The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-06-20
GERMAN GIVES
PATRIOTIC TALK
Member OF Noble Family
Says Common People Of
Germany Are Enslaved

The note of, loyalty was struck at
the very opening of the summer
session Of the Moorhead state nor
NAL school, in the address given at
the chapel exercises this morning
by Dr.. Fritz Osten- Sacken. The
audience Of nearly 500 normal school
students and teachers, and a num-
Der of local business men, inter
rupted with repea ted applause. This
address Constitutes one of the most
significant events thus far in the
efforts Of the normal school authori-
tiles to give the students the fullest
and most accurate information
about the world crisis which 1t is
possible to obtain
DR.. Osten- Sacken speaks with
complete knowledge of his subject,
giving the weight Of authority to
what he has to say. He was the
son Of a noble family in Germany,
educated at Heidelburg university,
and later an officer in the Prussian
army. He came to this country at
the age of 90 years, unable to endure
the aristocratic and military system
Of his fatb2rland. He has lived in
America for 33 years, and saws that
he owes all that he is to America,
to which no is giving his four sons
and his own services, in the time OF
need.
German, Families Not Considered.
one Of the most interesting por-
tons OF his address was that in
which he showed the complete Diff
ference between the selective service
system as 1t is in force in this coun-
try, and Prussian CONSUMPTION. In
Germany no consideration Is given
to the claims of dependent family,
nor to industrial ability. The same
total absence Of consideration for
the individual extends to the milf
tary discipline, which is totally Diff
ferent from the American ideal. In
Germany the whole aim of the mill
tary routine is to grind out the in
dividuality Of the soldier and make a,
mere machine OF him, so that after
leaving army life he will be unable
to think for himself and will follow
DHndiy the dictates of his masters.
american discipline makes men, not
machines; and, DR.. Osten- Sacken
says, it makes better soldiers as
we'll.
Civil Governments Compared.
From his careful study Of civil
government both here and in Ger
many, DR.. n-Sacken was able to |
explode the widespread fallacy that
the German nation has representa-
tive government The Reichstag, it's |
so-called representative body. is in |
his words an infamous joke. Mem |
oers OF the Reichstag are elected by |
vote, but the voting is done in |
groups, so that in his home district,
the votes Of less than 400 aristocrats |
and men OF wealth controlled the |
votes Of over $4,000 OF the common !
people. All legislation is really con- |
:rolled by the. Bundesrat, a body Of |
81 members, all appointed by. the |
Sa!ser and his underlings. If the |
Relchstag does not do what the
Kaiser wishes, it is dissolved: this |
vas done seven times in succession |
when Bismarck was in power.
Masters Must Be Punished,
Most notable in DIR. Osten- Sack
ans address was the spirit of toler-
ance and sympathy which he ex-
1lbited9 for the enslaved common
people of Germany Not the people
out their masters, he says, are guilty
md must be punished. The kaiser
must be brought to his knees to beg
or mercy, not from America. but
rom the people of his own country.
Thom he has so foully wronged. DR.,
Osten- Sacken's address closed with
splendid vision of a free German
itate, worthy to stand as q member
# a world confederation of denoc-
acy, which our nation will have
made possible and in which all free
peoples Of the earth can join.
~