The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-21

/ time That the conclusion is alb
solutely faliacious doesn't concern
them. They go no further. Evidence
| is discarded They insist that they
know these things couldn't be
true And in fact they know moth
| ing at all about what has happened
| in this war.
| These fathers and neighbors came
| to this country years ago to escape
| the beginnings of the very thing
| which has since swept over Germany
and has involved in its clutches the
whole population. They came here
for freedom and to escape tyranny.
If they had not done so they would
have been in the grasp of the mailed
fist OF the kaiser today. They would
have been lied to by the kaiser CON
corning the origin of the war. as ali
was not attacked, fact of official
record. But the German people were
told Germany was attacked-and q
campaign OF hate was begun. The ef-
feet of this official campaign of hate
must not be neglected when consid-
ering atrocities. This hate made 1t
all the easier, after long years OF
withdrawing training of the Ger.
man army, for the officers, in order
! TO follow the German military lead
ers' theory of carrying terror to the
hearts Of the enemy, to have their
orders for atrocities carried out by
/ the common soldiers. For the soldier
I; il was do or Tie as traitor. Mill.
tary orders are orders to be obeyed.
II the orders commanded that a house
filled with women and children must
be burned down, it was burned.
rightfulness would help to win the
war Quickly-war was war anyway.
No doubt there was many German
soldier who wished his officer were
in the regions of the damned on such
occasions, but the soldier had to
obey. 1t is military theory run mad
that is responsible for the atrocities,
/ and it is absolutely false reasoning
to assume, because some Germans
we know wouldn't do such things,
that the Germans of today, called to
the army after a lifetime of teaching
that all orders must always be obey
ed, would not do such things.
Must the world bow to military
theory which holds that might makes
right, that the end justifies the
means, that there are no rights a
military commander need respect
The United States is one Of the coun-
tries which says such theories shall
not have sway over mankind.
Can the native-born pro-Gernan ex-
pect to go on with his attitude of
mind and his activities merely be-
cause he is natiye-born? With the
progress of the war, whether he will
it or no, there will develop more and
more an intense hatred OF every
thing pertaining to the enemy coun-
tries. Perhaps this ought not to be.
but human nature cannot be changed.
1t will come. AS the lists from the
battlefields grow from few lines to
the full page, as signs OF mourning
for those who die for world liberty
become more noticeable, there is go
ing to develop in America more in.
ltepse feeling and less tolerance. And
when the war is over there will be
| such pronounced views in regard to
I Americanism that only Providence
can save the persistent native-born
PROG erman from the wrath that is
| TO come.
The only thing that any sensible
man, having both his present and his
future interests in mind and having
at heart the welfare of the country
| to which he owes all, can do is 10
t1ine up now while yet there is time,
and come out flat footedly, positive
,ly and clearly for the u. S. A.
Thank God for the ninety and nine
out of every hundred who have done
so: 1t is the one out of many who
must be made to see the light OF lid
erty and freedom.