Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-11-06
FIRING SQUAD FOR SPIES.
Montgomery Advertiser

lhbtigohhtfN 4AuNtfii>ti.l
How long will we continue 10 allow Ger
man agents Ia abuse our patience, Ia ilout
our laws. to destroy our property and to
murder our citizenss
The time Is al mans when a firing squad
before a blank wall should end the muir
derous career of the men who are stealth
iy assasSinating the citizens of the Amer
lean republic. We are al war-the pro-
cedures Of our civil courts patient and
certain in times of peace. are out Of plac.
in a time of war. The German agent with
murder in his heart and an incendiary
torch or bomb in his hands i a far more
dangerous foe than the German soldier in
the trenches with a rifle in his hand.
! For the German soldier in the trenches
il can at least be said hat he i fighting a
mans fight. taking a mans part in the war.
and ii captured, he l. entitled To the con
federation accorded by civilized nations 10
honorable opponents. TIL German agent.
moving about among the American people.
watching for hns chance to blow up or burn
the men. women and children Of America,
is worthy of no better fate than the firing
squad accord> 10 the proved spy.
There are thousands Of lawabiding Ger
mans in America. who. regardless of their
sympathieS before We entered the war and
who, regardless of perhaps a hidden af-
country, are faithfully and Loyalty keeping
the laws of the country and bearing them
selves well in the present hour of trial.
They can have no worse enemy than the
murderou> agent of the imperial German
government. who believes that he j. serv-
ing that government by killing American
citizens and blowing mp American property.
The law abiding German will. willingly or
unwillinely. have Ia hear 4 part 1T popular
hatred and resentment raised hv the re-
peatcd outrage against the laws nf the
American republic and the a~-a~~ination
of American ciiizen~. These men IL Ger
man descent are .ricved that the very word
German j. becoming anaihema 90 the re-
malndcr Of the world-ihat the world -
the German government and al ~ work.
In America. - IN Great Britain and
France. the repeated crIme- of German
agents j. growing a harvest of deadly
hatred for All things German. Who j. re
spon~ible Tor it-c,rtainly not the good
natured and tolerant American who was
loath 10 believe that hi own fair country
would be- selected n "a iheatcr for innum-
cradle ouirages by cowardly agent. who
think they can t.rrsy Americag~ by a se-
ries of unbelievable outraees. Tins war j.
not the beginning nor the end Of ~clviliza-
tion, of international laws and inierna u
ltlonal amity, nor OF between the
nations.
This war IN the good time Of Providence
will end. Bui that harvest of hatred will
remain. The child who will be unborn a
hundred years from now will feel the in
Iiluence Of the bitter hatred that has grown
out of the Pms-Ian policy of "frlshtiul-
ness" The well behaved and law abiding
American Of German descent must rcaliz,
that the secret agent who burns and kills
within the body of the American people, J.
J making III own country and III principle,
things of -ccrn and of hatred.
A. for the true American citizen h,
stand~ for a policy of vieor and energy ~
dealing with this desperate and dangerou,
enemy. He wants the military authorities
who act with the arbitrary promptne~s, II
item of war, To deal by court martial an,
firing squad, with the spy who rcpayS th'
kindness and tolerance OF tins %countr,
with arson and murder.