Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1917-08-23
HOW THE WAR CAME
TO AMERICA
BY the Committee on Public In.
formation Created by PnSi-
dent Wilson.
Continued

caught tnlS nation by surprise
! The peoples of Europe had haC
at least some warnings of the
coming storm, but to us such {
blind, savage onslaught on the
ideals of civilization had ap
peared impossible.
The war was incomprehensi
bic. Either side championed
here by millions living among us
who were of European birth
Their contradictory accusations
threw our thoughts into disarray
and in the first chaotic days we
could see no clear issue that eff
fected our national policy. There
was no direct assault on our
rights. 1t seemed at first to
most of us a purely European
dispute, and our minds were not
prepared to take sides in such a
conflict. The Presidents procla-
nation of neutrality was re-
ceived by us as natural and in
evitable. 1t was quickly fol-
lowed by his appeal to 1.-The CT
| tiZenS of the Republjc ~
Every man who really loves
America will act and speak in
the true spirit of neutrality he
said, (which is the spirit of i'm
partially and fairness and
friendliness to all concerned.
IS 1t will be easy to excite
passion and difficult to allay it,
He expressed the fear that our
Nation might become divided in
camps of hostile opinion. Such
divisions among us Is Il - might
seriously stand in the way of the
proper performance of our duty
as the one great nation at peace,
the one people holding itself
ready to play part of impartial
mediation and speak counsels of
peace and accommodation, not as
q partisan, but as a friend
This purpose-the preserva-
ton of strict neutrality in or
der that later we might be of use
in the great task Of mediation
Nominated all the Presidents ear
~ speeches.
I'VE are the mediating Nation
of the world" he declared in an
address on April 20, 1915. 1--WE
are compounded of the nations
of the world; we mediate their
blood, we mediate their tradi-
tons, we mediate their senti-
ments, their tastes, their pas
ions; we are ourselves com
pounded of those things. We
are. therefore. able to understand
them in the compound, not Sc
parately as partisans, but united
~ as knowing and comprehend
ing and embodying them all. 1t
is in that sense that | mean that
America is a mediating Nation"
American neutrality. in those
first months of the. great war,
was beyond any question real.
But the spirit Of neutrality
was not easy to maintain. Public
opinion was deeply stirred by the
German invasion of Belgium and
by reports of atrocities there.
The Royal Belgian Commission
which came in September, 1914.
TO lay their country's cause for
complaint before our National
Government. was received with
sympathy and respect. The Pre-
sident in his reply reserved our
decision in the affair. 1t was
the only course he could take
without an abrupt departure
from our most treasured tradi-
tions of noninterference in Old
World disputes. But the sympa-
thy Of America went out to the
Rclgians in their heroic tragedy
and from every section of our
land money contributions and
clothing poured over to the Com.
mission for Relief in Belgium
which was under the able man,
agemcnt of our fellow country.