The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-01-21
The German Government
And The German People
(By William English Walling.)

ate and distinct things. The Presi-
dent has lost no opportunity to voice
the American position in this matter.
In all of his addresses since the be-
ginning of the war he has touched
upon this distinction. But he has
only been able to discuss limited
phases of this great and vitality i'm
portaGt subject in each speech; it is
only when we put all of his referen-
ces tG the German people together
that we realize how completely he
has stated the feeling of America.
Let.us snow briefly how the Pres
ident has stated CD the relation of
the German Government to the Ger
man people, (2) the attitude of the
German people toward its Govern
ment tand toward the present war,
go the feeling of the people of the
United States toward the German
people, and t4) the reason why we
are at present engaged in fighting
both the German Government and
the German people.
1. in his message calling for a
declaration of war against Germany,
President Wilson spoke of the Ger
man Governments one that did
what it pleased and told the people
nothing" and further referred to
that government as an ''autocracy
backed by organized force which is
controlled wholly by its will, and not
by the will of it's people"
Since this great address the Presi-
dents references to the character of
the Germ n Government and its at
10 of6 or
people have been frequent. One
quotation from his Flag Day speech
(Junet 14) will be sufficient to define
his well-known position:
The war was begun by the mill
tary masters of Germany, who prov
ed to be also the masters of Austria
Hungary These men have never re-
garded nations as peoples, men, wo-
men, and children of like blood and
frame as themselves, for whom gov
ernmelts existed and in whom gov
ernments had their life. They have
regarded them merely as serviceable
organizations which they could, by
force of intrigue, bend or corrupt to
their own purpose
2. The President has carefully and
repeatedly stated the tragic position
of the German people at the present
moment as we Americans see it. He
has said that this people did no..
originate, choose, or desire this hid
eous war, "or wish that we should
be drawn into it" (June 14.) 1T
was not upon their impulse that
their government acted in entering
the wSr. 1t was not with their pre-
vious knowledge or approval" CAP
ril 2.)t
Thej President has gone out of his
way I'd pay a sincere tribute to the
sterling qualities of the German peo-
pie as Recognized by the overwhelm-
ing nSajority of Americans. In his
,5Ll Z. ..,llSs.sc sie.e ion
Of Labor at Buffalo. Nov. 13, he
said:
'I believe that the spirit of free
dom can get into the hearts of Ger
mans hnd find as fine a welcome
there hs it can find in any other
heartsl but the spirit of freedom does
not suit the plans of the pan-Ger-
mans.F
But it is not necessary for us to
enter further into the virtues or
other characteristics fthe German
people The essential question in
volyed is their attitude toward the
people of America. The President
has stated at the very beginning of
the W ar that we did not believe that
the German people cherished toward
US ANY hostile feeling or purpose. "
(Aprii %
8. Feeling that it was impossible
that the German people, apart from
the German ruling classes can, or
did, harbor any hostility toward
America (see above, the President
thus expressed the general convic-
ton that ''we are not the enemies of
the German people and they are not
our enemies" June 14.)
The belief is almost universal in
this country that I'VE are fighting
see it, as well as our own.
June 14.)
The belief is almost universal in
this country that I'VE are fighting
their cause as they will some day see
it, as we'll as our own" (June 14.)
In the opening message of the
war the President categorically de-
clared:
I'VE have no quarrel with the
German people. We have no feeling
toward them, but one of sympathy
and friendship.
This expression met with the prac-
tically unanimous approval of the
entire American people. In his
Flag Day speech June 14) the
President further declared
This is a peoples war, war for
freedom and justice and self-govern-
ment amongst all the nations OF the
world, war to make the world safe
fo tribe peoples who live upon it and
have made it their own, the German
people themselves included"
A. In his reply to the Pope the
President said:
THE American people believe that
peace rests upon the rights OF peo-
pies, not tn eigrhts of governments
the rights of peoples great or
small weak or powerful-their EQ-
UAL right to freedom and security
and self-goyernment and to partlc-
ipation upon fair terms in the eco
nomic opportunities of the wolrd-
the German people of course them
selves included if they will accept
equality and not seek domination.
Here it is important to note that
we can offer a friendly relation with
the German people only IF they will
accept equality and not seek domina-
ton" In other words, the German
people have not yet made it clear
that they are prepared to accept
equality and not seek domination.
The President accurately says in
the same speech:
I'VE must await some new evl-
dence of the purposes Of the great
peoples Of the central powers"
1t is not only that the great peo-
Piles of the central powers Germany
and Austria-H Hungary are not per-
mitted to declare their real opinion,
but we have as yet no sufficient
ground for concluding that thelI
opinion will be favorable to our off
er of a position of equality among
the nations.
"The people of Germany are being
told by the men whom they now per
NIT to deceive them and to act as
their masters that they are fighting
for the yery life and existence OF