The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1917-11-14
THE CAUSES LEADING UP
TO WAR WITH GERMANY
BY j. w. FEAcAN.

nothing wrong in restating the causes
again.
You must remember too, that there
are some noisy agitators and disloyal
writer's in this country who have per-
3istently endeayored to confuse the is
sue and to carry a seditious and bubble
propaganda for the purpose Of produc-
ing discontinued and giving and en-
enlargement to the enemies of the
United States
A large part Of. this propaganda was
undoubtedly financed by the German
government directly from the outbreak
OF the European war, August, 1914.
With that money and with money pro-
vided by German sympathizers and GER
tain disloyal elements in the United
States, the propaganda has continued
but in a modified form. 1t is well for
the American people to realize the hy-
pocrisy and disloyality of these efforts
and to determine to stamp them out
relentlessly and remorselessly, be-
;ause the interest of the nation must
1T no time be imperiled more by trail
4. Al
without
1t has been repeatedly stated that
America entered this war to make lib
erty and democracy secure through
out the world. While that is true, it
must be always remembered that
America entered for more immediate
'ea3on. Noble and idealistic is her
championship Of universal democracy,
sic entered this war primarily because
he persistene insults and aggression.
If Germans, the wanton disregard of
american rights in this our own Dor
lers as well as upon the high seas, the
contemplate violation Of international
aw, and the destruction of American
life and property.
Before the war brokeout, every civ
lied nation accepted and honored the
rule that in time of war merchant
Iessel, neutral or beligerent, should
lot be sunk by an enemy war vessel
lnless the lives of the PASSENGERS and
;reWs were first made safe. Under
his long observed law an American
,itizen had the right to travel on
British or French merchant ship with
he full knowledge that that ship
would not be sunk by German war
yessel until the passengers and crews
we're taken from the ship and their
safety secured. Civilized war fare has
alweys respected the lives of non-com-
oantS.
NOW listen again, r If German reg
iment should capture, a French. town
and while marching through the
streets should fire upon a crowd of un-
armed men, women and children, kill
ing great number of them, Gripping
md wounding others, the. whole world
would gasp with horror, and yet this
would be far less inhuman than to sink
shin Mt 1o
ant men, women and children, because
on the land those are wounded may
be rescued, taken to hospitals and
saved, while many who are not hit by
bullets may actually escape Now the
reason of the rules of the sea has al
ways been regidly enforced by every
civilized nation is that if you sink
ship without giving the non-combat-
lnts a chance to escape, they are
thrown into thewater and all must
perish.
There is no chance for the wounded
u uninjured to escape. The remorse-
ess sea engulfs them all and obliter-
ates life without a trace" or "spurlis
iesenkt" as the Germans would say.
Now what would be crime of great
magnitude when committed on the
land, now become one Of colossal and
ineXcusable proportions when commit
ted on the high seas. Yet this is eX-
actly what Germany has done, consis-
tently as she may think, since the out
break of the war.
She had destroyed merchant vessels
on the high seas without warning, kill
ing non-combatant men, women and
children without mercy and in the
most brutal and ruthless fashion in de-
fiance of all International law and
every accepted rule of humanity and
civilization. Now you have, in part,
the main cause that led up to war with
Germany
Hawkinsville, Ga, Nov. IL. 1--WE.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT i
Washington i