The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1918-03-08
TEST or AMERicANIsM

N9U Teple6' 10 tuo bSICSuiCS Va SnO
Lawrenceburg Union and the Law
renceburg Democrat on that paper
and The Herald, anent the criticism
made by this paper and the Nashville
paper OF the disloyalty Of the Law
repceburg Union. The Tennessean
editorial puts the case 30 strongly,
covers the ground so we'll and is 70
true to the record that The Herald
adopts II % its own. Every word
that the Tennessean utters is as true
az holy writ. Its editorial breathes
the lofty spirit of true Americanism
and to It this paper can give its un.
qualified approval. +
The Tennessean says:
1.-THE Lawrenceburg Union is quite
indignant because It's un-American
and unpatriotic attitude during the
war has been the subject Of adverse
comment in this paper and In the Co.
lumbia Herald. In its defense the I'm
ION states that the father Of the ed.
itor served CALAMITY in the Union
Army during the Civil War, and that
his son Is now q member Of the United
States army. He attempts to make 1t
appear that our adverse criticism
VAS due to the fact that his ancestors
came from Germany, when as mat
ter Of fact, no reference to the editor
or his ancestors or their birthplace
was made either In the editorial pub
lished In this paper. or in that which
appeared in the Columbia Herald.
"Our criticisms and those contained
Ia the Herald editorial, reproduced in
these columns, were based solely upon
the attitude OF the Union, as shown
in the news and editorial columns.
That 10 where people ordinarily 60 to
find the true attitude Of q newspaper.
IT ~ judged by its utterances, and not
BY the achievements Of the father or
son Of Its editor, The fact that the
father and son of the editor have
served the nation in war makes more
than reprehensible the attitude of the
Lawrenceburg paper. Its utterances
In the issue Immediately preceding
our criticisms we're 80 unpatriotic
that they were called to the attention
OF agents of the United States Gov.
srnmsnt by patriotic Americans who
asked if something could not be done
that would compel that paper to be
more loyal to its country, It is no
defense to refer to past services of
members Of the family. A man is
Judged by what he Is doing now, in
this great crisis of his nation, and
not by what he or some OF his ances-
tors have done in the past.
There was recently committed to
jAil for seditious utterances a man
whose father served the nation in the
Civil War, and whose great grand
father was q soldier of the Revolu-
ton. Not only were their services to
the nation no defense for present dis
loyal utterances Of their descendant,
hnt made his conduct all the more rep.
fehensfble, and this Is the case with
the editor Of the Union. He ought to
be heartily ashamed of his course, and
not try to hide behind those who have
Ia tact been loyal to the Stars and
Stripes. - ,@
%4"Editot Charles r. Crawford. Of the
LlwrAactburt Democrat. comes to the
dsIsnse Of the Union. Editor Craw-
ford always did take himself quite
seriously--A bit more 10 than anyone
else takes him. 1t must be remem.
bered that Editor Crawford has q
very large German constituency, a
fact that was reflected in every ut
tesauice Of his paper from the begin.
hing OF the great war In August, 1917,
to the very hour that the United
States entered the conflict. Never
once did his paper have q word
Of encouragement for the millions Of
brave and devoted French and Brit.
ish who were fighting the battle of
freedom and civilization. The invas.
lon OF Belgium, the ruthless slaughter
and starvation of its heroic defenders,
the wanton destruction of the fairest
portions of France. the sinking of the
Lusitania and the Sussex. the murder
Of hundreds OF defenseless women
and children. citizens of our own ma
ton, brought forth no denunciation or
expression Of horror from Mr.. Craw-
fofd's paper.
Although every issue that is now
involved in this struggle was fully de-
veloped at least by the time the Lust.
tania was murderously sent to the bot
tom, nearly two years before our
country entered the war. Mr.. Craw.
ford's paper was strangely silent. He
was thinking all the time of the large
German population in his own county,