Henderson daily dispatch., 1935-04-04
Can U. S. Keep Out OF Coming European War?
Events Of Twenty Years Ago Indicate Answer
How America Got Into
Conflict in 1917 Is
Reviewed.
BY CLARK KINNAIRD
Author of To-day Is the Day"
THE World War Day-by-Dav."

| AhO VVOAAu wa Ohy-OY-LAV."
Can the United States keep out of
the European war?
Twenty years ago this week the
same question was being asked ear
neStly in this country. The European
war already had become a world war:
Tor there was no nation, no people,
escaping it's effects. And no nation
among those technically known as
neutrals was more affected by the
conflict than the United States.
Those in command of the ship of
state in Washington were in April
1915 attempting to steer a course of
neutrality. But in April 1915
American lives were being lost in
the sinking of merchant ships of
bclligerent nations;
Merchant ships of the United States
were being seized or interferred with
by the warships of both sides in the
conflict in flagrant violation of in
ternational law;
American citizens were serving bv
the thousands in the fighting armies;
Sabotage was being practised upon
American plants and American pro-
perty by agents of belligerent DOW
orS;
American abroad were being sub
Jectcd to indignities usually inflict-
eu upon citizens of enemy nations:
American property in belligerent
countries was being appropriated and
deSpoilcd; and
The whole country was being yeed
and hawed by the propagandists of
the belligerents.
u. S. Shocked I'm 1914
Great Britain, for instance. exnend-
Ell millions in generating or guiding
public opinion in the United States
toward sympathy with the Allied
cause. The campaign was mastery
and conclusive. 1t ensnared even orr
ambassador in London. Walter Hines
rage, who long. before we entered the
war was proudly violating the in
functions of his President to main
tain neutrality in word and deed and
was doing all in his power to exert
American influence in behalf of the
Allies! We know this from his let
tcll9 Had the ambassador of anv
other nation conducted himself si-
milarly. he likely would have been
tried for treason.
1t cannot be said that the svm-
pathies of the United States Law with
either side at the start. NewspaDers
and published expressions dating from
the first months of the war indicate
that this country was profoundly
shocked at all the belligerents. To the
mass of the people it appeared as if
Europe had suddenly gone mad. Am
erlcans as a whole seemed to feel a
moral superiority to the Europeans
at war; and they blamed the conflict
upon the Vaccinations of kings strug-
CLING for power and plunder.
The sympathies Of Russian-Ameri-
cans and German Americans NAV
have reposed with NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
tives or friends-in the conflict. but
did not extend to the national causes
typified by the very monarchies thew
had fled to find liberty in the land
of democracy. Most of the Germans
in the country were descended from
or part of the wave of immigrants
washed upon our shores after the Re-
volution of 1913; and they felt no real
ties with the Prussia Of 1914 The
Russian American were in the main
comparatively recent arrivals. re-
fugees from the massacres of 1903
and the revolution of 1905. Most OF
the immigrants from Britain were
Irish, with no sympathy whatever for
the British cause. Immigrants from
the Austro-Hungarian empire were,
almost without exception. joyful ex-
patriates of states which were giving
only forced support to the Haps>
burgs; and these new Americans felt