Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1917-10-05
SAYS AMERICA IS
GERMAN OBJECTIVE
ROOSEVELT DECLARES ENTENTE
NAvIEs ALONE PREVENT IN
vAsIoN OF UNITED STATES.

Kansas City, Mo-, Sept. "a
Fine attitude of the German
American press and the German
Alliance IN this country IN their
hearty support of the German
government aud the attitude of
the Germans at home toward
their government shows that
they are back of it. Colonel
Roosevelt said, in speech at the |
Old-Glory week festival here to-
night in commenting on the
theory that the United States isl
fighting the German government
but not the people.
For no nation does Germany
feel and express such bitter and
contemptuous hostility as for the
United States" he said. There
is no nation on the face of the
globe which they would be more
delighted to ruin and plumber.
Under such circumstances the
public men and newspapers en-
gagged in defending Germany or
assailing England and our other
allies or in protesting against
the war and demanding an in
conclusive peace are guilty of
moral treason to this country,
and while the German-American
papers have achieved an evil
prominence in this matter the
professional anti-English Irish
papers are as bad and the pure.
ly sensational dema gogic and I'M
patriotic section of the native
American press is the worst OF
all.
Germany embodies the princi.
pie of successful militaristie
autocracy. Much has been said
about our being against the Ger.
man government but not against
the German people. The atti-
tude of the German-American
press and the German Alliance
in this country in their hearty
fsupport of the German govern.
ment and the practically unani.
nous support of that govern.
ment heretofore by the Germs MS
at home shows that at present
the Germans are back of the
German government
They have enthusiastically
supported its policy of brutal
disreg ard of the rights of others.
they reverse themselves,
until they cast off the yoke OF
militaristic autocracv they iden.
tify themselves with it and force
us to be against them. It is for
the German people as a neces-
sary incident of being against
the German government.
The Germans govern from
above down. The people of this
republic, like the people of France
like the people of England, be-
lleve in government from below
up. In other words we believe
In government by ourselves. The
Germans believe in being govern
ed by autocratic dynasty which
rests primarily on a great mill
taristic class and a great bureau
cratic class. No man who sup
ports Germany at this time can
claim to be a real lover of free
institutions. He is false both to
a democracy and freedom" Ger
many had we'll matured plars
for the conquest and oppression
of the United States, he said.
This was evidenced, he said, by
the conversation of some recent
ly captured German officers who
talked to their English captors
freely without knowing that an |
American officer was present.
"These Germans announced |
that Germany was going to win |
and that they were going toj
smash the United States and
bleed it white with an enormous
indemnity and make it pay the
whole expense of the war;" he
said. They had no thought of
peace and no man in his senses
doubts that this would be the
policy adopted as matter of
course by Germany.
IF at this moment, while we
are still helpless, France and /
were defeated, the Ger
nan fleet would be at our doors