The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-03-22
GERMANY HAS BEEN PRUS-
SIANIZED, SAYS NEW
YORK BANKER

There are many people VINO
find it hard to believe the terrible
crimes that are laid at the door OF
the German nation in these days.
We print below a portion of a
speech made by a German born
American, Otto H. Kahn, one of the
prominent fnanciers of the United
States today. Mr.. Kahn addressed
the speech particularly to Ameri-
cans of his own blood, because he
understood how wrong they were in
their beliefs that Germany was in
capable of such acts. We quote his
own words as follows:
"Until the outbreak Of the war in
1914, | maintained close and active
personal and business relations with
Germany. l was well acquainted
with some of the leading personages
of the country. l served in the Ger
man army thirty years ago. l took
an active interest in furthering Ger
man art in America.
"There are some of you, probably,
who will still find it hard to believe
that the Germany you knew can be
guilty of the crimes that make it an
outlaw amongst nations. But do you
know modern Germany? Unless
you have been there within the last
twenty-five years, not once or twice
but at regular intervals; unless you
have looked below the glittering
surface of the marvellous material
progress and achievement and seen
how the soul of Germany was being
eaten away by the virulent poison
of Prussianism; unless you have
watched and followed the appalling
transformation of German mental
ity and morality under the nefari
Gus and puissant influence of the
priesthood of power worship, you
do not know the Germany of this
day and generation.
at is not the Germany of old,
the land of our affectionate remem-
brance. 1t is not the Germany
which men now of middle age or
over knew in their youth. 1t is not
the Germany even, of Bismarck,
man of blood and iron though he
was, who had builded a structure
which, whilst not founded on liber-
ty, yet was capable and gave prom
Use of going down into history as
one of the greatest examples of en-
lightenment and evn autocracy, who
in the contemplative and mellowed
wisdom of his old age, often warned
the nation against the very spirit
from which, alas, came the very
war which that spirit unclaimed.
"The Germany which brought up
on the world the immeasurable dis
aster of this war, and at whose
monstrous deeds and doctrines the
civilized nations of the earth stand
aghast, started into definite being
less than thirty years ago. | can
almost lay my finger upon the date
and circumstances of its i'll omened
advent.
"And finally, there came the day
in which the new course fatally
and inevitably, was bound to cul-
inmate There came the old tempta-
ton, as old as humanity itself. The
tempter took the Prussian and
Prussianized rulers up a high noun
tain and showed them all the riches
and power of the world. Showed
them the great countries and capi-
tails of the earth teeming with
peaceful labor - Brussels, Paris,
London, aye, and New York, and
told them: Look at these! Use
your power ruthlessly and they are
yours And those rulers did not say,
Get thee behind me, Satan but
they said: go ahead, Satan, and we
shall follow thee And follow him
they did, and brought upon the
green earth the red ruin of hell"