The Washington herald., 1917-10-22

III dn du1TGts OtiltefcQ D4IOf9 ID
Harrisburg, Pa, Chamber OF Com
merce the distinguished banker. Otto
II. Kahn. who has done 80 much for
the cause OF the allies, even prior
to the entry Of the United States
into the war. said:
speak as one. who has seen the
spirit of ths Prussian governing
class at work from close by. having
at its disposal and using to the full
practically every agency for mould
ing the public mind.
/ have watched II proceed with re-
ientIess persistency and profound
cunning TO instili into the nation the
demoniacal obsession Of power-wor-
ship and worid-dominion. TO modify
and pervert the mentality-indeed.
the very fibre and moral substance
OF the German people, people
which until misled. corrupted and
systematically poisoned by the Prus-
sian ruling caste. was and deserved
to be an honored. valued and well
come member Of the family of ma
tons.
/ have hated and loathed that spir-
| II ever since II came within my ken
many years ago: hated IL all the
more as / saw II ruthlessly pulling
down a thing which was dear TO
me-the old Germany to which ] was
linked by ties Of blood, by fond mem
ories and cherished sentiments.
The difference in the degree OF guilt
as between the German people and
their Prussian or P-ussianized rulers
and leaders for the monstrous crime
of this war and the atrocious barbar-
ism Of its conduct 10 the difference
between the man who. acting un-
der the influence OF a poisonous drug.
runs amuck in mad frenzy and the
unspeakable malefactor who admin
istered that drug. well knowing and
fully intending the ghsstly con-
quences which were bound to fol-
low.
The world fervently longs for peace.
But there can be no peace answer
ing to the true meaning Of the word
no peace permitting the nations Of
the earth, great and small, to walk
unarmed and unatraid-undl the
teaching and the leadership OF the
apostles OF an outlaw creed shall have
the sight of the German people; un-
til that people shall have awakened
| to a consciousness Of unfathomable
L OF lHOtt WHO'LL lntg nave lOl-
lowed into calamity and shame; un-
til q mood OF penitence and OF q de-
cent respect for the opinions Of man.
kind shall have supplanted the sway
trenchantly termed, "truculence and
treachery."
God strengthen the conscience and
the understand, the will and the pow
er Of the German people SO that they
1 GrA "a 0nlv road Uhlrh Will
i've to the world an early peace
and in time lead Germany back into
the family OF nations from which Il
In now an outcast
From each successive visit to Ger
many for twenty-five years I came
away more appalled, by the sinister
transmutation Prussianism ha
wrought amongst the people and by
I, the portentous menace ! recognized
In Il for the entire world.
1t had given to Germany unparal-
leled prosperity. benefcient and ad-
vanced social legislation, and not a
few other things Of value, but 1t had
taken in payment the soul of the
race. 1t had made q devils bar
gain"
And when this war broke out In
Europe / knew that the issue had
been Joined between the powers OF
brutal might and insensate ambition
on the one side and the forces OF
humanity and liberty on the other;
between darkness and light
| Many there were at that time-anc
amongst them men for whose char
acters ! had high repsect and whose
motives were beyond any possible sus-
picion-who saw their own and Amer.
ica's duty In strict neutrality, men
tally and actually. but personally
believed from the beginning OF TIN
war, whether We liked all the ele-
ments of the allies combination OF
not-and 1 certainly did not like the
Russia OF the Czars-that the cause
OF the allies was Americas cause.
/ believed that this was no ordi-
nary war between peoples for a ques'
tion of national interest, but a con-
| fiict between fundamental principles
and ideas; and so believing, 1 was
bound to feel that the natural lines
OF race, blood and kinship could not
be the determining lines for ones at
titude and alignment, but that each
man, regardless of his origin. had tC
decide according TO his judgment and
conscience on which side was the
right and on which was the wrong
and take his stand accordingly, what
ever the wrench and anguish Of the
decision. And thus took my stand
three years ago.
But whatever ones views and feel
ings, whatever the country Of ones
birth or kin, only one course was left
for all those claiming the privilege
OF American citizenship when. after
infinite forbearance, the President de-