Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-06-05
Why We Fight
Because Germany for Years Hes
Been Making Secret, Preacher.
GUS War on 10
BY CLARENCE L. SPEED
Secretary Of the War Committee OF the
Union League Club of Chicago.

tOT SeUGTdIlOu UeTIuduy has DeSu
making war on us. Germany has
made this war not openly, bravely or
humanely, but secretly. treacheroHsly
and persistently. She has sought to
create race discord, 70 corrupt and de-
file politicians and otficeholders. and
to create separate German commune
ties within our borders. She has pol
soned the minds Of children In our
schools In an endeavor to make Ger
mans of them instead Of have them
grow up into loyal American citizens.
She has invaded the sacredness of the
pulpit itself in an endeavor to corrupt
our people through the very leaders
Of morality to whom they are accus-
toned to look for guidance.
These may be startling assertions,
but they are all true. as you shall see
from the documents Of the Germans
themselves. We all knew that 1t was
a German fleet which stripped for ac-
ton when Dewey sailed into Manila
bay. We all knew 1t was the Germans
who sought to bring about European
alliance against us when we were en-
gagged In the war with Spain. Few Of
us RELAXED, however. that all these
years Germany has been busy within
our own borders. through editors,
teachers and preachers, seeking to
break down our national unity, so that
when the time came Ii would be easy
to defeat the United States in open
warfare, to set at naught our cherish.
ed Monroe doctrine, and to seize, in
the Western hemisphere, anything
that the land grabbing rulers Of the
German empire might desire.
The climax of Germany's under.
handed war on the United States came
In 1913 more than year before the
outbreak Of hostilities in Europe. This
was the enactment of what is known
as the Delbruck law. which provides
that If an emigrant from Germany
who is about to be naturaliZed makes
application to German consul. he
may retain his German citizenship
even after he has become a citizen OF
his adopted country.
In plain words, this law. and the ap-
plication of it. mean just this:
A German goes into court In this
country and solemnly foreswears al.
egiance to the kaiser and pledges
MS word-the temptation was to say,
of honor"-that he will become a 10y.
Il citizen of the United States. Then
ne slips around to the German consul
md says:
"You know I didn't mean that, at
Ill. Those Americans are easy marks,
and they fell for that stuff right off,
But you just put me down on your list
rs a good, loyal German. and If the
lime ever comes when I can prove 1t,
gou can count on me-"
So the German consul puts his name
Town in the little card index Of which
he Germans are so fond, and this
nan,-this creature who swears al
egience to the country which gives
him an opportunity to make a real liv.
ng and to become somebody In this
world. and at the same time swears
secretly to be true to Germany-is
urned loose to work his will, while
Americans go carelessly about their
BUSINESS and refuse to see the danger
the arrangement.
Long before the passage of the Del.
,ruck law, there was formed the We
'ein fur das Deutschtum i'm Ausland-
he Union for Germanism in Foreign
lands. This organization, officially
ostered in Germany, issued quarter.
Y magazine, which, in It's very first is
Iue. outlined its aims as follows:
"The purpose of this union Is the
preservation and promotion Of the
1ermanism of over S0000,000 people
If German blood dwelling outside the
German empire" All it aims to do,
rou see, Is to keep Germans who come
o this country from becoming Ameri.
cans. q,s,. $1,000;
Away back in 1890 the Alldeutschet
Verband, or the Pan-German league
vas formed. 1t now consists of 26S
chapters Of which two now are-or at
east were Immediately before the war
in the United States. one In New
York and one in San Francisco. To
quote from the Alldeutsche Batter, its
official publication. 'the Pan-German
league is founded for promoting Ger
man National interests, both in Ger
many and in foreign lands"
few thinking Americans knew
all the time what was comipg-what
must come. But America. as whole,
went along In that carelessness and
indifference with which 1t treats all
things unpleasant. and allowed this
German war on our most sacred insti-
tutions to continue unchecked.
SO Germany stands today, with one
foot on PROSTATE Belgium and the 9TH
er on the neck OF poor deluded Rus
STA; With bayonet planted in the
heart OF Serbia, and the point of its
sword at the throat of Roumania,
while 1t looks out over the vassal
States of Bulgaria and Turkey to In
ola and the Orient And as it stands
thus, it cries to its foes on the west
ern front:
"Kamerad! Why so on with all this
killing? Lets have q peace by nego-
tot