Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-24

"rASHINGTON, d. c., May 2O.-A few days
w ago, the federal court in New Jersey can
W celed the citizenship papers of a German
who had become naturazed in this country thirty
five years ago. The man had made himself con-
spicuous by his violent pro-German and anti
American assertions, which showed that whatever
citizenship he might claim in theory, his sympa-
thies with the Fatherland. BY this action of
the court it will be possible to remove him to
our enemy alien colony in Georgia, where he can
do no harm.
This is the first case of it's kind to occur in this
country but it is likely to be by the last
Representatives of the United States department OF
justice have been watching thousands of SUCH
doubtful citizens for months, and this action of the
New Jersey court has at last suggested practical
means of dealing with them.
The German-American, distinguished from
the American-German, has been one of our most
serious problems. His possession of natural-
cation papers has prevented his classification an
enemy alien, while, a matter of fact, he may be
much more disloyal than many an unnaturallzed
German. There are unquestionably thousands OF
loyal German-Americans in this country, but our
recent discoveries concerning German methods OF
propaganda have shown that many German
Americans are bitter and dangerous enemies of the
country that has adopted and treated them so we'll
1t is known that the German government con-
sders its subjects subjects forever ignoring any
subsequent allegiance to other countries. Indeed,
under the Delbrueck law, we are told, Germany
upholds the retention of pretended allegiance 10
two countries. And the German government has
made the most of this in it's elaborate machinery
of propaganda which is constantly at Work In Dotn
enemy and neutral countries. That is why Canada
has had to revoke the citizenship of German-Cana-
dams naturalized in Canada during the past fifteen
years, and why the British government has mad 10
keep such close surveillance on Germans VINO mao
become English citizens.
The United States has always been peculiar
ly trusting nation. Until the war, we had small
and modest. secret service. Once an alien was past
Ellis Island, the government lost track of him;
one bothered him asked questions unless he
broke the laws or became applicant for naturali
cation. 1t is doubtful if will ever again attain
such a comfortable state of well-beng for the in
sdious character of the German propaganda is fast
undermining our truStful attit ude.
Recent Investigations have shown that a good
many schools in this country are in the habit of
singing Deutschland Ueber Allies at the close of
each school day; that there nearly five hundred
German schools and church societies in this country
used for the promotion of pan-Germanism, and that
in many places the German language is given pref
erence to English. Last year, for example, one
American city spent approximately $4,000 in
teaching the German language to immigrants
while approximately 500 spent in teaching
them English. The records of another city disclose
expenditure of $4,000 for teaching German,
and nothing for English instruction. The fact that
the German reichstag in 1912 passed appropria-
ton of 1000, 900 marks to establish the German
language in schools in foreign countries may shed
some light upon these comparisons.
In the state registration of women which took
place during the winter and the early spring it was
discovered that German agents had made tour
of many districts, urging not to register for
war service, saying that registration would mean
the Communicating of their food their transfer
to other states countries In many cases this
form of propaganda had the desired effect, but in
pated.
For when they told an Iowa that her
food would be Communicated she accepted the
statement stoically. And when the women of her
local registration committee brought her card to
sign, she asked them if they would mind letting
her know when the government would send for her