Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-08-25
THE CAUSES LEADING UP
TOOUR WAR WITH GERMANY
Facts Which Should be Fam to Every American; An In
tereSting Review of incidents Which Lead to Break Of
Diplomatic Relations and Later to Declaration of War;
Published in Sections
Section Two

First. then, let ME picture the back.
ground of public opinion toward Ger.
many and the Germans AS | saw it
lefGre the war !csdn. Inasmuch as
Onc'y vision M lie affected Ia .orably
~ unfayoraiIf by his persona: cx-
ln -ienCes, ! Is CLIy fair .fah | state
'. 'ily my o".' experiences with pCo-
pie oI German 0irth or pd"cr'- gc One
D.: iny earle; 'CcolleCtiOuF Il OF Il
German maid in oar household who
taught me TO make my war,: known
III The Germ II language, 81! also
'aulht me to 'uvc her as q mem.
Ders of my own family. In college.
one of my TWO fayOrite professors and
one e.! my college CnCIns y re of c.
IAN pare: laEc. Both use men AZ
still - .ucd friends, Lac 5c'h belle,
IN the righteousness OI Germany.
/ cause. have spent parts OF three
summers in Germany, and have many
/ German rrienG-. both in America and
! in Europe. The TWO Europeans in my
special field of science for whom !
, have the greatest personal affection
are German professors in Berlin and
LcipzIa respectively. have more per,
sunal friends in the Germany army
than in the allied armies. My sister
is married to professor OF German
descent and German sympathics Sure.
~. therefore. II personal relationships
prejudice me at all, they should pre-
judicu me in favor of Germans and
things German.
In my opinion. the American esti.
mate OF Germany and her citizens
prior to the war was, in general. most
. favorable. Certainly America looked
/ with admiration upon the remarkable
advance achieved by Germany in the
! short space OF forty years. TO yOuI
! universities We have always aCknowl
| edged q great debt We have pro
/ fitted much by your advances in econ
omiC lines and admired the Combina
tion OF scientific research and bust
ness which made your countrymcr
efficient in many lines. The larg,
number of your people who have cmi
/ grated to America have, in the main
made good citizens. and We have wei
coined them as among the best of Ill,
foreigners who lIOCk To our shores
German music and German musician.
find nowhere Il more cordial welcome
than here where admiration for thci
achievements is unstintcd. Nor hay,
we forgotten the heroic services o
the many Germans who laid dowI
their lives in defence OF our flag thd
the Union might live. The Germans
love of honor and family has touchcC
the American heart in tender spot
and many of my aCquaintanCcs admi
that with no other foreigners do the
establish such intimate and affection
ate relations as with their Gcrma
friends.
This admiration and friendship ha
not blinded us to certain defects 1
the German character. any more tha
has your friendship for American
closed your eyes to our defects. Th
bad manners of Germans are provcr
bial. not only ainong Americans. bu
all over the world; 80 much so tha
certain German writer's. admitting tina
Germans as u nation are ill.manncrcd
have sought to find in this fact M
explanation for the worldwide anlae
onism toward Gcrmanys policy In tn
war. do not believe. however, thai
so far as American sentiment Is cor
Ccrncd. there is any considerable Cl'