The New York herald., 1920-01-11

registration were required to present
themselves and at this time the names Of
$4,000 of these young men were entered
upon the army records. Finally, on Sep
tember IL, 191S all those between the ages
of eighteen and forty-five were required
to register. and on that day approx
mately 130O0, ,OOo men recorded their names
for military service.
From the very beginning Of hostilities
in Europe. long before the submarine
outrages at sea, the public sentiment of
America turned strongly against Ger
many. Why this was so it is not necessary
to argue-it was so. This feeling became
greatly intensified by the sinking of the
Lustania. a wave of Indignation swept
over America and the world. The people
took sides positively with the Allies. nine
tenths of them. Then came the destruc-
tion Of the Arabic and the Sussex and the
rapid, aggression upon American shipping.
so that the overwhelming preponderance
of public opinion was against Germany.
! Yet many men were opposed to war, in
Congress and out. Patriots they were, most
OF them, OF the highest type-administra-
tion Senator's and Representatives, men
trusted by the President. trusted by the
people. They remembered Washington's 8
proclamation of neutrality and pointed it
out. They pictured the horrors of war;
the debts, the sacrifices, the cripples, the
dead. Some of them were indiscreet in
their utterances and were accused of dis
loyalty. But no argument could prevail;
the voice of the majority shouted for war.
Then sounded the call to arms. The
thoughtless boys who had had no voice in
Congress were marshallcd to the ranks.
Every race and creed and color responded
TO the summons-those maligning the
hated Kaiser, those friendly TO the Cen
trail Powers; those pampered by the led
eral government, those outlawed by the
Southern States: those native to the soil
of this continent, those born across the
seas.
All Rnces There.
The German blooded conscripts could
not help being German-but what did
that matter? Racial extraction counted
for nothing. While the United States was
yet neutral the hearts of the German
boys yearned for the kaiser's cause. Their
parents were born in the fatherland. Their
mothers prayed for German success They
spoke the mother tongue. Intensely these
young men sympathized with Germany.
It was only human that they should do
so. But suddenly, in an instant, all was
changed. America was involved! 4 choice
must be made' There was no hesitation.
/ The Stars and Stripes floated high above
the German flag-high above every other
/ flag Of the world. There was no longer
any Germany; no moro fatherland; no
-. l. - 80 I..NHsN
/ And the conscripts of Irish blood; they
had wrongs to avenge; the iniquity Of
seven centuries of oppression. The hated
English were in jeopardy; the prosecutors
/ OF their forerathers: the invaders OF Er!n's
soil. strong foo was chasing the Britons
back TO the Channel. sinking their ships
| In the Dardanclles. wiping their commerce
from the sea! Irishmcn could not find 1t
in their hearts to feel pity for the Eng
lish-who never knew pity. But suddenly
the bugle sounded and the American flag
was unfurled! Then patriotism. the great
y dominant Irish instinct. leaped into being.
All the ancient wrongs OF Ireland were
\ forgotten. America was in the wari That
was enough. All other considerations dis
appearedl
The colored troops we're mustered 10 the
front-3S4,000 strong; an army more
than twice as large as the combined
I forces OF the North and South which
j slaughtered each other upon the field OF
\ Gettysburg. They were the offspring OF
I slaves; the progeny OF an inferior race.
They could not vote. They had no voice
In the government, no standing in the
courts. They were iynchad and mobbed
and burned at the stake. They were hated
and despised and oppressed and robbed
j ana wronged The constitution of the
\ United States meant nothing TO them
the fifteenth amendment was dead Now
.ner masters were going TO war to main
tain government which jeered al the
franchise Of the black man. and heaped
upon him 'perfidious wrongs. irnmedica-
BILE woes why should they die for this
ignobe cause? But suddenly the inspira-
tion came-they were Americans! Swart
Of countenance they were: without citi-
zeuship, franchise or right-yet they were
Americans That was enough!
j Under One Flag.
\ And thus the soldiers of the Republic
I were assembled-the Yankees. the Poles.
the Irish. the Swedes, the English, the
French, the Italians. the Germans, the
Africans-sll Americans They poured to
She seashorc Ia exhaustless streams from