The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-09-20
My COuntry-Right or Wrong!
If Right to Be Kept Right;
If Wrong to Be Set Right. -Schurz.
KINDRED MUST FIGHT KINDRED

The pro-German agitators anc
peace-at-any-price men have siren
ously endeavored to impress upon the
minds of the soldier recruits and es.
pecially upon those of German de-
scent, that if they go to the fighting
front they may find themselves ar.
rayed against blood-kin and will be
arrayed in battle against their own
blood. That is the truest thing they
have ever uttered. This condition is
not only possible but quite probable
but they should bear in mind that
their relatives arrayed against them
have no computations against fighting
them.
War is a calamity to any nation at
any time, but the United States can
not engage in warfare against any
nation under the sun without it ap-
preaching a tragedy. The United
States is a great cosmopolitan nation
made up of every nation beneath the
stars. Among our naturalized citizen
ship may be found representatives of
every civilized country on the globe.
In our army and navy are found men
with blood-kin in every nation in
Christendom. No matter what nation
the United States wars with, the war
must necessarily take on the phase of
a civil war, and our soldiers and sail
ors will find themselves fighting
against relatives.
This was notably the case in the
Civil war when friend fought friend;
father arrayed himself against his
sons, and brothers sought brothers
lives.
The patriotic heart of the nation,
however, placed the rights of country
above the ties of consanguinity. They
regarded their kin in the enemies
ranks as enemies of the nation and as
such they were treated.
The same condition exists in this
war. Our soldiers and sailors will
probably be called upon to meet their
near relatives on the red field of con-
f1ict but their relatives are also meet
ing them and it is no worse to fight
a relative than it is for a relative
to fight you; and if those relatives
are fighting against mans rights and
liberties and you are fighting for
them your cause is holy and if in the
fight you shed the blood Of kinfolks
their blood is on their own heads.
The Imperial Government of Ger
many is the last nation in the world
that is justified in raising the cry Of
kinship.
In 1849 it had no computations in
sending it's army against their kins
men when they were struggling for
the rights of man and they had no
computations in executing the pris-
oners that fell into their hands.
In 1866 it again sent it's legions
against their kinsmen and the grand
father of the present Kaiser gloried
in the slaughter of Germans and
knighted generals of his army for
Staying Germans.
We quote from the speech of the
present kaiser made at Potsdam in
1891, to recruits just joining the ar
my:
Remember that the German
army must be armed against the
internal as we'll as against the
external foe."
Further on in the same address he
declared:
"You have sworn allegiance to
ME. This means children of MY
God that you are MY soldiers,
that you have given yourselves
! up to ME, BODY AND SOUL, for
you there is but ONE enemy and
that is MY enemy. In view of the
y present socialistic agitation it
may come to pass that I shall
command you to SHOOT DOWN
YOUR OWN BROTHERS.; YES,
] YOUR PARENTS-which God
forbid-but even then you must
follow MY command without
murmur."
At the command of the kaiser, Ger
mans must shoot down their brothers
and parents without murmur. But,
according to "peace-at-any-price" adj
yocates and the prof. Germans, for Am
merican citizens of German blood
fighting for America and the rights
of humanity to engage in, warfare
against Germans fighting for German
imperialism is horribility accentuated.
Can audacious imperialism reach a
greater height of inconsistency than
this?
THE LESSON OF THE FROST