The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-03-19

character as it exists today-a mon
strOus semi barbaric creation grown
out Of years OF uninterrupted sway
OF German imperialism-was drawn
for the hundreds of war workers who
attended the great patriotic confer
ence in Bismarck on FEBRUARY 25 and
rs by DR.. Joseph G. Grew, counsellor
to United States embassies.
For nine years as secretary to Am
bassador Gerard, DR.. Grew lived in
Berlin, in the very thick Of the Hun
intrigue. He learned to know these
people from public and private con
tact as probably no other American
knows them; he brought to the study
of German character a mind trained
In research, prepared to retain vivid
impressions, and this is what he
found:
DR.. Grew opened his address by
leading up to the present worlds war.
"Do you know why we are in this
war? Do you know why we are fight
Ing Germany, what kind Of an enemy
we are fighting against, what will hap
pen if we don't win? These are pref
ty serious questions nowadays and
every man and woman in this coun.
try is perfectly justified in asking
them and is entitled to get a perfect.
ly clear and reasonable answer in re.
turn. We are all Of us making sacri-
fees on account Of this war and we
are undoubtedly going to be called up
on to make greater sacrifices still,
perhaps even to the extent of the lives
Of those who are dear to you and
me. We can't expect to make those
sacrifices gladly and proudly unless
we know why they are necessary and
unless we understand the reason very
clearly and are convinced very defin-
itely of their purpose.
"The German empire has been
brought before the bar of civilization.
She was not brought before the bar
OF European politics or we would have
had no business to interfere and we
would not have interfered. But she
was brought before the bar of civiliza-
ton, justice, righteousness, truth and
humanity, and she has furthermore
repeatedly and increasingly interior
red with the lawful and peaceful pur-
suits of our own people. That is our
business. 1t Is the business Of every
single man and woman in our cOun-
try She was charged with many spe.
cific crimes, but what concerned us
most was the crime against the Unit
ed States and the great collective
crime against that very civilization Of
which have spoken. The govern
ment and people of the United States
have adjudged her guilty Of those
crimes and have drawn the sword, not
to punish but to restrain-to restrain
her from developing the potentially
for crme in future. What is this pc.
tentiality? Doesn't it lie in the char
acter Of the German himself, the Ger
man who represen the military caste
the cold hearted, thinlipped, overbear-
ing Prussian officer and Junker; the
German who represents the rude,
pompous, intolerant middle-class Off.
cial; the German who represents all
that Is harsh and brutal and cruel in
that country?
SVSIsH"SblCdV 0SUIVtVSVts
Referring to Berlin's attitude to-
ward America, DR.. Grew said:
There was no use in trying to COM
bat this anti.American sentiment, ex.
cept in so far as we could show our
country's attitude in the course Of
personal conversation, which always
ended in deadlock. The German
embassy in Washington had been in
a position to conduct press cam
paign throughout the United States
with what eventual result is known
to you. The American embassy in
Berlin was relieved of the necessity
of even considering the advisability
of such procedure, for the German
press is carefully controlled and muz-
zled by the government, and if the
government was deliberately filling
the press with anti-American material,
it was unlikely that it would permit
1t at the same time to publish pro-
American copy issuing from the Amer.
lean embassy. The people of Ger.
many believe what the government
wants them to believe. no more, no
.
ludicrous than the complete vote
fact of the German press a year ago
last spring, when we delivered our
ultimatum after the Sussex disaster
and the German government decided
to accept our terms. One day the
German press had been venting all its
fury upon US for putting a spoke IN
their wheel and handicappn5 their
submarine warfare; the most sourril-
Gus terms were being use! against
the president, the government and the
people of the United States. The
next day, when Germany had given in,
the whole press was saying: Well,
after all, we want to play the game
fair. Perhaps our submarine policy
was little rough after all.
Il was speaking about the increas.
ing hostility in Germany towards Am.
erica and the Americans. During the
first year Of the war my wife offered
her services to the German Red Cross
to serve tea and cigarettes to wounded
German soldiers at a sO-caled after
noon Kriegsheim. She had been there
but short time when German won.
an, also volunteer, remarked to
group of soldiers. in a voice which
was clearly intended to be overheard
Aren't you ashamed to- accept food
and drink from the hands Of hated
American? Naturally my wife was
unable to continue this humane and
neutral service Shortly before we
left Germany. plaY was running in