The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-12-01

when sailed from New York two
wears ago it seems to me that senti
ment In the United states was about
equally divided; that most people ia
vored neutrality, even majority or
those who supported the entente.
The feeling OF sympathy which so
many thousands OF Americans had for
Germany / could. at that time. read
lily understand because I myself was
sympathetic felt that Germany had
not had a fighting chance with public
opinion In the United states.
/ could not believe that all the
charges against Germany applied to
the German people Although it was
difficult to understand what Germany
had done in Belgium; although 1t was
evident and admitted by the chancel-
Tor that Germany violated the neu-
traIity of that country. / could not
believe that nation which before
the war had such a high standing in
science and commerce could have
plotted or desired such a tremendous
war as swept Europe in 1914.
When / arrived in Berlin on March
IL 1915, and met German officials
and people for the first time ! was
impressed by their sincerity, their
honesty and their belief that the gov
eminent did not cause the war and
was fighting to defend the nation. At
the theater ] saw performances Of
shakespeare, which were among the
hest I had ever seen. ] marveied at
the wonderful modern hospitals and
at the efficiency and organization Of
the government / inarvsled at tho
expert ways in which prison camps
were administered I was surprised
20 ind railroad trains clean and pune
susL II ss~rnef 10 me as If Germany
was a nation which had reached the
height of perfection and that IL was
honestly and consciendousiy defend
ing itself against the group of powers
which desired its destr action.
THE ATTITUDE TOW ARD
AMERICA CHANGES
For more than a year | entered
enthusiastically into the work Of in
1sFpretnig and presenting mis- Ger
many TO the American people. AZ
this time there was virtually no food
problem. German banks and business
men were preparing for and expecting
peace. The government was already
making plans for after the war when
the soldiers would return from the
front. A reichstag committee had
been appointed 30 study Germany's|
possible peace time labor needs and
TO make arrangements for solving
them.
But in the tall OF 1918 changes be-
gan. The Lusitania had been de-
wtroyed in May and almost Immediate
ly the hate campaign against America
was started j saw the tendency to
attack and belittle the United States
grow not only In the army. Ia the
aavy aad. In tho +press,,ba among the,
people. saw that Germany was
growing to deeply resent anything
the United States government said
against what the German government
did. When this anti-Ar1erican cam
paign was launched observed a ten
dency on tho part Of the foreign Of
fee to censor more strictly the te}e-
grams which the spondents de-
sired to send TO the American news
papers. Previously the foreign office
mad been extremely frank and cor
dial and permitted correspondents 10
send what they observed and heard
ss long as the dispatches did not con
tain information which would aid the
allies in their military oF economic
attacks on Germany. As the hate
articles appeared in the newspape
The correspondents were not only pro-
1ihited from sending them. but they
were criticized by the foreign office
for writing anything which might
cause the American psnple To be an
gered at Germany. One daT | made
a translation OF bitter article in the
r. z. am Mittag and submitted IL to-
the foreign office censor. He asked
why paid so much attention to arti-
rles in this newspaper, which he
termed a ''Kaese- biatt"--literaliy "a
cheese paper" He said 1t had no in
fuence in Germany: that no one cared
what it said. This newspaper. how
ever. was the only noondav edition
In Berlin and was published by the