Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-26
PATRIOTEERING
BY Booth harrington Of The
vigflanteA

yigilanteA
When the German-Americans, as
we cali them. found that our country
was in the war, they erased the
hyphen.i The hyphen is gone forever.
In our country there are only
american citizens" J. quote the above
from q recent article issued by the
"Vigilantes." and I believe the facts
70, be virtually as stated. But Il they
were not, and II the hyphen did ac-
tuaily here and there remain alive,
would no the most sensible policy
treat 1t as dead, and at least assume
1t to he dead. wherever it showed no.
men cannot be goaded into loyalty;
lt!hey only accumulate a.sense of in
jury under; the goad. And it was
never more important than al this
present time that we should avoid in
Justice. to any citizen. Suspicion, ru-
MOI and coincidence Of Circumstance
should %influnece neither our judg-
ments nor our actions; much less
should We vent u passion against
whom we called the 'German-Ameri-
tcan. "
I speak from the standpoint Of one
who bitterly opposed the German
american position On the war prior
to the American entrance, April, 1917.
But the sympathy OF the German
American with the German : cause,
prior to that date, IL rightly &mpre-
hended,. does o imply a sympathy
continuing beyond that date, though
to many minds this is either an inn
possible paradox or a SYMPTOM Of
credulity imposed upon by almost
barefaced hypocrisy. 1t is neither.
The German-American, beholding a
war between Germany and the Allies.
sided with Germany. He had not
been alienated from Germany, as the
rest Of us had been alienated (by the
Revolutionary war; from England.
Helsaw merely a contest between for
eign powers and sided with hat from
which he sprang. But When his own
country came to actual war with Ger
many the German-American found
himself to be an American. Never
theless, it, is hard for him to show his
patriotism when we say to him:
Now, you dirty German-American,
drop your tricks and speak up! Re
peat these words in a loud shout, 7
am an American and I love the flag"
and If you don't shout loud enough
We'll kick you, and maybe We'll kick
You anyhow" Such instruction does
NSS ~ ANAsS Va 0vSA0
Christianlike, either.
Margaret Deland, lately returned
from France, says that over there, not
long ago, a company OF German pris-
oners, just captured, were being sent
back from the front, when they en-
countered an American regiment,
largely from Wisconsin, moving up to
t~he>trenches. Many Of the Wisconsin
troops were of German origin; some
among them, indeed, could hardly
speak English, and the prisoners were
garrulously in their W tongue. They
were even. more astonished at the ma
ture of the comments which these
strange Germans from America made
upon them. In fact, the episode was
unamiable. Oaths in the German
tongue were frequent and intensive.
The German-speaking men of the
Wisconsin regiment cursed the cap
tured German soldiers with an inhos-
the prisoners, who had been passed
in silence by other American regi-
ments, and had received cigarettes
from a battalion of English. Words
like "dummkopf' and "schweinhund''
were employed. with prophetic ex-
pletives; and the general sense of
what the Wisconsin men said to their
German cousins was as follows: you
dash-blanked jackasses and idiots, we
and u fathers left your old Father
land and went four thousand miles
to liye in a better place. Now we
have to come all the way back, four
thousand miles again yet, to slaughter
you, because you haven't got any more
sense than to believe and obey that
old pig-dog of a kaiser! Well send
your kaiser and princes to sheol,
where they can't do any more harm;
and as for you, dunderheads. you
this trouble Of coming over here to
teach you ON sense with our bay
onets!".
The citizens once called German
Americans will work out their own
salvation If we do not make it too
hard for them. What man can show
enthusiasm for anything, when he is
threatened. with punishment if he is
not enthusiastic? Loyalty is a feeling;
it is not a spoken WORD. You cannot
possibly produce a beautiful feeling
in any man by threatening him or
prosecuting him. Let us not threaten
we have evidence. Is it certain evil
depce that a man is loyal il he have
a son in the American army? No.
There were rebels in .'63 who had sons
in the northern armies. Is it certain
evidence that a man is disloyal il he
have q son in the German army? No.
There were loyal Union men in "a who
had sons fighting for the south. !, So
it may be now. There r American
citizens who have relatives in the Ger
man army and other. relatives in the
American army. Here and there is
an American citizen who has one son
in the American army and another
SON in the German army. Let us go
gently with-a fellow citizen who finds
himself in such a position. 1t is a
hard enough one, without the addi-
tional burden of his neighbours sus-
picions. II his conduct be loyal, then
in heavens name let us believe him
loyal.
The finest answer Germany has had
from any sourc is the loyalty of the
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES" to America; and
that var the answer of all most gall
1 ing to Germany. Letsus not punish
them-now. when their boyssare -dy-
ing inGthe American cause-let us not
punish themfo sins that are mot
theirs. Let us not patrioteer at theft
expense. Let us not patrioteer at all,
The war is. too serious for %patrioteer-
ing.
HOW TO PRONOUNCE NAMES
OF PLACES ON BATTLEFRONT.
Savigny ............ .Sah-veen-yee
Sedanl
Sezanfe Say-zan
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