The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-09-11

organization in Indianapolis. when
the war broke out" this middle
Westerner writes, my father was
as good an American as anyone and
often expressed himself that Kaiser
William was crazy. But then d strong
and radical pro-German pastor
began working on him and sent him
German papers, and then my young
est brother, wanting to be good tc
his father, paid for one years sub
scription to The Daily Telegraph Sc
Tribune published in Indianapolis.
That paper finished the work. My
father became a rabid pro- German.
Not one of his sons could talk to him
on the question, we did not care to
quarrel with him and just refrained
from discussing it. The German pa
pers did the work and ] never can
forgive them. When diplomatic
relations were severed, my father
refused to read any papers. per-
sonally have handled the German
question without gloves and have al
ways taken the position that the
great majority of the German Am
erican press is disloyal and is doing
a great harm in this country"
Amelia Josephine Burr, the poet,
writes The Vigilantes that she has
just received a letter from friend
in London which she feels she must
make public without delay. The
writer, an American woman in Eng
land, says:
What annoys me immeasurably is
the attitude of the English people.
They have not really realized yet
what this war is. Complacently they
tell you that of course Germany is
going to be beaten, that she is starv-
ing and that she is whistling to keep
up her courage. My dears, Germany
is not starving and she isn't beaten
and / for one am dreadfully afraid
of her. / know things that brighten
me. We can win the war, but not
with words. Throw your weight
everywhere you can and drive this
home. The war is now in our hands,
in the hands of US Americans. We
can win 1t but 1t must be done in
the air. OF course million of two
millions of men now in the trenches
on our side would have been God
send, but 1t is aeroplanes that we
need more than anything else. First
because IL we supply ten thousand
aeroplanes a month there will be
only between thirty and forty thou
sand men to feed, and when you con-
slider the shortage of food owing to
submarines and transportation, to
look after forty thousand men Is
simpler than to look after a million.
Also IL we can put ten thousand
aeroplanes over the Huns we can
prevent the Huns from bringing
supplies and ammunition to their
army. In addition we can destroy
their factories and their plants.
Moreover, IL we put ten thousand
aeroplanes a month in the field, the
Huns will not dare to come over
here and do damage" (Here means
England, of course.) Il am very
much afraid that they have some-
thing on their minds because the last
aeroplanes that came over here few
very low and very slowly and all
though they were over thirty they
did not drop many bombs. They did
some RECOMMENDING work and the
devil only knows what that work is.
Also / do not feel as confident as /
should like to feel with all those
Germans at home in America. They
may just hinder us enough so that
the Huns may do their deadly work
before we Americans can come in.
/ want you all to realize that the
peril is greater than ever, as Hundom
will strike before America is over
here and ready for action and that
Is why am so angry at the English.
OF course II is good TO feel as conf
dent as they do but they may be a
little too confident"
Doesn't that sound painfully like
ourseives?n asks Miss Burr Il have
been wondering how the censor
happened to pass II. Perhaps IL was
because my friends handwriting is
not easy to read, perhaps because he
was in sympathy with her feelings.
Anyway, here 1T ID, and ! know that
she would be willing for you to use
ii in any way you felt would get
across"