The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-03-02
What Germans Are Told About the u. S. A.

What Germans Are Told About the U. S. A.
Dr. A. N. Davis, an American dentist who
lived in Berlin for fifteen years and numbered
Emperor William among his patients is home. He
gives the first authentic information of Ger
manys attitude toward the United States since
we entered the war.
Germans are told that the United States is
not in earnest about the war. President Wilson's
addresses are interpreted las if the president
were speaking as sort Of detached person whose
interest was the welfare of the world, not with
the idea that they represent the earnest deter
mination of the American people to see the war
through to a successful conclusion
This idea is adroitly is circulated by the Ger
man press If one remembers the complacent
attitude of Germany toward the United States
before the war, the general impression OF her
masses that we obsessed with money
making pursuits that we could not be provoked
into war, and that we were stepped with the
principle of being "too proud to fight it is easy
to see that the German masses today still accept
the mouthings of their press as being truthful
portrayal of our national mind.
Only decisive action on the battlefield will
jolt the German consciousness into believing that
we really are in this war to win and that the
whole strength of the nation is behind our mill
tary establishment.
The German masses still have an unbounded
faith in the war machine which will not grow
weak until the Allies have smashed it. Only
long string of disasters to its fighters, will weak
en- the German morale.
The military strength of the United States
has always been rdiculed by the German war
lords. Today it is factor that is giving them
concern which they are trying to hide from the
people. Our men and munitions are the unknown
equation in the 1918 campaign. The German
people will blindly accept the disparagements
cast upon our army until it, in conjunction with
our associates in arms proves it's potency on the
field of battle.
The attitude of the German masses will not
be changed until we have proved by victory that
we are powerful factor in determining the final
issue.
For that reason, every citizen of this nation,
soldier or civilian, must devote his whole atten-
tion to the great and supremacy important task of
winning the war. We must develop the deter
mination to win, confirm the will to win
That's why food and fuel conservation, the
planting of gardens the buying of thrift and war
stamps, the subscriptions to Liberty Loan bonds
and the support of the Red Cross and the Y. M.
C. A. are important questions. They strengthen
our determination to see this war through to a
glorious finish.
Too many of u.s. alas not imbued with the
idea that each of us personally, individually and
sngly is a. unit upon whose patriotic function
ing depends our success in arms. The principle
of personal responsibility is not uppermost in our
minds. We seem to think that the "other fell
low will do it, and that the number of "other
fellows" who do it, will enable us to shirk our
duty and obligation.
This theory is working havoc with our war
preparations. That's why the federal food ad-
ministrator for instance, had to revise his rec
concentrations, making them more stringent and
rksome. If all Of us were doing our full indi-
vdual share of the work the government would
not be worrying about the outcome.
The failure to take seriously the scope of the |
war and the menace of our enemy accounts for
another alteration Of the American mind. We
toerantly accept the presence of thousands of
aliens who are links in the German secret service
system, according them privileges and liberties
that astound Americans who have returned from
Germany where they have been aliens.
DR.. Davis was surprised to note that German
aliens in this country are enjoying freedom of
wrong idea We on