The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1918-06-06
Why We Fight
se. No. 4
Because Germany for Years Has
Been Making Secret, Preacher.
QUE War on Us
BY CLARENCE L. SPEED
Secretary of the War Committee OF the
Union League Club of Chicago.

Secretary or the war Commttee OF tno
/ Union League Club of Chicago.
One OF the deep, underlying reasons
not Just a 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, treacherously
and persistently. She has sought to
create race discord, to corrupt and de-
f1le politicians and of1iceholders, and
to create separate German communi-
ties within our borders. She has pol
Isoned 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-
Etomed 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 1t was
la German fleet which stripped for ac-
ttion when Dewey sailed into Manila
bay. We all knew it was the Germans
who sought to bring about a European
balance against us when we were en-
gagged In the war with Spain. Few OF
tus RELAXED, however, that all these
years Germany has been busy within
our own borders, through editors,
teachers and preachers, seeking to
Ibreak down our national unity, so that
when the time came it would be easy
ito defeat the United States in open
warfare, to set at naught our cherish
ed Monroe doctrine, and to seize, In
the Western hemisphere, anything
THAT the land grabbing rulers Of the
EGerman empire might desire.
I The climax OF Germany's under
Handed war on the United States came
fin 1913, more than year before the
Eoutbreak of hostilities in Europe. This
was the enactment of what Is known
as the Delbruck law, which provides
that lie an emigrant from Germany
who is about to be naturalized makes
Eapplication to q German consul, ht
may retain his German citizenship
feven after he has become citizen OF
his adopted country.
I In plain words, this law, and the ap
plication Of 1t, mean just this:
+ A German goes into court In thii
country and solemnly foreswears al
legiance to the kaiser and pledges
his word-the temptation was to say
"of honor''-that he will become 10y
+ al citizen of the United States. TheI
The slips round to the German consu
and says:
"You know I didn't mean that, a
all. Those Americans are easy marks
and they fell for that stuff right on
But you just put me down on your lis
as good, loyal German, and Ii thu
time ever comes when can prove II
you can count on me-"
So the German consul puts his name
down In the little card index of which
THE Germans are so fond, and THU
sman.-this creature who swears al
Elegience to the country which give:
him an opportunity to make real HV
ing and to become somebody In thi'
world, and at the same time sWear'
Fsecretly to be true to Germany
turned loose to work his viii, while
Americans go carelessly about fneil
business and refuse to see the danger
in the arrangement.
! Long before the passage or the Del
bruck law, there was formed the We
rein fur das Deutschtum Inn Ausland-
the Union for Germanism In Foreign
Lands. This organization, officiall,
fostered In Germany, issued quarter
| " magazine, which, In its very first ID
Esue, outlined it's aims as follows:
/ 'sThe purpose OF this union is thu
preservation and promotion OF the
IGermanism Of over 100000 people
of German blood dwelling outside the
German empire" All it aims to do
you see, is to keep Germans who come
to this country from becoming Ameri'
cans.
Away back In 1890 the Alldeutschel
lVerband, or the Pan-German league
was formed. It now consists or 16c
schapters of which two now areor al
least were Immediately before the war
lin the United States, one In New
York and one In San Francisco. TO
quote from the Alldeutsche Blatter, Its
OFFICIAL publication. @the Pan-German
league L founded for promoRng Ger.
~