The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-01-31

worthy or their words as we had understood then
Against our will we have been dlsillusioned.
into war. we have had war thrust upon us. A cha
over which we have had no control has brought
home to the Americans, anxious to maintain their
faith In Germany. the conviction that Americas
sovereignty was being outraged, Its people killed,
Its inner peace deliberately attacked, and its insti-
futons, founded In sacrifice and offered to the
world. not only despised but in danger of destruc-
ton.
Germany has forced America, as it has forced
almost the entire world, to defend itself by arms.
Nobody but those suffering from myopic ideallsm
sympathies can see anything else. Some of us
have suffered when the scales have fallen-cut
away by facts. At last we see clearly. We have
not been drawn into the war by capitalism, or by
commercialism, or by national policy. For months
we have been living in a state OF war, deliberately
planned by a nation whose leaders for ten years
have been preparing some day to fight America
and who have counted our good nature as cow
ardices our appropriateness as a lack Of national
self-respect.
Here are the facts: y
We are fighting this war. In the first place, be-
cause Germany made war upon us.
For years she has sought TO hrild mn In Amer
lea a community more loyal to herself than to the
United States. Money has been lavishly spent In
lGermanistic societies, alliances, and associations
to win the admiration and loyalty of American
citizens. Our universities have been battered,
our professors have been honored for this rea-.
son. Praise Of the kaiser has been inserted even
In the spelling books Of our public school system.
Spies have been everywhere.
When the war came In 1914 German officials,
many Of them In high diplomatic positions, treat
ed The United States, a neutral nation. as IL 1t
were an enemy. Pro-German publications were
founded and subsidized. strikes were organized,
manufacturing plants were blown up, plots
against nations With whom we had treaty rela-
tons were formed within our borders. bombs
were placed ON ships In orr ports, Hatred of
America was systematically disseminated through
Germany and efforts were made to involve us in
trouble with Japan and Mexico.
In reply to our repeated protests against these
and other acts Of Germany, to be mentioned pres
emily, We have received promises and sxpiana-
lions which were little less than insults. The
treaty that had existed almost the entire life Of
the American republic was set at naught and
efforts were made to coerce us into favorable
notifications of Its terms.
The right Of trade with bciHgerents, which Ger
many had always claimed. even to the benefit Of
our enemy In the war with Spain. and which at
Germany's own insistence Is universally recog-
mixed in international law. was treated as the
violation OF our neutrality and alliance with her
enemies And, finally, the proclamation of unre-
stricted destruction of neutral ships upon the
high seas was a notification to the United States
that It was no longer a sovereign people. but
that If it would sail the seas in safety 1t must
conform to conditions set by a power that deied
international law. humanity, and elemental NOR
atty.
In the second place we are defending ourselves
against Germany because the German state has
entered upon a program which means the destruc-
ton of democratic Institutions.
The Prussianixation of Germany means that the
policy OF Prussia to carry on economic and POI
llitical expansion by war L. to be. extended
lfhroughout the entire world.
We recognize that there were once, and we
dare believe even now that there are, two Ger
imanys, one liberal and the other an autocracy,
based on militarism. The struggle between these
two forces since 1915 has been a. steady ~subjuga-,
mon Of liberalism In Prussia and the other Ger
man states to the will Of a Prussian feudal mo-
sbility. Representative and responsible govern
ment In any true sense Of the word has been
fought by Prussian leaders relentlessly. Edaca-
don has been made a creature Of autocracy and a
source Of International hatred.
The same fate has met every land Prussianism
lhas touched. Austria was beaten into submission
hi 180& ana all the other German states were
shade practically subject to the WIN of the Hohen-
aollerns between that date and 1870. France was
jrobhed and humlliated. The Balkan states were
ikept III perennial war IN the interests OF German
lexpansion. Bohemia and Poland have been treat
ia With the samo adloregard Of popular rights a.
~ besn AluaceLofr5ine Turkey became 4 vas
~ Kaiser. a great mnitaristic. anti
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