The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-05-05
To a>Gevman.A American.

OH <AhhciiSdH pt\ptSiS chSo' NfoNt-
deyce selected yoGr birthplace. hut
yoS are citizen OF this country SOLE
ly through personal choice.
Had you remained in Europe. re-
strictions, prohibitions and\ assump-
tions unknown to a democracyAwou
have been imposed upon you. Be.
cause you resented fixed inferiority,
curtailment of liberty and tyrannicaI \
authority, you came here. Either
| Germany found you wanting or you
found Germany lacking. In either
case it was evidently to your advan-s
tage to leave.
All these years the United States
tice. BY virtue Of the Declaration Of
| independence you have been raised
to the level of Kaisers-are first J.
among equals" a~f
We can quite understand that your
sympathies should be- with your ma
| tive land in localized European
war. 1t would be unnatural II your
heart did not instinctively side with
blood brothers. Although the. pre-
ponderating majority of US are en-
tirely in sympathy with the Allies.
your opposite convictions have been
comprehensive without seeming re-
prehensible; standing in your shoes
we. too. would probably have held.
your views.
| The part you have played in the
building of the Republic, your record
for industry. sobriety and loyalty on
every occasion which called for sac<.
rifice and courage, are not forgotten. 4:
1t would be -ungenerous, unjust toN
demand your allegiance before necss-
sity demanded it.
But that necessity is now before
us. We are at war with Germany.
The Imperial Government which
you have repudiated has repudiated-
its agreements with Your country
has unwarantedly destroyed the prop
|
unjustifably slain members of Your
community.
Because you have demonstrated for
a century SO many admirable quali-
ties of character and mind, we are
convinced that Germany is signally
unfortunate in her present leaders
foa rfoS IN, I,at In OF OH nH
the people, as we have personally
. known them, would be the present
policy Of the Empire. 5,
: You especially know the resources
Of an autocracy in an arbitrary mood
the infinite precautions which It is
able to establish against the discov-
cry of facts and the expression OF
: preferences.
Far more than we can realize, you
understand the dsstardly measures
. adopted by absolutism to insure the
continuance of the dynasty. regard
| less of national costs.
II you could cast the vote today
, which would decide whether Ger.
many shall forever be free of Kais-
er and junker, your ballot would read
Liberty" and no hand would be
quicker to grasp a gun to support the
revolution that would insure it.
We faced such an hour at the birth
of this nation. We died for freedom
at Lexington and Concord before the
muskets of kinsmen and we demand
no more of you.
We ask no greater sacrifice, no
loftier nobility than we imposed upon
ourselves in 1776 or 1851, when North
and South, each convinced that the
welfare Of the land was at stake, re-
spectively in the Federal and Confed-,
crate causes. placed duty above the
bond OF consanguinity. "a
Now do your duty--your duty to
German traditions-by demonstrating
to universe Mortified at the wanton,
inhumane acts Of an unrepresentative
oligarchy. that every German by
birth or descent with a God-given
chance to assert his soul is an ene-
my to barbarism and ruthlessness.
Do your duty to America-your
duty to yo.r children and their chill
dren. by an unhesitating and whole
hearted support of the government
under which they will live-a gov
ernment that will honor them and
trust them and keep open it's highest
offices to them. according to your
conduct at the crisis hour in its his
tory.
| Let Your sons he first OF tha ra