The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1918-06-17
Boycotting the German People
by DIR. FRANK CRANE.
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I am in receipt of an invitation from 'Thc American Guardian So
ciety for the Protection Of Americans and American Industries
- to sign the following pledge;
u am opposed to opening the markets of America to the prod
ucs of Germany for the next twenty five years, and will knowingly
buy and use no German made goods during the said period of time.
II seems to me this is a step in the wrong direction. Our attitude
has always been that we are making war on the German Autocracy
Junkcrdom, Military Machine. or whatever yUu are minded 10 call
the class that has led the Germans into This onslaught, and that we
are really friends of the German masses.
We want 10 do all we can to encourage the German merchants
business, men, farmers, and aborcrs to get the military madness OFF
their backs
OF course the common people of Germany have so far given
hearty support TO their cra2y rulers. They have supplied money aud
men for the army. ~ long as they continuc. to do this they are part
ncrS i'm crime and ac our enemies. and We should fight them from
Boston to Bagdad. But we should always leave the back door open
for them to repent and reform when they see their mistake.
So that if for the words for the next twenty-five years in this
pledge there were substituted some such phrase as follows we could
all sign II, towit:
Until the German people acknowledge the wrong they have
permitted their rulers 10 do to the world and take such action rs viii
convince mankind of the sincerity of their pupo-" To join the family
of nations as decent, l%awabidng members, .
a huge. hidoous crime has been committed II must be- punished
and damages must be- paid. But this crime was quite as much a crime
against the people of Germany themselves as against the people Of
France or England. That Is the idea we want to put over Ia Ger
many. And every statement implying that We want to crush Ger
Germany economically to enrich ourselves. helps 10 keep Jmkrrdom
in power. Il make, the German people look to the Military Arm Of
the Kaiser to save them We want them TO look to MS to save them.
think TINS view is IN line with the best opinion of Allied states
men. Arthur Henderson, the English labor leader. says: Trade
policy after the war must not be founded ON the economic oppression
of the German people Lord Robert Cecil said in the House of Com
mons: 81 am no advocate and DO not believe that any member of
the Government Is AN advocate of what is called an economic war al
ter the war Lloyd George made d similar declaration last january
and President Wilson we'll known phrase is 'No war after the
war
Banker Ratshc>ky of Boston concluded. in a long article in the
New York Times recently. that ~ would Doe a mistake for the Allie,
to plan economic cXtuctiouS after the war
II We play this game right we are going 10 get the enthusiastic
cooperation of the German people after rhc war i'm building up a
league of nations that shall render war forever impossible. And iu
ito this We should keep making b. lear that n is The German rulers
that We are intent on smashing and that for the misguided German
people sc are the best friends "y have in the world.