The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-08-20
WHAT THEY SAY OF THE WAR IN
 SOUTH AMERICA

hanced the solidarity of South Amer ican peoples is discussed in a long ar ticle in La Nacion (Buenos Aires) un- der the heading, "The War and Latin America" This article satirically re- views the German frightfulness cam paign a phase of Twentieth Gen. tury culture, and shows how the Latin race is represented in opposition through the action of France and Italy. The article declares that the German conception of France was that of a center of corruption; of Italy as that of a nation of mandolin play CTS and punchinellos; of Spain as that of comatose and ineffective organ ism; and of the. LatinAmerican peo- pies as proud and useless, and excep- tionally subject to exploitation by su- perior races.
 Even when these concepts could not be expressed openly says this ar ticle, they were the opinions which predominated in the thought of the German people, especially in the up
 per classes, and they contemplated only one privileged race, that was the Teutonic." The article continues:
 'In this great war it is not only Q
 question of the right of existence for small nations, respect for internation- al treaties, and the other great mat ters that have been repeatedly set forth; it is also a question of races,
 question whether the people of the Latin race have a right, not so much
 to the predominance and pre-emin- ence which the Germans assume but to be respected, to live in peace, with
 out having their right disputed to en- joy what they have legitimately achieved. The extraordinary oc-
 currences since August, 1914, have imposed sweeping notifications upon the ideas of the Germans. Amazed at
 the heroic and tenacious resistance of
 the Belgians, French and Italians they
 indeed talk no more of Latin deca-
 dence, and they have lost much of the infatuation and pride which they had
 at the beginning of the war; but 1t is
 none the less certain that, before re-
 ceiving the chastisement which has
 been given them, they had the inten-
 tfon of annihilating France, of dis
 mem bering Italy, of acquiring com
 manding positions everywhere. If they had triumphed, more than, one growing country would have been con- verted into German province, just as the other allies of the empire, Aus tria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria have been so converted. Just for this reason, many have found it in- comprehensible and inexplicab1e that German sympathy has been observed | in certain Latin nations. Since the l first moment all the sympathy and | preference of the people of Spanish speech ought to have been eloquently 1 and unwavering1y expressed in favor l rxf Ln nF nf the people of France. Fortunately, | that which was inevitable Is coming 1 to pass From one side of the -con- l tinent' to the other, the opinions and
 sentiments of all peoples are unify- l ing in favor of the great Latin fam l fly.
 Many object, no doubt, that ideal l ism and sentimentalism do not amount l to much in the foreign politics of a !! nation, and that these things, like in- ] dividuals, take into account only their 1 own convenience and their own ] needs. Governments of democratic l countries cannot depart from this line l of conduct without. mourning terrible
 responsibility. Let us accept the l theory as exact and invariab1e, a1- 1 though we may have at hand the grand and noble example of Belgium I and the United states to record mere l ly the most recent; even then, the i economic convenience and the ma 1 teriaI interests would impel the peo- l pie of Latin America in general, and
 the Argentine Republic. in particular, l to incline to the side of England, 1 France and Italy. We have close bonds and a debt of gratitude between 1 us and these great nations"
 l The article reviews the way in
 which England through her capital, France through her art and literature, fand Italy through her labor, has aid- i ed the development of South Ameri- can countries and declares it is cer-
 tain that many of these organized un- ] dertakings and developments would 1 pass into German hands if Germany
 should win the war. It says:
 During the war the Germans have revealed their intentions too clearly I for us not to tremble at the idea of l having the domination of the seas and supremacy in finance pass into their l hands On the day in which the Ger l mans should find themselves without
 competition they would impose their
 militarism and subject everything to the common domination of a discip- line which admits no resistance or l discussion, which does away with vo-