The Bismarck tribune., 1918-09-19
MARCH IL.


man may be working to uplift, while another may
be pulling down. One may be fighting the HUNS
in the trences "over there" and another may be
fighting for German in the United States. Both
may be Americans That one "over there" we
know is American the other says he is
That other is P. p Claxton, United States COM
missioner of education. ">.
Last March, early in the month, the German
kaiser was boasting of what he would do to the
British, French and ''that miserable handful of
Americans" in France. He was preparing for the
big German offensive, the one he thought would
drive the British back to the channel and carry
the HUN standard into Paris.
All the civilized democratic, human people Of
the world were facing that problem of the German
offensive. r. -" -, .ss-s %.?e.
No, not all! P P Claxton, U. S. commissioner
of education, was nlobzing himself and prepar-
ing for HIS drive to put the German language
back into American public schools. ."''@
On the twelfth of March he wrote a letter to the
president of the South Dakota University urging
the restoring of German in american schools and
colleges and protesting against any further elm
ination of German from American high schools.
On the twelfth of March American soldiers were
being killed beneath German bayonets, and Amer
Jean soldiers were dying in the hell of shrapnel
and shell from German guns. rs......., .:.irg
On the twelfth of March Claxton was pointing
out the richness of German literature, and pointA
ing verbal medals on Lessing, Goethe, Schiller and
the whole brigade of German writer's.
On the twelfth of March the U. S. War Depart
ment gives out this statement: "The Americans
east of Luneville again raid the German positions.
Going far beyond their objective they engage in
hand-to-hand fighting, using their automatic
pistols and rifles" -
On the twelfth of March Caxton wrote: Ger
many may even yet become one of the leading
nations for the preservation of the peace of the
world" ,s hns vus,i44 y 4
@ On the twelfth OetMarch London reports that
HUN airships attacked the Yorkshire coats, and
killed women, children and non-combatant men,
destroying dozens of homes. Paris reports, an at
tack by German airfeets in which 81 persons
we're killed and 70 injured, mostly women and
children. s.
On the twelfth of March Claxton, U. S. COM
missioner of education, was writing letter prais-
ing German culture, German language, German
literature and talking of the "kinship" between
the German language and the English.
On the twelfth of March, Baker, U. S. secretary
of war, was driven into cellar by German air.
planes over Paris. ~,
On the twelfth Of March Claxton urged that we
prepare ourselves to talk German to Germans who
come to this. country and, refuse, or neglect, to
learn English.
On the twelfth of March the U. S. War Depart
ment announced that 100000 of our best and brav-
est boys would be called during the second draft.
That's what happened on the twelfth of March,
1918!
Claxtop still is on the job. He still is opposing
the elimination of German from our schools. He
still is leading his drive to stick the noses
Of our schoochildren deep into the litera-
ture, language and culture of Germany. He calls
the opposition of millions of American parents
and children to German in schools "a form Of
emotional hysteria."
SHALL CLAYTON GO?
Uncle Sam is launching ship day, If this
continues, we may soon see traffic cops on the
ocean.
. = y 81