TaÌˆgliche Omaha tribuÌˆne. [volume] (Omaha, Nebr.) 1912-1926, 1917-07-21

its contents from the readers of your
editorial, you did me an injustice.
Instead Of entering, in your answer,
into the subject matter as presented
by me, you set up a strawman to fire
at, making your readers believe that
my letter sought to place "palpable
obstruction in the way of our gov
ernments' successful prosecution Of
the war;. You know it contained
nothing Of the kind.
l trust that you do not, like some
others, deem it necessary, in order to
uphold the righteousness of the war,
to either hide or distort the truth,
or to ignore or misrepresent facts,
when they do not happen to fit into
the war program. They forget, that
the cause they are trying to advance,
must suffer by such a course, be-
cause it leads to the suspicion that
that cause would suffer if examined
in the light of truth.
You could hardly have failed to
understand the object of my letters
as being a protest against the mis-
leading editorials, but more especial
ly against some Of the outrageous
falsehoods SO frequently contained in
your letter box, because and only
because such epistles are plainly in
tended to heap o~pprobrium upon
good American citizens of German
descent with the deploraole result
of creating race prejudice In u own
country, the very thing our President
earnestly wishes to avoid. President
Taft only a few days ago publicly
denounced everything tending in
that direction. Even N|iscount Bryce,
in an address to the congregationalists
at Birmingham denounced hatred ana
revenge as Sowing the seeds of
future wars. He mad reference to
the publication OF such news as, I. l.,
the jubilant satisfaction expressed by
a London paper that hundreds Of
thousands German women and
children had become So enfeebled as
to cause a high increase Of the death
rate amongst them; or the Paris
"Gaulois" writing triumphantIy that
as a result Of the English blockade
the German race win undergo a
general physical degeneration, and
that the blockade therefor is an en-
tire success, etc.
Being a jew you can appreciate
the sting Of race prejudice. 1t is
only another kind OF race prejudice
which is being engendered by such
writer's as the one hiding behind the
pseudonym Der Heide'. just such
prejudice kept your distinguished
father out OF a much deserved seat
in the U. S. Senate, and caused
young Frank to be lgnched in
Georgia.
You quote Franklin as an example
for Directing to the spreading of
.detrachon' through the columns Of
his papers. Does it not occur to
you, that in publishing such letters,
contributed By the hiding Heide'
you yourself are guilty of the very
thing Franklin condemns
You cannot be 50 blind as not to
see that calling attention to the
historical shortcomings and selfish
ness Of n of our allies, is not an
interference with the interests Of
this country. The war cannot con-
tinue forever. When ended, a settle
ment between the allies and our
selves viii be in order, ana it is Of
supreme Importance, that the people
of these u. S. should know some
thing more of the past history of
England, than the majority of our
papers are willing to tell them.
1t is of course possible that like
some news agencies, you have entered
into obligations, which prevent you
from publishing certain news or
events, no matter how truthful, cor
rect or important, ard that you must
live up to your pledges, but in doing
so, you practice, in the policy Of your
paper, a censorship which when re-
Gently attempted through legisla-
ton, you freely denounced. in doing
SO, you r not giving Your readers
all the news a. your command. But
you do give space to anonymous
letters, teeming with deliberate in
suits, not only to the enemy, but to
thousands Of loyal Americans Of
German descent. Docs that not in
dictate that you share the opinions
expressed by such writers? [ have
subscribed to the Bee for over 80
years, but am sorely tempted to do
so nc longer, not that a subscriber
more Or less viii make any diff
ference to you bat SO as 10 avoid
reading such malicious attacks which
could spring only from a diseased
mind. However, l still hope that the
Bee will e the error of its ways,