
 The insidious propaganda of the German language press has doubtless dispa ssi"nately of these would-b mOulders of German opinion. Is it not patent that they are working only with selfish purpose? The German dying of neglect when the war came to revive it's hopes. We will not discuss the money frankly poured into the counting rooms from abroad. That alone would not have made new read l CTS. But the cunning suggestion that Germans in this country and Amerf- l cans of German descent were unpopu- lar was more successful. It was not l true then, but the American be- l haVOir of these papers went 8 long way towards making 1t true. It re- i ma ins for the Germans and the Ger ma n Americans to say whether it shall 1 be entirely true
 There is still time to revive the old 1 good will. Not very much time. how l ever. The whole problem rests upon | their conclusion as to whether they are for America first or Germany first | Our president has held out the hand of friendly welcome to all who would l be loyal Americans. Let them not | hesitate too long, lest that welcome grow cold.
 Let us ponder well the conse- 1uences. Are they contemplating be- coming subjects of the kaiser? The alter has cunningly tried to make it possible. through his law of dual ma .lonai1ty, to permit them to be both 1 Germans and Americans. with the ac- cent. of course. on the former: but America will have none O. that ,hoice must be made.
 For those who are resolved to con 1nue in this country there can be only one conclusion. They will have to ace their neighbors through many to- norroWs- And the sentiments of those 1eighbors. IS they will be evolved from he bloody events that will soon be ipon us, will be the sentiments of the ,hildren of those neighbors towards heir children. Aye and of those 'hildren's children through the long years to come.
 Shall there be ostra cisn of the Ger nan blood in this land? Shall we wit less the boycott of German business nd German workers through many , Heaven forbid that we 'e thus divided. one aga inst the other.
 This awful war should not be made nore terrible by internecine strife It l . an be made the means of welding to- . ether the many divergent elements nto one great nation. Never was there 1 n equal opportunity for operating the aelting Pot to good purpose. A real { American nation is struggling in the hroes of birth. It depends largely Ipon our German citizens whether hey be guided by the Hearsts the l 7ierecks. and the Ridders. who thrive pon unrest. or by their own sturdy 1 ommon sense?