New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-14
Not the Right Way

lnere is IWololu OoyIN'iV' " Wv
ate bill designed to curb the German-lan-
ouape press. The first criticism lies IN the
fact that the bill does not go to the root
of the matter; the second, that it unwisely
permits a measure of discretion in the adj
ministration of the law.
The sole satisfactory and just manner IN
which to deal with the German-language
press is to prohibit the publication OF news
PAPERS in the German language for the
neriod of the war To provide that they
shall, nublish a translation of their COM
ment upon the war and upon the govern
ment in a column parallel to that in which
their German text is printed is to open
the way for all sorts Of evasions and sub
tsrfuces and in the same fashion it admits
of inequality of application of the law and
even tyranny on the part of government
officials.
The simple fact, as The Tribune for
weeks upon weeks demonstrated In Its
Enemies Within" column, is that the Ger
man-language press of this country, with
few exceptions, has been consistently dis
loyal 1t has sought both openly and by
sneaking indirection to injure the country,
70 breed disloyalty, to give aid and comfort
n the enemy, to weaken the United States
at home and abroad.
The effect of this persistent disloyalty
is to be seen in the comments of the Ger
man press upon the American situation.
Thanks to the German-American news
papers, the people of Germany are con-
WINGED that the action Of the United States
in declaring war upon Germany did not
and does not have the approval of the mass
of the people of the United States. Ger
many was encouraged to commit such
crimes as the Lusitana massacre, to per-
sist in her policy of wronging the United
States, because inc NeiIidIl-[1iHoli va u
press continued to assert that the people
OF the United States would not support
their government in defending American
lives and American interests on the high
\ seas.
We hesitate in this country, where the
Anglo-Saxon tradition prevails, to inter
fere with free speech and free press.
We are willing to bear almost any sort of
fee liberties which are the best tradition
that we possess. Yet the simple fact is
that thousands of American lives will be
lost because we have tolerated this Ger
man-language press abomination for the
past months. Millions of Americans are
now under arms, or about to go under
arms. The country is at war; and yet, in
the face of this situation, day after day
German American newspapers are strik-
ing at the safety of our soldiers, melting
the German nation to continue its war
upon US, seeking to deprive our men in
France of the moral support of the Ameri-
can people, and always and at all times
serving, not the United States, but Ger
many.
For such a disease there is only one
remedy. If what has been printed in the
German language should be printed in the
English language it could not escape at
tention, the laws of this country would be
enforced and the evil would be abolished.
1t is only because the German press has
used foreign tongue that it has so far
escaped justice In our easygoing, toler-
ant fashion we have continued to disre-
gard something which was not immediate
~ under our notice and attention. Every
considerable city in this country has seen
sedition, treason, disloyalty preached by
German-American newspapers, and has so
lar ehoureu 'le 'iiiis Oe'"uoo ~ was
either too lazy or too careless to take
action.
The time has come when this evil should
be met. The course of the United States
Senate indicates an appreciation of the
fact but a hesitation as to action. There
never will be any relief from this menace
- ,lo,lt - ba oply