Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1918-08-09
WOULD KINDLE FIRE OF
DEMOCRACY in GERMANY
Purposes of the Friends of German
Democracy" Outlined in Address
by Secretary

DIR. VIM. E. Bohn of New York,
secretary of the Friends of German
Democracy" has been making adj
dresses in Nebraska, and explaining
the purposes of that organization.
DIR. Bohn is teacher in English
in New York College and was
brought to Nebraska under auspices
of the State Council of Defense to
speak in the interest of unity and
determination in the war against
Germany. He is secretary of an or
ganization known as Friends of Ger
man Democracy, a nationwide So
ciety of Americans of German birth
or lineage, banded together for the
purpose of propaganda for dem
acratic government in Germany.
Mr.. Bohn's address is thus out
lined in recent issue of the Wayne,
Nebraska, Herald
Mr. Bohn's purpose in coming to
Wayne, he said, was to urge the or
ganization Of local men and women
of German stock and affiliate them with
citizens in America that they may all
unite in shouting across the sea to the
German people the fact that Americans
are not fighting to destroy the German
people or their country, but are only
fighting to wipe out the wicked imper-
ial government of Germany 'Pres1-
dent Wilson said DR.. Bohn says we are
not fighting the German people, but the
German people have not believed him,
because they have heard so much OIL
jingoism. But President Wilson speaks
the truth Americans are not at war
with the German people. We are at war
with the German autocracy We can't
live in the same country or in the same
world with that autocracy. The Amerl-
lean people believe the German people
are good and that they can be made
what they once were. There are many
persons in Germany who do not favor
the German autocracy. If 100000 of US
in this country would shout across the
sea to them that if they will establish
a good government Of by and Tor the
people, wei will receive them into the
brotherhood of man it will have Won
derful effect. If we speak across the
sea it will start a backfireN behind the
kaiser's army. If the German people
will erect proper government selected
by the people and responsive to the peo-
Pile, then we can sign treaties with them
and this will be the last great war in
the history of the world"
KAISER MISCALCULATES
I'm the opening of his address DR..
BONN said that the German people VINO
emigrated to America came in three
great waves stretching over space OF
200 years, the first group in the seven
teenth century, coming to lind religious
i,n1 a
the failure of the German revolution,
to find political freedom; and the third,
twenty-five years later, coming at the
birth of the new empire and the oppres-
sion of the Catholics and socialists IN
Germany. Why is it, he asked, that
Germany is being denounced every
where today when five years ago we
were all praising German art efficiency,
thrift and other traits? I'll tell you.
It is because the imperial government
of Germany got hold of the people and
transformed them into gigantic brute
force capable Of the most fiendish afro
cities. Emperor Wilhelm, when he
started the war, relied on 100000 Amerl-
cans of German blood to fight against
their adopted land to help him conquer
the world. He was very much mistaken
in his calculations. He had likely not
seen your service flag here and count
less others like it throughout the land.
GERMANY TRANSFORMED
The Germany of today is not the old
Germany our fathers and mothers knew.
It is not. the old Germany of beautiful
home life and individualism. The Ger
man imperial government has completely
it to carry out it's nefarious
plans. This has been accomplished thru
the governments domination of the
schools and the churches and by the
terrible army system that was instituted
by Bismarck Instead Of worshipping
God in their churches, the people of Ger
many have been taught to worship the
kaiser. Instead of being taught to think
in the schools the children are taught
to obey the kaiser and regard him as
the greatest power in heaven and earth.
In every school in Germany for forty
years worship of the kaiser has been
taught, and in every church worship OF
the Kaiser is continually preached
WHERE PEOPLE ERRED
DR. Bohn traced the spread Of de-
in Europe, starting in Eng
land when Charles was beheaded, next
striking France, when the head of Louis
XVI was rolled in the dust, and then
reaching Germany in 184S when the peo-
pie revolted against autocratic rule. But
unlike the revolution in France and
England, the revolution IN Germany
failed. This was due to the fact that
there was no united German empire.
The revolution was in groups and spots
and each group was crushed before
there was time OF occasion for gen.
eral revolt. Prussia was responsible for
the defeat of this fight for freedom just
as it is responsible today for the world
war. The Prussian lords were supreme
because the pop1e Of Prussia being
farthest from seaports and river towns
were living in darkness and lacked the
to resist their masters, said
the speaker. There was just one time
when the revolution could have sue
ceeded, It was when the revo1utionists
marched down the. streets of Berlin
toward the emperor's palace and were
shot down by the imperial troops. Carry
ing the bodies Of their dead comrades
in their arms the revolutionists marched
to the palace. The emperor appeared in
/. 5oorxuov Of fhn na1acn and the crowd