Omaha daily bee., 1917-02-04
AMERICA FIRST"
SAYS VAL PETER
Editor of German Daily Paper
Believes Loyalty to Uncle
Sam is Duty.
VAC BURESH is FOR U. S.

Our allegiance belongs to America
first, last and all the time" said Val
]. Peter, editor and publisher of the
Omaha Daily Tribune, German pa
per which has for the last few years
taken frequent occasion to criticize
the administrations policy toward
Germany.
Mr.. Peter had the following 20 say
on learning the diplomatic relations
had been severed:
"On Thursday the Tribune ex-
pressed the fear that the German
American citizens might be called to
endure the most severe trial in their
history and to empty the bitter cup to
the dregs. All too soon these fears
seem to be an actual realization. The
break with our old Fatherland is at
hand and on account of questions
whose handling by our government
sometimes seemed to us not entirely
just and in keeping with the best in
terests of the future of our country.
We'll Do Our Duty"
"But we have duties toward our
adopted country. Our allegiance be-
longs to America first, last and all
the time. These duties we must per-
form and will perform above all con-
siderations and regardless of what
the future may have in store for us"
Former United States Joseph H.
Willard said: THE mere sending
away of an ambassador does not nee
essarily mean war. We have dis
missed ambassadors of various coun-
tries in the past and it has not nee
cssarily resulted in war every time.
My opinion would merely be the opin-
ion OF an individual and would not
count for much. Further than what
l have said l should not care to dis
cuss the situation"
Buresh for U. S.
Vaclav Buresh, president OF the
local branch of the Bohemian AL
lance of America, expressed himself
in the following manner: Il think the
president did the wise thing under
the circumstances. In fact, this
ought to have been done at the time
when Count Won Bernstorff adver-
tised warning to American citizens
to not take passage on the Lusi-
tania, Had this been done at that
time we would have saved our ma
tional honor and probably ended the
war long before this time. | think
every citizen of the United States,
regardless of his ancestry, should
support the president with all of his
zeal and might in his action today.
|, as a Bohemian, am for this coun-
try, first, last and all of the time, re-
CARELESS of who my friends are across
the waters. This is our country and
we should have enough patriotic
spirit to support the government in
crisis of this kind. Any man who
would oppose the president in this
action is not a good citizen"
Mr.. Buresh is also president of the
Western Division of the Bohemian
Alliance of America, a jurisdiction
embracing Nebraska, North and
South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming,
Kansas and Oklahoma, in which ter
ritory there are 225,00O Bohemians.
There are $4,000 t in Omaha and
nearly 100000 in this state.
Italians Aroused.
News of the break with Germany
stirred Omaha Italians, who are dis
cussing the situation with consider
able interest.
L. J. Patti offered this expression:
This is a time when every Ameri-
can citizen, regardless of his ances-
try or place of birth, should stand by
the president and uphold his hands
in whatever he may decide to do in
this grievous situation which con-
fronts u.s."
Sebastian Selerno is head of the
Giovanni D'Ameglio society. He
spoke, however, for himself rather
than for the society, when he said:
II say we should all stand by the
president and | believe he did right
in taking stand to maintain our
national honor. | feel that Italians
will join others in standing by the
president"
Joseph Sesto is a leader of the
Christopher Columbus society. He,
too, made it understood that he pre-
ferred to- speak his personal views
at this time rather than for the Sc
eiety. He said: War is hell. l have
two brothers now in the field against
the Austrians and l know what it
the way they are fighting
over there; still, as an American citi-
zen, if l should be called, | would