Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-07-30

that to gain its end it does not hesi-
tate to break faith. to violate the
most sacred rights or to perpetrate
intolerable acts of inhurhanity.
1T needed but the words reported
to have been uttered by the German
Chancellor to complete the picture
of the character of his government
when he announced that the only
reason why the intensified .subma-
rine campaign was delayed until
February last was that sufficient
submarines could not be built before
that time to make the attacks on
commerce efficient. Do you realize
that this means, if it means anything
that the promises to refrain from
brutal submarine warfare, which
Germany had made to the United
States, were never intended to be
kept, that they were only made in
order to gain time in which to build
more submarines, and that when the
time came to act. the German prom
ises were unhesitatingly torn TO
pieces like other scraps of paper"
1T is this disclosure of the I'M
perial Government which is the un-
derlying cause of our entry into the
war We had doubted, or at least
many Americans had doubted. the
evil purposes of the rulers of Ger
many. Doubt remained no longer.
In the light of events we could read
the past and see that for a quarter
of century the absorbing ambition
of the military oligarchy which was
the master of the German empire
was for world dominion"
Future of L. s. at Stake
Asserting that "the future of the
United States is at stake" Secretary
Lansing said:
IF any of you has the idea that
we are fighting others battles and
and not our own, the sooner he gets
away from that idea the better IL
will be for him. the better it will be
for all of us.
Imagine Germany victor in Eur
ope because the United States re-
mained neutral. Who, then, think
you. would be the next victim of
those who are seeking to be masters
of the whole earth? Would not this
country, with its enormous wealth
arouse the cupidity of an impover-
ished though triumphant Germany?
Would not this democracy be the
only obstacle between the autocratic
rulers of Germany and their supreme
ambition?
DO you think that they would
withhold their hand from so rich a
prize? Let me then ask you, would
ii be easier or wiser for this coun-
try single-handed to resist a German
empire, flushed with victory and with
great armies and navies at its COM
mand. than to unite with the brave
enemies of that empire in ending
now and for all time this menace to
our future?
Primarily then. every man who
crosses the ocean to fight on foreign
soil against the armies of the Ger
man Emperor goes forth to fight for
his country and for the preservation
of those things for which our fore
fathers were willing to die. To those
who thus offer themselves we owe
the same debt that we owe to those
men who in the past fought on Amer
lean soil in the cause of liberty. No,
not the same debt, but greater one.
1t calls for more patriotism, more
self-denial and truer vision to wage
war on distant shores than to repel
an invader or defend ones home"
Anwering those who he said
might think it improbable that Ger
many would attack the United States
if she won. Mr.. Lansing cited things
which Germany had been guilty of
which were thought improbable,
yes. impossible" before the war -
violation of treaties. the crimes of
murder eXtortion and vandalism in
Belgium and France, submarine bru-
tality and bomb-dropping on cities
Yes, God help us, these things have
come to pass" he exclaimed, "and
Iron Crosses have been awarded the
perpetrators" He continued:
But there is more, far more,
which might be added to this record
of unbelievable things which the Ger
man Government has done. / only
need to mention the attempt of the
foreign office at Berlin to bribe Mex
leo to make war upon us by promis-
ing her American territory. 1t was
only one of many intrigues which the
German Government was carrying on
in many lands. Such conspirators
were sent throughout the world. Civil
discord was encouraged to weaken
the potential strength of nations
which might be obstacles to the lust
of Germany's rulers for world mas
terry. .........
"Fatherland' as a Mask
Those of German blood who
owed allegiance to other countries
were appealed to to support the
Fatherland, which beloved name
masked the military clique at Ber-
lin.
Some day I hope that the whole
tale may be told. 1t will be an as
founding tale, indeed. But enough
has been told that there no longer
remains the shadow of a doubt as to
he character of Germany's rulers,