The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-09
ARE YOU ACTIVELY AND
AGCRESSIVELY AMERI-
CAN?

The Manufacturers Record has q
letter from a valued reader. who. writ
ing from Detroit. says:
II hope the pamphlet. Americas
Relation othe War win receive q
vary wide distribution In my tudg-
ment there IL scarcely before the gov
eminent today a more important ques-
ton than the one of traitors. There
are many. many thousands of them.
IL not millions. hope the editor will
continue his vigorous attacks on them
why don't loyal Germans. II there
are any. come out In the open and say
so7
why don't they form patriotic or
gAn,zAions, as the Poles for instance
why don't they do as tho ca oeks,
and hold meetings piedstng loyalty
to America? 1t Is because at heart
they are not loyal They think we did
wrong to ship munitions 20 the allies
before we entered the war: they think
we ought not TO have entered the
war: they think Germany should and
will defeat England and France, and
AT heart they are for Germany, II
Germany then defeats America they
VIII be the first TO say America Is get
ting her just deserts. / firmly believe
that Is their attitude.
Then, again, / think II IL a crying
shame that German newspapers should
be permitted 10 continue to cast their
dirty slurs at America, practically
make fun of the government ana ney
allies and plant sedition daily in the
minds OF their readers. It ought TO
be stopped. And for that matter so
should American newspapers that take
1.-THE same attitude, And there are some,
as you know
81 met Mr.. --~-- In the lobby last
night Asked meif the Manufacturers
Record wasn't going it pretty strone
on the war question. l told him =
was He asked II II wasn't lostl q
business on account OF H. I repiie,,
not to my knowledge. He said ii bis
Chicago manufacturer WAS in his Of.
1ce the other day when a bulletin
came in with a particularly warm ar
ticle and the manufacturer. although
not a German. did not seem to APP
prove OF IT, Said he was an adver.
tiser In the paper, too. Am wondering
who 1t was"
The question raised by Western
Z
er the work against pro-Germans by
the Manufacturers Record was not
causing II to lose advertisements has
never been glven consideration in this
Office
II there !s any man In this country
who wants 70 he allied with the activf-
ties of hell as represented by Ger
many, we do not want him as an ad-
vertise. and the only possible reason
why we would want him as II reader
would he that perchance he might be
converted before he ends up In front
of the firing squad
Tho Manufacturers Record at the
heginning at thts campaign three years
ago knew that II would stir the hitter
hostility OF some people in this coun-
try. but It deliberately decided 10 voice
it's opinion on the subject without re-
gard to whether 1t pleased or dis
pleased its readers or advertisers, To
have acted on any other basis would
have made II traitor to the country
and to civilization. and now that this
country is In the war we expect to
fight even stiIl more vigorously than
In the past TO awaken our people to
the realities of this war and to the
necessity OF suppressing pro-German
activities without mercy, for those
who are engaged In these pro-Cerman
activities are seeking to stab in the
back with poisoned knives the sold
iers OF the nation who are giving their
lives for civilization and liberty.
He who today Ia not actively and
aggressivefy an American Ia at least
paSsiveiy traitor.