Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-02-26
TREASON AND SEDITION
Being Stirred Up by PrO-German
Propaganda Agents in This Com
munity Under Guise of Plea for
Harmony
Communicated

Communicated
In the Pilot of last week was a COM
munication signed yours For An
United People" This was followed
in the Record of a later date by an
other communication entitled 10y
atty, Plus Harmony" and signed by
Zone Who Is Not A Socialist
There have been other communica-
tons since. the election, some of them
with the ring of loyalty and some the
vaporings of poetic statesmen, whose
efforts to face both ways at one and
the same time are more amusing than
dangerous, and which should not be
dignified with a reply, but the two
articles to which | have specifically
called attention are worthy of more
than a passing glance.
The spirit that breathes through
them is seditious and disloyal. They
are evidently part of that pro-Ger-
man propaganda which is now being
carried on throughout this county,
and their evident intent is to stir up
racial animosity and further the i'm
preston among those of German birth
and German descent that people of
this blood are being unjustly dis
eliminated against here, Disseminated
against because of their place of birth
or ancestry.
This is a continuation of the cam
paign of falsehood conducted by in
nuendo and by men who know better,
by men who are still subjects of the
kaiser at heart, but too cowardly to
come out in the open and speak the
things which are in their hearts.
The Bernsdorf agent who signed
himself yours For An United People
in the Pilot article, should have signed
yours For An United German Pe6-
pie" To prove this l would like to
call your attention to a few extracts
from this remarkable document for
harmony CD, as follows:
Let us go back to the primary
What was the campaign there? "Was
it against the socialist candidate? No.
Then why inject the loyalty question?
was it not rather against the two
candidates with German names?
The inference was made that any can
didate with German name could not
possibly be a loyal American citizen
Too many men and women
| carry with them the thought that no
man with a German name can possibly
be loyal to this, his country"
| challenge as deliberate untruths
and as libel against the American
| people every statement in the forego-
ing, and | challenge the writer to come
out boldly over his own name and
cite specific incidents that will war
rant his assertions.
| specifically challenge him to pro-
duce single editorial from any paper
| published in this city, in the English
language, any advertisement published
| during the primary or any other cam
| paign, that will even remotely justify
| him for his SANDER on the American
people. | challenge him to produce a
| single individual who has been dis
eliminated against because of his
place of birth or ancestry. Some men
| of German birth and name, he admits
| have not been right, are not right.
| Hundreds of them are and they have
not been Disseminated against and
| their loyalty has never been ques-
| toned, nor their patriotism and their
| devotion to this country and it's insti-
| buttons. They have taken part in
| every movement for the support of
| Germans, nor commandments but
as American citizens, with no divided
| fealty.
Under the mask of protesting
against distinction upon racial lines,
| the only evident intent OF the article
alluded to was to stir up the very
things it pretended to denouncc
If the writer was sincere, if it was
not his intention to spread the seeds
of sedition, of hatred against Ameri-
cans and things American, he would
by his example and by word endeavor
to spread the truth, and not endeavcr
to mislead by stirring up prejudice.
Each man must be judged by him
self. Loyalty and disloyalty are char
acteristics of the individual. If the
advocate of yours For An United
People" is under suspicion, there is
strong probability that there was
| reason for, it, and this assumption is
furthered by the mask he has chosen
to hide his identity. Men who are
right do not have to be ashamed, do
not have to apologize, do not have to
hide behind a nom de plume, to re-
ceive some measure of credence in
communities where they are known.
Consciously or unconsciouSly the
writer's of these articles are agents
sowing the seeds of sedition, endeav-
oring to breed unrest, disloyalty and
treason, to build up in the commun-
ity solid German phalanx in opposi-
ton to the U. S. Government, to create
racial hatred and discord, to play up
on the prejudices of the less discern
ing of those of German blood and an
cestry for the purpose of building up
a political following to be used not
for the best interests of the country.
These writer's are dangerous and
should be punished
ERNEST A. DUNN.