Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-02

that 1t would BIO good and beneficial
| ththS tf the people OF our Eastern an,l
Western states could be brought to
Kill one another I'm great numbers and
thus the Union yet be divided. Tho
| Kaiser twice played wantonly and
without the slightest provocatlon on
| the verge Of war with the United
States-ohcc on the coast or Venezuela
and once in Manila Bay. While Ger.
many was IN a state of friendship with
| England, he proposed to Russia that
! Russia and Germany attack England:
| and while Germany was In n state Of
| friendship with the United States he
proposed 10 England that England and
Germany seize Mexico and destroy the
| Monroe doctrine. His agent, thinner
mann. asked Mexico to propose treach-
cry to Japan. that the two together
| might dismember and plumber tho
United States. His diplomatic agent.
| resident In Buenos Aires by courtesy
or the Argentine government. makes
| treacherous use of the Swedish lega-
ton to send word to Germans how to
destroy Argentine ships and leave no
trace" This message. with which we
are familiar mainly through the inn
possible villains" of the ''movies'
and OF old-time dime novels and
| melodramas-"leare no trace" mean
| ing sink the ships and murder every
| soul on board"-this message is not
that OF a stage or movie villain"
Not at nils II Is a German govern
mental message regarding ships belong
Ing to citizens Of a friendly power. and
! Is sent by a German hobleman in the
! German diplomatic service to other
officials Of the German government.
More. II is n characteristic work of tho
| German governmental kind. And It
| is an actual snapshot of the person.
aiity OF The German government.
GERMANY FORCED WAR
ON AMERICAN PEOPLE
! The government of the United States
and the governments OF the world are
/ literally unable to make peace with the
people thus revealed. How can treaties
/ be made with men who not only be-
Iiere In breaking treaties. but also be-
| iieve that killing is glorious if they do
the killing and can retain the prop
erty OF the slain?
The people Of the United States would
| have borne almost anything from Ger
| many II they could have believed that
! the Germans cause was originally a
good one, or that the war was forced
/ upon Germany" But. knowing what
We did. when the Germans, after MUIR
! dering great numbers of our fellow =
citizens and quibblinK for many. many
months about these murders-when
they told us TO keep our ships IN port
| or they would sink them-we found
| that Germany's conduct toward us was
not TO be distinguished from making
war upon us. and we decided that our
citizens should not be KILLED contInu
ously by country which was "at
peace" with us. and we would not take
orders from Germany to remain In port
and away from the high seas. Ger
, many does not make and enforce the
laws Of and for the United States
not without encounterIng some resis. =
hnce from Americans. So we tisobcycd
Germany. and would not paint the com :
manded yellow etripes upon the hulls
W the one ship a week which was TO
be permitted upon the Atlantic Ocean.
We found ourselves in state of war
because the German government, hav-
/ ing forced war upon Europe with the
object Of dominating that continent.
ana subsequently the world. including
tue United States. and havig carried on
! the war with unnecessary cruelty and
me employment OF treachery whenever
! IL considered trcachcry useful, wa
| found ourselves In a state of war ha.
cause the German government was kill
I ing our citizens as a means OF cnforc.
| ING It's Will upon us. That would seem
! to be war-killing us to make US obey
no? American citizens have their
own government and prefer to live
| H'"'' 'hch pNh ia"b. mat Is why we
began to nght
we continue our beginning because
the German government is the same
government that it was a few months
a5o, when we found that il was max
ihg war upon us-and we have no
rhoice but to fight 1t until either It Is
,norohehlF whipped or some better
k'hd ot Gernans-Germans OF rood
sense. good feeling and of an honor
apie reiiabiiity-Sct control of GER
many.
| Peace Will come as soon as they do.