Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1917-03-26
LET US DEFEND ALL OUR

A few days ago the Now York
American urged the President to
send armed merchant ships out TO
break through the British blockade
Of Germany and the neutral~coun-
tries Of Northern Europe as well as
through the German blockade OF
England, France and italy. There
are other newspapers who are ad-
yocating the same thing The Akron
Beacon journal for instance says:
The Beacon Journal holds no brief
for either Of the belligorent parties.
1t does however for the American
people. We want no war with any
country in the world, but we would
not make fish of one and fowl of an
other We would say to Germany
and we would say TO England and to
every other country in the world
that our rights must be respected;
and il that warning did not secure
those rights without any further ar
gument or parleying we would use
all the force necessary to teach the
world that this great republic will
brook no insults, will accept no in
justice from any nation or earth.
But we do protest against the miser-
able attitude we have assumed OF
weakly protesting against the in
vasion of our rights when committed
by one combination of countries and
clustering around about humanity
and shouting for war when the same
a 0f ra t1,ff 1I lArta IA,
try We know of nothing in our past
relations with England that renders
her high handed suppression of our
rights upon the ocean any more
palatable than the wrongs inflicted
by Germany Indeed a German min
istry never appropriated money to
buy tomahawks and scalping knives
for use upon our defenseless women
ana children; nor did the German
government connive as German gold
fitted out privatiers to prey upon our
commerce. Truly it is a pitiable
figure we are cutting in the eyes OF
the world The American people
stand ready to vindicate our rights
against all the world. No amount og
blood and treasure would cause us
to shrink from that task, great and
sorrowful as it might be, but the
great masses Of the American people
are not willing in the name Of vindi-
eating right to become the ally and
the paymaster OF another country
that is almost daily perpetrating
even greater indighities and wrongs
against us. In Gods name If we
must fight let us fight for something.
II we must SO to war let us draw the
sword in cause that is our own.
Let history record that we fought be-
cause Of our wrongs and not that we
fought one wrong because the coun-
try that had perpetrated greater
wrongs upon us to win her battles
for her, needed us to pay her ex-
pcnses and consequently told us TO
fight for our rights when She meant
her own necessities. God grant there
may be no war No one but fool
and the war syndicates want it. But
above all save us from that verdict
of history which would record that
covering before a brute of a nation
that had grievously wronged us we
yet obeyed 1t and not our own will
when 1t commanded us to strike an
other nation bound and beset by half
the world. This is no plea for Ger
many. We are ready TO fight If there
is no other way to defend our rights.
But before we draw the sword tell
the world 1t is drawn not to protect
a part Of our rights but all of them,
that it's edge shall fall upon England
and all other countries who have
outraged our rights as England has
outraged them. Make that the issue
and there viii be no critics OF the
administration, but on the contrary
there will instantly spread over this
country such a wave Of patriotism
as it has never seen before and then
lit will not be necessary to fight
any one. The world never mistakes
the nation that means business.