The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-29
LETTERS TO EDITOR
The Coming Test


To the Editor Of The Age Herald: Once upon time good and great man spoke thus:
 Against the insidious wiles of for eign influence q conjure you to be- lieve me, fellow citizens) the Jealousy of free people ought to be constantly awake: since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must be impartial; else it be- comes the instrument of the very in- fluence to be avoided, instead of a de- fense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation. ard excessive dislike for another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side. and serve to veil, and even sec ond, the arts of influence on the other Real patriots, who may resist the in- trigues of the favorfte are liable to become suspected and odious while it's tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people, to sur render their interests.
 Europe has a set of primary inter- ests, which to us have none. or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence. therefore, tt
 must be unwise in us to duplicate our selves. by artificial ties. in the or dinary vicissitudes of her politics, or
 the ordinary combinations and collis- ions of her friendships or enmities" In this honest and unadorned prose
 breathes the spirit and purpose of the
 mission of Washington: the truth teller whose sword carved this nation out of the British empire: the greatest hero that the world has ever pro-
 duced. bar none.
 Since his day history has only given greater emphasis to these plain and
 outstanding facts: First. that as far
 back as records show, Europe has been
 subject to periodical blowups; again, that the grudges and antagonisms of
 her various and greatly diverse racial elements are at the best but tempo
 rarily reconcilable, and vet again, that the uncertain and tickle affinities of
 those elements among each other are ever wanton and debased and treach erous. But still, in the face of these hard realities, a powerful group of men is striving by every possible means to drive-not 1ead-American manhood into the horror and the hell of a war on foreign soil there to yainly die for hypothetical principles of humanity as we'll as for ulterior interests in which it cannot have any direct concern. The whole things is so out of the estab- lished order of things in American life that one may we'll ask what evil spell has fallen upon mankind that has made insanity be called reason and common sense a delusion, that has de- livered the world into the hands of sleek and snug hypocrites who, in de- vastating 1t, profess to be regenerating it. It is nightmare!
 It Is hard to believe that the common Judgment of the hosts of quietly busy,
 workaday citizens of America will in the end fndorse the federal propa-
 ganda of Wilson, Roosevelt. Taft and the munitions interests. and the nerv-
 ous banking interests who speak through them.
 There is remedy for this war fever,
 however. Absurd as 1t may seem at
 first sight, it lies in the compulsory
 army service scheme. If the first line
 troops of the nation are it's young sons,
 rich as well as poor. there is no need
 to worry over American carrion in No
 Mans Land This idea doesn't imply
 less patriotism. It means simply that
 the average citizen will be brought into closer relations with the general
 government and will assume more of citizens responsibilities in the di-
 rection of the government when his
 boys life is in pawn. And the average citizen Is no muttonhead either when he wakes up and gets his bearings
 It is to be devoutly hoped that the coming Congress will prove equal to
 the test about to be put on it's good
 sense and will make the nations busi-
 ness everybody's business instead Of MT. Wilson's solely That it can do by universal service. Respectfully.
 CHARLES KROLI.
 Lewisburg. March 2S. 1917.