The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-08-02

4
ut. We are fighting for our laws, ouI
ideals, our homes, our institutions.
but, how" one may ask, "were ali
these things threatened by Germany
before the war started1 It Is easy e
see how they may be threatened now,
for If we are defeated we are lost, but
before the war started did Germany
menace those things we hold most sa.
credf"
Let the Germans themselves answer.
After you have read the evidence out
OF their own mouths, you may decide
whether or not Germany planned to up.
set our institutions, our ideals, our very
mode of life.
In 1901 the National German Ameri-
can alliance was formed In the United
States. In 1907 1t was incorporated
by act Of congress. Its charter is
now being attacked in that same body.
One Of the objects Of the alliance, as
officially announced, was ito check ma
tivistic encroachments." In other
words, to keep the Germans from be-
coming Americans. Another object
was ito awaken and strengthen the
sense of unity among the people Of
German origin in America"
"This alliance" its preliminary
statement Of aims concludes, sis
pledged to bring its entire organiza.
ton to the support Of any state fed
Grafton which is engaged In the strug-
gle for any Of these objects"
1t was pledged, in other words, to
have its members vote, not as individ-
uals, but as German controlled units,
for or against anthing Of which
they did not approve.
The desire for resisting "nativistic
entertainments" was particularly abb
horrent to American ideals, because
the effort In this country has always
been to keep politics free from racial
or religious influences. Yet here was
body, proclaiming itself German in
origin and thought, seeking to perpetu-
ate this German feeling in the midst
Of America.
From its very start the alliance
sought to foment discord with England.
It always spoke Of the American press
as "the Anglo-American" press, and 1t
carried out a long and well-directed
campaign for the introduction of the
German language into the schools and
its use In civil life.
'"The National Alliance" according
to an issue Of its official Bulletin be-
fore this nation entered the war, els
waging war against Anglo-Saxonism,
against the fanatical enemies Of per-
sonal liberty and political freedom, It
is combating narrow-minded, benight-
ed know-nothingism, the influence of
the British, and the enslaving Puritan
ism, which had its birth in England"
"The race war which we will be
to go through with on Amer
lean soil will be our world war;" said
the New York Stats Zeitung in fight
ing proposal to amend the New York
constitution to make ability to speak
and write the English language a
requisite for suffrage.
Ludwig Fulda wrote book, "Amer-
lean Impressions" They were i'm
pressions of a German who had stud
led this nation with view to seeing
1t ultimately GermaniZed. German
lzation is synonymous with causing to
speak German" he said, "and speak.
Ing German means to remain German"
CT ne Htc. |
content, of a movement which might
tend to disrupt this country, or any
other which Germany might find as
commercial rival, the German-Ameri-
can alliance was sure to be on the
Job. 1t gave support to the Irish
American societies, because these soci-
cites, before the war, were working for
he separation Of Ireland from Eng
and, a matter in which Germany, at
hat time, could have no legitimate
interest. But Germany, even then,
vas preparing for war, and was doing
every possible thing to weaken Its
coming enemies. A disorganized
America, one filled with German re-
'ervists, would be In no position to
ide with her enemies, Germany ng-
lred. On this subject the much-Quoted
Bernhard wrote:
Measures must be taken at least
o the extent Of providing that the
herman element is not split up In the
world. but remains united In compact
,locks, and thus forms, even In for
ign countries, political centers Of
,ravity in our favor. The isolated
,roups of Germans abroad greatly ben
fit our trade, since by preference they
btain goods from Germany; but they
nay also be useful to US politically, as
We discover in America. The German
americans have formed a political al
lance with the Irish; and, thus,
nited, constitute power in the state
Nth which the American government
aust reckon"
With the outbreak Of the war in Eu-
ope the actions of the German-Amer-
IAN alliance became holder. The CAM
align for membership took on new
igor.
Can we talk Of peace with a Ger
lany, that, even in times Of peace, is
'ying to disorganize our country, To- '