New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-26
German-American
Editors Show Their
Loyalty to Nation
Papers Pledge Support to y. 5
in War and Urge Immediate
CONSUMPTION
By a German-American Journalist

By a German American Journalist
Immediately after the declaration OF
war against Germany the German Ian
guacc papers in the United States were
confronted with the same problem
which had to be solved by the Petro-
Grad "Zei.ung" and "IIerold,' the Riga
"Anzeiger" and other German papers
in Russia when the world war began.
Only they had more time to find their
bearings, while, on the other hand,
their Russian-German colleagues were
probably for the first time in their
history glad Of the so-called prevent
i've censorship" which prohibits the
printing Of a single line without the
censor having seen the proof.
This took the responsibility from the
shoulders of the newspaper publishers.
The German language papers IN the
United States had no censor to guide
them. yet they have done very well.
considering the circumstances and the
fact that most Of them were violent IN
their opposition against the United
States entering the war
Americans First
The final step having been taken by
papers lost no time in proclaiming their
future course, which the German Her
old" as typical Of its colleagues, clothed
iu the following sentence, the intro
duction to its first war editorial: "'The
New Yorker Ierold,' being an Ameri-
can newspaper printed in German, sup
ports the American government"
The Illinois "Staats-Zeitung," one Of
the extreme opponents of President
Wilson, hosted the Stars and Stripes
at the head Of its editorial columns
and said:
While our country il at war with any
foreign country there ia only one attitude
possible for loyal Americans. and that is
Our country! In her intercourse with
foreign nations may she always be in the
right: but our country. right or wrong. -
Stephen Decatur.
After peace is declared that attitude may
well be changed to one OF guidance To
put our country right if wrong, IN our re-
lations with foreign nations.
For Universal Service
The entire German language press
became quickly reconciled to the new
order of things. II was not 70 be cX-
pected that the editors would grow ali
Of sudden enthusiastic about the pos
sibe or probable alliance with Eng
land and France, against whom the Gus
tomary filings still are directed. but
their attitude toward the government;
Of their own country was strictly cor
rect. Much difference exists among
them regarding certain new questions
raised by the war and the preparations
for it, but in one respect almost all the
800 or more German language publica-
tons in America are Of one mind
namely. in the universal service or con-
scription problem. Their standpoint Is
defined by the Cleveland "Wachter unl
Anzeiger' as follows:
1t il significant for the state OF mind OF
Americans OF German extraction that near
~ all German language newspapers in the
United States advocate general military
training on the basis Of limited conscrip-
ton. The fact Is that they proposed mill
tary training Of our youth at time when
a sort OF hystercal pacihsm swept through
the country, when the Anglo-SaNon world
was full Of world peace ideas. when the
Northclire press here and abroad opened
its propaganda against militarism and
especially against German militarism. For
already at that time London had decided
that the militarsm OF Russia and France
was good and that only the miltarism Of
Germany was bad. very bad. The political
constellation in Europe had no doubt some
thing TO do with this policy.