The Bolivar County Democrat. (Rosedale, Miss.) 1887-1969, 1918-06-01
Why We Fight
Because Germany for Years HsA
Been Making Secret, Tssaehsr.
Que War % Us
BY CLARENCE L. SPEED
Secretary ef the War Committee Of u
Union League Club Of Chicago.

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BY CLARENCE L. SPEED
Secretary q the War Committee Of ~
Union League Club Of Chicago.
One Of the deep. underlying reasons
not Just diplomatic pretext-why
we are at war with Germany is that
for a generation Germany has been
making war on us. Germany has
made this war not openly. bravely or
humanely. but secretly. treacherouslt
and persistently. She has sought to
create race discord, to corrupt and de-
flle politicians and oflceholders, and
to create separate German commtni-
ties within our borders. She has pol
soned the minds Of children In our
schools in an endeavor to make Ger
mans Of them instead Of have them
grow up into loyal American citizens.
She has invaded the sacredness Of the
pulpit itself in an endeavOr to corrupt
our people through the very leaders
of morality to whom they are accus-
toned to look for guidance.
These may be startling assertions.
but they are all true, as you shall See
from the documents Of the Germans
themselves. We all knew that It was
a German fleet which stripped for &C.
ton when Dewey sailed into Manila
bay. We ill knew 1t was the Germans
who sought to bring about q European
alliance against us when we were en-
gagged In the war with Spain. Few Of
us reiaized, however. that all these
years Germany has been busy within
our own borders. through editors,
teachers and preachers. seeking to
break down our national unity. so that
when the time came It would be easy
to defeat the United States In open
waffare, to set at fiaught our cherish
ed Monroe doctrine. and to seize, ID
the Western hemisphere. anything
that the land grabbing rulers Of the
German empire might desire.
The climax Of !Germany's under
handed war on the United States came
in 1918, more than a year before the
outbreak Of hostilities in Europe. Thia
was the enactment Of what IL known
as the Delbruck law. which provides
that If an emigrant from Germany
who is about to be naturalized make4
application to a German consul. he
may retain his German citizenshit
even after he has become q citizen a
his adopted country.
In plain words, this law, and the ar
plication Of it, mean just this: =,
J. A German goes Into court In this
country and solemnly foreswears Il
legiance to the kaiser and pledges
his word-the temptation was to say
l'"of honor"-that he will become 10y
lal citizen of the United States. Their
ne slips around to the German consu
sad says:
!, "You know I didn't mean that, n
i'aM. Those Americans are easy marks
and they fell for that stuff right on
But you Just put me down On your list
/. as good, loyal German. and II tht
time ever comes when can prove it
{, you can count on me-"
4 So the German consul puts his nam(
down in the little card index Of which
the Germans are 30 fond, and thii
man,--this creature who swears al
legience to the country which givef
him an opportunity to make a real liv
ling and to become somebody In thit
world, and at the same time swear
secretly to be true to Germany@a
turned loose to work his will. while
Americans 60 carelessly about thei,
business and refuse to see the danges
In the arrangement.
" Long before the passage OF the Del
bruck law, there was formed the Ve
rein fur das Deutschtum i'm Ausland-
the Union for Germanism In Foreigf
Lands. This organization. officlall,
fostered In Germany, issued quarter
ly magazine, which. in its very first II
sue. outlined its aims as follows:
"The purpose Of this union is tht
preservation and promotion Of the
Germanism Of over 100000 people
Of German blood dwelling outside the
German empire" All 1t aims to do
you see, is to keep Germans who como
TO this country from becoming Ameri'
cans.
Away back In 1890 tie Elideutschet
verband. or the Pan-Gerndan league,
Vas formed. 1t now consists OF 26a
chapters Of which two now are-or at
least were Immediately before the war
lin the United States. one in New
York and one in San Francisco. To
quote from the Alldsutsche Blatter. Its
'oficial publication, "the Pan-German
league is founded for promoting Ger.
man National interests. both In Ger
many and in foreign lands"
A few thinking Americans knew
all the time what was coming-whas
must come. But America. as q WHOLE
went along ih that carelessness and
Indifference with which 1t treats all
things unpleasant, and allowed this
German war on our most sacred inst-
tutions to continue unchecked.
So Germany stands today, with one
foot on PROSTATE Belgium and the 9TH
er on the neck Of poor deluded Rus
sia; with a bayonet planted In tho
heart of Serbia. and the point Of its
sword at the throat OF Roumania.
while It looks out over the vassaf
States Of Bulgaria and Turkey to In.
dia and the Orient. And as It stands
thus, It cries to its foes on the west
ern front:
"Kameradi Why go on with all this
killing7 Lets have a peace BY nego-
tiation7" and, under its breath. adds.
1--WE got all want for the present" +.
Can we talk Of any peace until
such Germany is absolutely defeat
edf Shall we negotiate peace and
alldSu all, these German prepRratiOnA