New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-07

lle1 tnat the British brought about the
sinking Of the Lusitania through their
own negligence, that the Wilson note
would rob Germany of her chief
weapon, submarine warfare, and that it
was his opinion Germany would not
give up this weapon.
On June "a, 1915, he called the sink
ing of the Lusitania, and thereby the
murder of more than one hundred
Americans, among them women and
children, legitimate act of reprisal.
Again and again he pleaded for Ger
man interests, but not for Americas
unalienable rights and legitimate well
fare.
At the Chicago convention of the
Peace, Weismann, this celebrated neu-
trail, was one of the central figures. AS
chairman of the central committee he
played, next to Jeremiah OLeary,
whose "Bull' was barred from the
mails for lack of loyalty, the most con-
spicuous part. He who hapsodized on
German preparedness and militarism
dared to characterize military pre-
paredness in the United States as a
shame by saying:
Men interested in the sale of arms
backed by powerful press, are MAX
ing systematic and determined efforts
to put America on par with Europe,
an insanity which must ultimately in
sure our entrance into war;"
Calls on Germans
To Help the Kaiser
Weismann challenged, in the winter
Of 1914-15, the Rev. DR.. Newell Dwight
Hills, Of Brooklyn, to a public debate
because the clergyman had condemned
the militarism' in Germany, and openly
stated the motives of his stand at an
exclusively German gathering, the state
| convention Of the German American
Alliance at Buffalo, July and q, 1916.
His report to this convention contains
these paragraphs:
although the preparedness cam
many, the German-Americ afa'N we're o ex-
pected to give immediate and enthusi-
astlc support to the movement. And
woe to him who dared to withhold it,
He was denounced as an undesirable
citizen and Kaiserist" In the same
report he exultantly exclaims:
I'm Europe all events point to a def
mite victory of Germany and her al
lies, due to the wonderful efficiency
and self-sacrifice of the German peo-
are with those who are of one blood
with u.s." And a short while later. on
July 30, 1916, he stated:
1T seems that Germany is victorious
and can we'll do without US, and am
not at all certain that Germany may
not prefer an open enemy to one that
has been as unneutral as our country
In this war, sending armament neces-
sary to continue the struggle"
VI course, Welsmann was perfectly
aware of the fact that Germany herself
at the Hague Convention had prevented
an amendment to the rules Of intcrna
tional law to the effect that neutrals
shall not be allowed to furnish war ma
terials to belligerents, and he knew
that Germany herself always had al
lowed her manufacturers to sell arms
ana ammunition to warning nations,
not only while she herself was at
peace, but even during the first "S yea a.
OF the present war, when she felt GER
tam or victory, just as he <new of the
advertisements carried by nearly every
German language newspaper in this
countrylng urging it's readers to sub
scribe to the German war loans
through the banking firm CT thinner
mann d Gorshay and others.
lie never had one word to say against
the subscription for the German war
loans in neutral America. To the con-
trary, he advocated assistance to the
fatherland. But hardly had it been
announced that the American public
was invited to subscribe to an English
French war loan when he, imitatIno
divine right William, vested himself
With authority to speak for $4,000
German Americans of New York State"
and sent the following protest to Presi
dent Wilson:
Mindful of your admonition for neu-
trallty, as we'll as your frequent insist
encc on Americas mission of humanity.
earnestly urge your disapproval Of
the proposed war loan to the Allies"
The letter was dated October 3, 1915.
But Weismann, as president of thc
German-American Alliance of New
YORK State and its Brooklyn branch,
never harborcd even an idea of enter
ING, politics, still less did he ATTEMPT
such thing. Hear him protest in his
annual report to the alliances state
convention at Buffalo, July 2. 1915:
Tho much mentioned idea of a Ger
man-American political organization in
the present campaign had never entered
our mind" And at the meeting Of tho
Brooklyn Alliance he asserted on Octo.
Der n Of the same year: "The Ger
man-American Alliance is not a polit;-
cal organization and cannot take sidas
IN the campaign"
Called German Vote
Rebuke to Democrats
The same Weismann reported in the
same year to the State Convention Of
the German.American Alliance:
but most clearly was the sentiment
OF the citizens manifested by a marked
decrease OF the Democratic vote in dis.
tricts where the German. american ele-
rncnt was in the majority" This pass
age, designed only for home consump-
ton in the house Of the German I'm
Americans, was not contained in the
English translation OF Wcismann's re-
port printed in the same official min
utes. On page 81 Of the same book
one reads:
HE (Wcismann) expressed the hope
that we will soon be able. to elect mem