Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-07-30
WHY WE ARE AT WAR.
BY George AIDE.

Hazelden Farm, Brook. Ind, July 20.
If you had approached the average
citizen of the United States in June,
1914 and had asked how his sympa-
thies lay as to the commercial warfare
going on between Great Britain and
Germany, the chances are that he
would have shown a GOLD indifference
and an utter lack OF partisanship. AS
between Great Britain, recorded in all
school-books as our hereditary foe,
and Germany. a country that sent US
many of our most amiable, industrious
and useful citizens, the chances are
that he might have expressed good
natured desire to have Germany get
tae upper hand in the markets Of the
world.
Only five years ago the prosperous
Americans who made frequent voyages
to Europe or the West Indies showed
a marked preference for the Hamburg
American or the North German Lloyd
You would find on one of those German
boats an almost fraternal relationship
between the officers and the first class
ship in the West Indies few years ago
l
celebrated the kaiser's birthday and
sent him a long cablegram of con-
CALCULATIONS and good wishes.
Our students Of music and art, our
families seeking the placidity of an
old-world atmosphere, our young doc
tors and surgeons, have focked to Ber
lin and Vienna and Munich and ORES
den. have adjusted themselves easily
and comfortably to the German manner
Of living and have come home with a
sincere affection for German friends.
OF all languages other than English
German has been favored in our public
schools. The accepted governess for a
child Of wealth has been a fraulein.
When England subjugated the Beers
our sympathies ran with the Beers
attho the war was between an Eng
lish speaking people and race relat-
ed to the continental Teutons and we
got all of our war news from British
sources.
We have had two great waves Of i'm
migration from Germany. We have
fraternized with the Germans, emu
lating their glorious examples as tc
foaming beverages and FrankfIrte,
sausages, but we have always SHE'D al
an Englishman fresh from his own
shores.
What 7 am trying to lead up to is
this rational conclusion: that in the
closing days of July. 1914. there was in
this country no deepseated racia
prejudice in favor of the Anglo-Saxor
as against q resident of the German
Empire.
Only few alarmists and extremists
ever suggested that we Were in danger
Of a German invasion and the man who
wanted to talk about the coming Euro.
pean war couldn't And any one to talk
to. Why, David Starr Jordan hat
demonstrated by higher mathematics
and biological research that such a
calamity as general European wal
was an absolute impossibility and tina
it was criminal folly for us to built
up an army and navy with money thai
might be devoted to the Strengthening
of each congressman In his own dis.
trict. DR.. Jordan is still running
around. trying to collect the fragments
Of his busted theories. He Is our bes,
authority on fishes and he proves i
every time he talks about war
All the soothing assurances OF the
peace lovers have come to naugnt
This time the cry OF Wolf" was moi
false alarm. The unbelievable thing
has happened. We are at war with oul
friends of yesterday We have marked
as an enemy every man who gives I'M
divided allegiance to the kaiser be.
cause we know that the kaiser would
II he could, do to us ten times ovel
what he did to unoffending Belgium.
In Germany it is commonly believed
that the pTo ally sentiment 0voT
Is poisonous product, encouraged
and fostered by British faleehoods.
Is there any measure OF truth II
their belief that we have been mislet
and hoodwinked by Britain? Now thai
we are In the war, can any man con-
vince himself that we might have KEEP
out OF it? Should we have refused t.
sell munitions to the allies? Could w