Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-17
WILL WE FORGET?

n
wv ner in which Germany has
betrayed the trust of human
ity and shortly after the war is over
resume our former trade relations
with the German people?
The answer depends to some de-
gree upon the way the war ends.
If the allies are compelled to beat
the German armies into submission
at terrible sacrifice of men and
treasure, then there can be no
thought of mercy for Germany in
the hearts of the present generation,
'at least. IT,. on the other hand. the
German people arise and overthrow
their war lords and establish a de-
mocracy, our pledge is to meet them
halfway, in which case trade rela-
tions cannot easily be withheld, al
though doubtless there will be mil
lions of people who will hesitate
ever again to use German goods.
The American Guardian Society
takes the former view of it. 1t be-
lieves that safeguards must be rails
ed now to protect the American peo-
pie in the future against German
aggression and its thousands of
members pledge themselves to boy
colt German goods for a period of
twenty-five years. There are many
who will agree with the society in
its explanation as to why we
should boycott Germany" that Our
boycott of Germany is not founded
merely upon a desire to punish
Germany for her countless crimes.
but it is based. by calm and deliber-
ate judgment, upon these three log
ical and inexorable conclusions from
Germany's war:
l. The abhorrence of all things
German, and the responsiveness at
taching to things made by blood
stained German hands, of stolen
materials, with stolen machinery
and by slave labor.
2. fixed determination to turn
no more wealth into German
hands, for use in promoting an
other world war. The payment of
indemnities by Germany after the
war is Germany's business, not
ours!
8. Finally. a twenty-fve-year
boycott is necessary because we
now know % that the Germans
alive at the close of the war
never will reform and set up
clean and honest government, and
(2) that it will take a generation
that nation from the military
mad-dogism that prevails every
where throughout the Hun En-
pire to-day.
But the society does not go far
enough. A mere boycott pledge is
inadequate. If we are to preserve
the country from a renewal of the
food of German-made goods such
as we had before the war we must
prepare to protect American busi-
nessmen and American workmen
from unfair competition with the
poorly-paid mechanics of Germany
who will be hungry for jobs at any
price after the war. If we are to
keep up American wages to the
present high level, as both employ
ers and employees desire. the only
way to proceed is to bar cheap Ger
man products by tariff wall that
will keep them where they belong.
1t is all very well to promise boy
colts and reprisals by declinations
to trade, but when by reason of COM
petition of this kind, business at
home begins to fall off and wages to
recede. low prices will have the call
and Germany will begin to sell goods
in large quantities in America. There
is only one sure cure for the evil,
which is to make it improbable for
Germany to attempt to market prod
ucts in the United States in compe-
tition with American-made products.
A Republican Congress and a Re-
publican President could be depend
ed upon to look after that.