3 AMERICA'S RELATION TO THE WORLD WAR Shall Our Nation Live or Perish? As viewed by the Editor of the MANUFACTURERS RECORD Printed by MANUFACTURERS RECORD B.himore. Md. 10 CENTS PER COPY J\510 ,15" .E3 If you agree with the statements made in this pamphlet, we suggest that you purchase additional copies, to the end that this message may have the widest possible distribution. OCT 2i my MANUFACTURERS RECORD BALTIMORE RICHARD H. EDMONDS, Editor Shall Our Nation Live or Perish ?* *The only alternatives are war in Europe now with Allies, and war hereafter on our own soil without Allies." That statement, made in 1852 by Henry Winter Davis, one of the ablest public men of that day, is absolutely true as to the condition existing today. Davis foresaw the com- ing of a great v^orld w^ar of autocracy against democracy, and at that time v^rote : "The question w^e have to decide is — not w^hether w^e will live in peace and repose, or gratuitously go on a crusade for liberty throughout the world, but — the absolute cer- tainty of a contest with the combined powers of despotism being apparent — shall we wait till those powers have utterly rooted out free governments from Europe, shall turn their might for our destruction, alone and without allies ; or shall we now seize the first opportunity * * * to aid the cause of freedom with arms and money, fight our battle * * * on the field of Europe, and by the aid of our allies forever settle the question between freedom and despotism." In its first issue after the opening of this war, August 6, 1914, the Manufacturers Record said: "Humanity may be staggered by the horrors of Europe's war, but civilization will not be destroyed. Millions of men and billions of treasure may be lost in this devilish work; thrones may totter, and new maps of Europe may be neces- sary before the end is reached; but mankind will, on the wreck of these ruins, build a better civilization — one in which the people, and not a few unscrupulous men who feel that they have been divinely appointed, will rule." From that day to this I have sought to do all in my power to awaken this country to the absolute certainty that our existence as a nation would depend upon our moving with *This article explains the reason for this pamphlet. all the power at our command to get ready to meet the great issue at stake, — not simply a war of autocracy against democracy — it is infinitely worse than that — it is a war of barbarism against civilization. We have entered the struggle not merely to make the world safe for democracy, but to make the world safe for civilization; indeed, to save civilization, and that means to save ourselves. For nearly three years we literally hid behind the fleets of Great Britain and France. Every soldier of the Allies who in this struggle died on the battlefields of Europe died for us as well as for his own country. Had there been no great English fleet to hold the German fleet in its harbor of refuge, our coasts would have been ravished, our cities destroyed, and the scenes enacted in Belgium would have been repeated, magnified many fold in this country. Had the Allies failed to stem the onrush of the hordes of barbarism who have stained the record of mankind as never before in history, certainly since the days of Attila, Germany would have sought to wreak its vengeance on this country, and it would have been abundantly able to do so. Germany's plans involved a war with the United States, where it had everything to win and nothing to lose ; for it would not have been possible for us in ten years to get ready to meet Germany if Germany had already conquered Europe. My own views on this point were clearly stated in a letter under date of February 27, 1917, to President Wilson, in which I said : At the risk of trespassing upon your time when burdened as you are with the fearful responsibilities of this hour, I want to express my profound appreciation of the burden which you are carrying and the responsibility which you are facing. Upon you largely depends the fate of human liberty and of civilization itself. You are facing the mightiest issue ever confronted by any President of this country. Knowing the situation as you do, you realize, as do other men, that the success of Germany would mean the destruction of all liberty in Europe and the domination of the world by barbarism. Apparently we have gone back a thousand years and seen the old Hun element come to the front, with a ruthlessness that no man of these days had ever anticipated would ever again be seen in the life of mankind. I am sure that, recognizing this situation, you are compelled to feel that if Germany should conquer Europe, our turn would inevitably come next, and that as against Germany under such conditions we would be as helpless as an infant against a giant. It seems almost impossible for our people, so long accustomed to ease and wealth, to realize that the world is facing an entirely new era, and that we are living in the most momentous times in human history. Should Germany unfortunately, by any combination of circumstances, defeat the Allies, no power on earth could prevent Germany from attacking this country, and I believe any careful student of the situation, whether naval or army officer, would be compelled to admit that not in 10 years could we be fully prepared to meet an attack from Germany, if Great Britain and France had been conquered. No one knows better than Germany the unprotected condition of our coast, with its thousands of miles open to invasion. No one knows better than Germany that between the Chesapeake Bay and Browns- ville, Texas, there is not a single naval base adequate to be of any assistance to battle ships which had been injured in a fight. Our every weakness, to the uttermost degree, is fully known by Germany. I believe that these facts are all understood by you. I am con- strained to believe that you long, as all other peace-loving men do, for peace, and that it is your ambition, if it can be done with honor, to save this country from the horrors of war, but I trust that in studying these mighty problems the thought may be before you constantly, if my view is correct, that our only safety is in the success of the Allies. If they should be conquered, it would almost be useless for us to undertake to make a fight, so great would be the odds against us. In that event, however, we might again say with Patrick Henry. "Give me liberty, or give me death." On the other hand, if the Allies can win, and if by helping to sustain them we can do our part toward suppressing the red-handed murderer that is seeking to destroy civilization, our future may be safe. I trust you will pardon me for trespassing upon your time. I am not saying to you anything that has probably not been said by thousands of others, but, in saying it, I want to emphasize the fact that I realize fully the mighty responsibility which you face, and I sincerely pray that strength and wisdom and guidance may be given to you by Almighty God, to lead this country in the way He would have us go. Realizing that our existence as a nation was at stake, and that if Germany was not defeated in Europe, the women and the children of this country would have to endure the awful unprintable horrors which have wrecked Belgium and the overrun parts of France ; and that in addition to these horrors this country would forever be dominated by Ger- many, I have sought unceasingly to press these facts upon public attention. Some people not familiar with the situation have ques- tioned the accuracy of the statement that if once Germany had conquered us, as it would be able to do if we were with- out the aid of the Allies, Germany would not be satis- fied with a money indemnity, even if it took one-half of the wealth of the country, but that Germany would hold us in permanent subjection; and yet it is easily susceptible of proof that the latter is the true situation. ^ If Germany defeated the Allies and secured Canada, or even an entrance through Canada, its first move would be to capture the iron ores of the Lake Superior district, out of which is produced about 90 per cent, of the steel output of the United States. Thus with the steel industry of the country absolutely controlled by Germany, we would never be able to strike a blow. We would be as helpless for gen- erations to come as would be the imaginary million em- battled farmers who over night were to have been created into an army by the visionary and erratic Mr. Bryan. The million farmers would not be worth a breath against the mighty fighting machines of these days ; and without steel we would be as helpless as these farmers and would forever beat our heads in vain against a wall which could not be battered down. Germany would dominate us more com- pletely than it dominates Austria and Turkey. Knowing that this was the situation, I have sought to awaken our country to these facts, and from week to week have discussed the subject from various angles. Many letters have come from our subscribers asking that some of these editorials be put into pamphlet form for a wider distribution. It is in response to these requests that this pamphlet is printed. The editorials which it contains are only typical of what the MANUFACTURERS RECORD has been saying for the last three years. RICHARD H. EDMONDS. August 23, 1917. If If, through our failure to build ships rapidly enough to offset the terrific destruction of the submarines, England should be starved into submission — If, through our failure to build with the utmost possible speed steel and wooden ships, regardless of the cost, instead of frittering away priceless time on petty details, we should be unable to feed and munition our own army in France — Here are two vital Ifs. Unfortunately, there are possi- bilities of evil in them so great as to fairly stagger the mind. We know that submarines are destroying the world's shipping at a rate that is startling, endangering the ability of England to feed its people. It should be remembered that England is compelled to import nearly all of its foodstuffs. It has a population of about 45,000,000, concentrated in a limited area, given over largely to industrial operations rather than to agriculture. This island empire is being threatened as never before in its history. The destruction of shipping, if it goes on apace as for the last few months, will mean that the world will be too bare of shipping to per- mit England to import foodstuffs and the munitions abso- lutely needed for war. We may throw into France a large army, but if the sub- marines destroy ships faster than we are building them, we might find our army without food, without munitions and absolutely helpless, doomed to destruction. These are not idle vaporings. They are the facts, well known to Washing- ton and to all the Allies, and likewise as well known to Ger- many ; and to the accomplishment of this purpose Germany is bending every power of its existence. If England, by reason of starvation, should be compelled to give up, it is well known that one of the indemnities de- manded by Germany would be the surrender of the British and French fleets, and another would be the surrender to Germany of Canada, stretching for 3000 miles across our northern border, and with an area equal to that of the United States. Publisbed In Manufacturers Record, July 12, 1917. 8 How do we know that these would be part of the indemni- ties required? In the same way we have known for the last two and one- half years some of the forces that were moving the world in this fearful conflict. You need not expect the inside diplo- matic sources in Washington to admit these facts ; neverthe- less, they are facts, and their reality is fully appreciated in Washington as well as elsewhere. It might be said that before surrendering its fleet Eng- land would sink it in the ocean ; but this she would not dare to do, for the reprisal upon her people would be so fearful that Belgium's destruction would seem as child's play as compared with the destruction that would prevail through- out England. If Germany held in its power the British and French fleets, all of our naval building would be in vain, for we would not have an hour's show against such a combination. If Germany had possessed itself of Canada, it would im- mediately have under its control the Soo Canals, through which pass the Lake ores that feed the furnaces and steel works of the United States ; and it would be but a few days before it had under its control the entire ore supply of the Lake Superior district. It would then be impossible for us to fight. With 90 per cent, of the steel output of the United States dependent upon these ores, and this supply instantly cut off, the vast iron and steel enterprises that stretch from the Lake region to the Atlantic would instantly shut down, and with these plants idle there would be no possibility of making any fight against Germany, for we would be without war-making materials, since it would take years under the best conditions to develop iron and steel making in other sections to an extent sufficient to enable us even to begin to fight. During the Liberty Loan campaign Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo in a public speech stated that if the Allies were defeated, Germany would demand an indemnity of at least one-half of our total wealth, or $120,000,000,000 ; and that, instead of subscribing for Liberty Loan bonds, we would have to subscribe for indemnity bonds. In reply to that statement the editor of the Manufacturers Record wrote to Secretary McAdoo as follows : I have read with much interest your address in Des Moines, Iowa, a copy of which has just reached me. You have stated the case with great clearness, and I wish that every man, woman and child in this country could read your presentation of the matter. Nevertheless, there are in it two points with which I differ. On page 4 you say: "We are not fighting the German people." As to this I entirely disagree with you. I think we are fighting the German people, because the German people, as a nation, are fighting us. The thought so clearly expressed by President Wilson in his memorable war address, that we were not fighting the German people, has seemed to me to be entirely a wrong viewpoint. At the beginning of the war we might have felt that it was merely the autocracy or militarism of Germany which we were fighting, but that period has long since passed. German militarism could not have maintained its amazing fighting machine if it had not been upheld by the people of Germany. You may say that it is the power of the military rule over the German people that has made these conditions possible, but in that I think you would be wrong. The whole German nation has been so educated during the last thirty or forty years that the springs of life have been poisoned to the point that Germany, as a nation, is upholding Kaiserism and making possible the fight of German militarism against the world's democracy. I wish it were true that we had only to fight German autocracy as represented by the militarism of Prussia. In that case the victory would be an easy one; but we are fighting the whole German nation banded together in the most desperate contest that mankind has ever known. If this were not so, it would not have been possible for the German army to be guilty of the unspeakable outrages which have marked its progress. I believe the time has come when the people of this country should be taught that we are fighting not simply the militarism of Prussia, but that we are fighting all Germany, and that every man and woman in Germany and everywhere else in the world who is giving his moral support to Germany's fight for world domination is guilty of being a copartner in all the vile crimes of which Germany has been guilty. Every man and woman in Germany, or in any other part of the world, America included, v/lio is not aggressively opposed to Germany's method of warfare is morally supporting the murder and the raping which has stained the annals of Germany's warfare such as never before stained the history of mankind. On page 12, referring to the bare possibility that Germany might defeat France' and England and capture their fleets, you suggest that in such an emergency Germany would make it very uncomfortable for the people of the United States, and that the amount of indemnity that we would have to pay would be thousands of times greater than 10 any amount that we would have to raise now by taxation to carry this war to a successful issue. I do not think that you have stated the case strongly enough. If Germany should destroy France and England, you may rest assured that it would take possession of Canada, and the moment it did so it would take possession of the Lake Superior iron regions, which furnish the ore for making about 90 per cent, of the steel produced in the United States. The moment that this was done practically the steel business of the United States would cease, and it would be impossible for us to make a fight. If once we were conquered by Germany, con- trolling as Germany would do the sources of our steel industry, I do not believe that you or I would ever live to see the American flag float over a restored country, for Germany would dominate us in exactly the same way that Germany has dominated and expects to continue to dominate Belgium, I heard Mr. Harding of the Federal Reserve Board a few days ago suggest that in such an event Germany would demand of us an indem- nity of $100,000,000,000. That would be a small amount to pay if such a situation had been brought about as our being conquered by Germany if by the payment thereby we could regain our liberty. The best fight that we could make in seeking to win back our country would last beyond your life and mine before the Stars and Stripes would again fly above a land of liberty. If England and France had been conquered, and following that Germany had conquered this country, it would not be an indemnity in money that Germany would demand. She would demand the indemnity and also absolute domiuation of our country, and she would control the sources of industry to such an extent that it would be well-nigh impossible for us to make a successful contest. No money indemnity would satisfy Germany's lustful demands. Our very souls would be the price that she would require in addition to the money — we would indeed be slaves. We have presented a simple statement of facts, known to the Army and the Navy officers ; known to the Government. They should be known to every man and woman in this country in order to arouse us to the desperate fight that is before us. We shall conquer, but it will be through much bloodshed and at a terrific cost of money; but the latter counts not in comparison with human lives that must be lost, and to a large extent lost because of our failure during the last three years to understand the situation and pre- pare for it. We must now build ships with the utmost power of men and money. Every day's delay is threatening, and danger- ously threatening, our ability to keep England from starv- 11 ing; and should England starve, the world goes down with a crash, and we with it. We shall win, because our people, slow to wake up, will sooner or later throw into the building of ships the full power of the nation's life. We must build ships to take care of the coastwise traffic and relieve the pressure upon the railroads, in order that the railroads may handle the war freight and the war travel which will be thrown upon them. We must build ships for the Pacific Coast trade, and also for the Lake trade in order to provide ore to run the fur- naces now hampered by the shortage of ore. We must build ships suitable for all of these interests, and at the same time ships for the transatlantic trade — ships of wood and ships of steel — and build them with all speed that the utmost stretch of our power in men and money can pro- vide. No time is to be lost. Every hour's delay endangers our very existence. Priceless time has already been thrown away, and the whole situation has been muddled by that most unwise speech made to steel men against wooden ships about the "birds nesting in the trees." The steel men know full well that it is not possible for them to provide the steel necessary to construct the ships that are needed. They are eager to see — at least, broad-minded ones are — wooden ships built as well as steel ships. And once more the Manufac- TtTRERS Record would urge with all the energy it can com- mand that the nation build ships, and build them now, and keep on building them ; for this is not a matter of one year or two years, but for many years. So great is the destruction of the world's shipping, so great is the depreciation of the shipping that has not yet been sunk, that for years to come it will be difficult to supply the world's needs for shipping even long after the war has ceased. Build ships, build more ships, and still more ships ! Let the whole energy of the nation which can be con- centrated in shipbuilding be put into the construction of wooden and steel ships, of ships for every purpose, coast- wise and foreign. In this way only will it be possible to pre- 12 vent a fate of which the historians of the future would have to write in regard to America : "If the United States had only built ships rapidly enough the world could have been saved." To Our Allies: We Are Coming a Hun- dred Million Strong to Make the World Safe for Civilization The world must be made safe for civilization. This has a broader significance than even the splendid statement by President Wilson, in which he said that "the world must be made safe for democracy." " It is conceivable that civilization could exist without democracy, but civilization could not possibly exist if the world were overrun and dominated by the barbarism of Germany. We are, therefore, fighting for more than world democracy, fighting for more, infinitely more, than the necessity of making the world safe for democracy. We are fighting to make the world safe for civilization, for the honor of womanhood, for the safety of the babies and the children of every land, for the honor of nations, and for all _that makes life worth living. Infinitely better would it be that life should cease to exist on this planet than that this world should be dominated by the unspeakable barbarism which has marked the effort of Germany to wreck and ruin all that man has accomplished in his upward struggle toward the light. We are coming into the fight, awakening gradually, but nevertheless awakening, to the real meaning of the struggle, and we are coming with all the power of this mighty nation, whose land has been more richly endowed by the Almighty with natural resources than any other country on the face of the earth. Therefore, upon us rests the greater responsi- bility, for "unto whom much has been given, of him shall much be required." The marvelous wealth of this country, undeveloped and developed, is a heritage from Almighty Published In Manufacturers Record, August IC, 1917. 13 God to be used in this, the supreme hour of the world's history. When we speak in terms of material things and count the natural advantages of this country, we marvel that there could be a section on earth so wonderfully blessed above all other lands in material resources out of which to create the wealth and power with which to meet the situation that now confronts us. We have about one-third of the accumulated wealth of the world. We have resources in raw materials, giving us advantages for industrial development beyond anything else known to mankind. Here is to be found ten times as large a coal area as that of all of Europe. Here is nearly one-third of the railroad mileage of the whole world. Here is produced more than two-thirds of the world's cotton crop. Here are the world's greatest developed resources in coal and iron and copper, in oil, and in many other things which make for the upbuilding of business and in this hour of struggle for the maintenance of civilization. We are throwing into the battle the power of more than one-half of the total iron and steel production of the world and more than one-half of the world's coal output, and we have natural resources which will enable us to increase the production of iron and steel and coal as rapidly as furnaces and steel works can be built, iron ore and coal mines opened, and coke ovens constructed. We have vast timber resources, with a sawmill capacity, fortunately at the moment, greater than the needs of the last few years, and, therefore, available at this moment to increase the output of lumber for shipbuilding and all other activities which may be needed in connection with the war. As rapidly as we can adjust ourselves to the situation we can vastly increase our food supply for ourselves and our allies. Millions and hundreds of millions of acres of land are available for the enlarged production of foodstuffs, and much of this land can be utilized as rapidly as labor can be 14 mobilized and facilities prepared for opening it up for culti- vation. Millions of acres of the richest land on earth are being drained and made ready for the plow. One hundred million acres of cut-over timber land in the South are available, and the owners are combining their forces to bring about the utilization of these vast areas for the production of grain and cotton and the grazing of live- stock. This is a country of illimitable resources. The human mind can scarcely grasp the reality of the vast supplies of coal and iron ore and copper and zinc and lead and timber and water-powers, equal to the needs, when fully developed, of supporting and giving employment to 500,000,000 people. We are mobilizing the brain and the brawn of the nation to develop to the utmost extent the utmost potentiality of these resources. Along the Atlantic coast, the Gulf coast and the Pacific coast shipyards are springing into existence, and ships of wood and ships of steel will be built with an energy which the world never before saw thrown into shipbuilding. The railroad forces of the country have been united in a great co-operative system under which a few men are hand- ling nearly 250,000 miles of railroads in order to produce the largest possible results with the smallest possible fric- tion, so that a great army may be gathered and trained and fed, and that the materials for shipbuilding and iron and steel production and all of the vast activities of the nation may be concentrated upon getting ready for war. It will take a little time for a full realization of the mighty potentialities of this nation to be understood either at home or abroad ; but as no other country on the face of the earth combines such vast resources, such illimitable sources for industrial and agricultural development, with a population fairly homogeneous, despite the considerable number of Germans still living here, so no other country on earth has ever had the opportunity to throw into a world contest such a mighty power as this country is preparing to develop. We may well stand with head uncovered with profound 15 admiration for the marvelous achievements of England and France and Italy and Belgium. We may well pause as we think of that wonderful country of Russia throwing off the yoke of centuries of despotism, temporarily, perhaps, unable to bring its diverse elements into a homogeneous whole ; but we may feel that Russia will soon find itself and that it will prove a power for good in this mighty world struggle. A nation which, in such times as it has been passing through, could overthrow the auto- cratic power that for centuries had ruled, and very nearly ruined it, must have an inherent strength and force which will enable the real men of Russia sooner or later to unite all of its clashing elements into one solid, democratic organ- ization to stand by the side of this country and of the other Allies in the mighty struggle to make the world safe for civilization. Out of this fearful conflict there will be born a new and higher civilization. The blood of the soldiers which has fer- tilized the fields of the earth shall blossom forth a harvest of higher and holier things, and no man among all the Allies shall have died in vain in this struggle which we believe presages the coming of a brighter day to all the world for all time to come than any part of the world has ever known before. We have long believed that this country has been fore- ordained of the Almighty to play some great and domi- nating part in shaping world affairs. We have repeatedly said that a country of such limitless natural advantages, a country which had demonstrated the power of men of different nationalities to coalesce and here build a great civilization was like a mighty university, and to it people from all the world had been coming to study. Out of this great university have gone influences for good which have stirred the hearts of the people of every nation. They have seen what liberty of conscience and liberty of person meant. They have seen the marvels of a nation where every man had the opportunity for advancement, for education, where civil and religious liberty in their broadest sense were known as nowhere else, and they have learned from this great university the meaning of these truths. 16 Germany saw the trend of the times and Germany sought to stay the progress of this demand for liberty in its own land and ere it was too late to stem the world's demand for democracy. Germany, therefore, started the war for the express purpose of beating down this demand for liberty, for crushing democracy throughout the world, and building on its grave a universal structure of autocracy. In doing this Germany broke loose from all moorings of right, of truth and of honor and civilization, and compelled the civil- ized world to unite for safety. And so to our allies this nation comes with all the strength, developed and to be developed, and we shall stand by their side to the last extent until autocracy as expressed through the fearful work of Germany is crushed to rise no more, until civilization supplants barbarism, and until honor is enthroned in every nation. For a Director of Public Safety to Guard Us from Alien Enemies President Wilson is bearing burdens greater than should fall to the lot of any human being. It is not possible for him, without loss of vitality, to continue to carry all the burdens of this mighty war and solve all the problems and shape all the efforts of the Government, confronted as he constantly is by a thousand and one questions which should be handled and settled by others. He should be surrounded by men of the largest possible executive ability, in whom the country has the most implicit confidence. He should not have to face the settling, through his personal influence, of many of the problems that are now brought before him. There are many commissions in existence in Washington on which are to be found some of the ablest men in Amer- ica ; indeed, some of the ablest business men which the world has ever produced; but to a considerable extent these men are clerks; they have no final authority, and in most cases they must submit their findings to the final decision of men Published In Manufacturers Record, July 12, 1917. 17 whose knowledge of great business affairs is as an infant's compared with that of these foremost leaders of the country. This ought not so to be, and the sooner it can be changed and the pressure of terrific, unending work be lifted from President Wilson's shoulders, the safer will it be for his life and for the country. At the present time one of the greatest problems which the country is facing is to safeguard itself from enemies at home in the shape of aliens and of the pro-German activi- ties of men professing to be American citizens. The entire handling of this great problem should be in the hands of a man in whom the country would have implicit confidence as to his ability, his integrity and his tireless energy to safe- guard the nation under such conditions. The problem is one vital to the nation's safety, and we believe that there is no other man in America in whom the nation would have greater confidence at the head of a Department of Public Safety than Theodore Roosevelt, having the exclusive hand- ling of the questions relating to the aliens in this country and to pro-German citizens. No one would for a moment question Roosevelt's backbone, his determination and his ability to meet this issue. No one would for a moment feel that he would not measure up to this, one of the greatest tasks before us; and if President Wilson would utilize in this way the peculiar abilities of Colonel Roosevelt, the Germans in this country and all pro-Germans would know immediately that their only safety was in absolute, unques- tionable behavior, and the country would sleep in peace, knowing that at the head of such a department Roosevelt would take good care to see that the country suffered no danger at home, or abroad from the enemies which are at home. President Wilson could do the nation a great service — one of inestimable worth — and strengthen the forces that sur- round him if he would make such a move as this; and we believe that Colonel Roosevelt is patriotic enough to accept the call to such a position and to throw into it every atom of energy in his wonderful make-up — physical, moral and mental. 18 August 1914 — August 1917 Three long years of woe and sorrow such as the world never knew, three years of a desperate death grapple between the forces of Hell unloosed on earth through Germany, and the forces of Divine Right fighting for God and humanity. As sure as Almighty God lives and rules, right shall conquer might, good shall overmaster evil, though the road to victory may be long and bloody. If ever on earth God spoke to men and called them into His service. He has called this nation to its mighty task — and everywhere fathers and mothers should realize that God is honoring their sons as He calls them into the noblest, the most heroic, the sublimest and the holiest work to which men ever dedicated their lives. The very angels of Heaven might well envy the men who, as Soldiers of Civilization, follow the Redeemer's example and offer their lives that others may be saved. And from their mighty sacrifice and suffering shall be born a new earth and a new Heaven of enduring peace. Piihllshed in Munufacturera Record, August 2, 1917. 19 Peace Without Punishment Would Be Premium Upon Crime The more desperate Germany's plight becomes, the more bluff it will put up ; the more it offers peace on its own terms, the more the traitors in Congress who represent Germany and not the United States will perjure themselves and work against this country and for Germany. The sentimental neurotic degenerates among women who flood a murderer's prison cell with flowers and scented notes will have many imitators Vv^ho will seek to save Germany, the international rapist and murderer, from just punishment for its crimes. Millions of men have been killed, murdered, because of Ger- many's fight to conquer the world ; hundreds of thousands of women have been outraged by her brutal officers and privates ; innocent babies have died in numbers too great to be recorded ; fathers and mothers and wives have gone to untimely graves in the awful agony of suffering through the sufferings of their loved ones. But weak-minded denegerates, men and women, led by Germany's lecherous traitors to America and to civiliza- tion, will struggle to save Germany from defeat and punish- ment. Let such people be branded now as the accomplices of the rapists and the murderers, the favored friends of barbarism run rampant; and let every honest woman and decent man forever shun and ostracize every degenerate man or woman who under the false cry of peace joins in the effort to save Germany from paying the full penalty of its Hell-born and Hell-guided work. Published In Manufacturers Record, August 16, 1917. 20 Keep Everything From Neutrals Which Could Strengthen Germany Every bushel of food, every pound of cotton, every ton of iron that we sell to neutrals in Europe helps to lengthen the war and to bring death to American soldiers. It is not our place to be concerned as to the suffering of these neutrals. Most of them have contributed liberally to Germany's suc- cess by selling to Germany the stuff that has been bought from us, or using the stuff bought from us and selling their own stuff to Germany — simply another way of "beating the devil around the stump." Southern cottonseed-oil cake has been used to fatten the livestock of Holland in order that the livestock might be shipped by thousands into Germany. It is true that the Hol- land buyers did not ship the cottonseed into Germany, but they shipped the cattle fattened on this cottonseed cake. If we are to realize the full magnitude of the war in which we are engaged, we must rigorously, regardless of the indi- vidual losses of shippers in this country, cut out all supplies to the neutrals which can by any manner of means be shipped through them to Germany or be made to take the place in these neutral countries of local stuff which they ship to Germany. We have not enough food for ourselves, and our allies are in danger of starvation. In the meantime there are fifty or more Dutch ships in New York and Balti- more harbors loaded to the gunwales with grain nominally intended for the neutrals, but the evident destination of which would be Germany, either directly or indirectly. It is well that these ships have been temporarily held up by the Government. They should be held up permanently and not a bushel of this stuff be allowed to go to these neu- tral countries. Every bushel that we send to them is help- ing to bring death to more of our soldiers than would other- wise be necessary. We trust that President Wilson will wisely insist upon entirely cutting out of our exports to neutral countries everything which by any manner of means can be utilized Published In Manufacturers Record, August 16, 1917. 21 for the benefit of Germany, whether it be food, cotton or iron and steel. The most rigorous embargo on all of these products, regardless of the effect upon individuals in this country, must be enforced. Suppress German Printed Papers in This Country The editor of a German paper published in Little Rock has been arrested on the charge that he has been publishing what is practically seditious matter. Mr. W. H. Rector, Assistant District Attorney, in referring to the arrest, said : Alien enemies must realize that they are allowed their liberties by the grace of this Goverinment. They must obey its laws or forfeit the privileges which have been accorded them. The expression of disloyal sentiments will not be tolerated, and the firm hand of the law will take in charge those who undertake to interfere in any way with the operations of the United States in the war. Any effort by alien enemies to take advantage of their residence here will prove highly disastrous to themselves and likely cause much embarrassment to their fellow-countrymen. I want to say a word to those Americans, native or naturalized, who give voice to disloyal expressions. They are unworthy of the sacred rights of citizenship and deserve the contempt of all. They are tread- ing upon thin ice, and sooner or later will find themselves in serious trouble. Recent Federal legislation will make it an easy matter to punish many such persons, and the laws are going to be enforced to the letter. Treasonable utterances will result in prompt arrests, vig- orous prosecutions and severe punishments. The prompt action of the Government in the Oklahoma anti-draft uprising is indicative of the policy which will be pursued against all who array themselves against the nation. It is to be hoped that the statements made by Mr. Rector are correct, and that the traitorous work of the many traitors who are to be found in all parts of this country will be promptly suppressed. One way to suppress this is im- mediately to suppress all German papers, or compel them to be printed in English. It is an unspeakable outrage that these papers can continue to fill their columns with denun- ciation of the United States and the Allies, upholding Published in Manufacturers Record, August IG, 1917. 22 Germany in its campaign of murder, and thus planting in this country more and more the seed of sedition. The only outcome of a continuance of this situation will be the devel- opment in the United States of a spirit of hostility which will turn loose in mob rule and riot against everything which is German or pro-German unless pro-Germans learn more sense, and learn it very rapidly, or unless the United States Government immediately undertakes to suppress all pro-German activities. The failure of the Government to suppress with a rigor- ous hand the work of pro-Germans will inevitably be fol- lowed by a rising spirit of bitterness which will take the law into its own hands to the discredit of the country and the injury of many not responsible for the work of some pro- Germans. Americans will not much longer permit the un- bridled license of these enemies at home, and if the Govern- ment does not suppress them, the mob spirit will destroy them, and every lover of law and order will regret to see work done in the latter way. Pro-German Activities in Congress and in Labor Agitation Endanger the Nation We wish we could believe with President Wilson that this country has nothing to fear from the lack of patriotism on the part of people of German descent, but we fear he has made as serious a mistake in his statement as many made months after the European war began when they insisted that there was no reason for any special naval or army pre- paredness on our part. Later on President Wilson, among others, saw a new and great light, and to his everlasting credit, be it said, he has during the last four or five months worked with an energy that has known no hour of rest to get the country in shape to meet the war upon which we have entered. When President Wilson expresses unreservedly his confi- dence in the integrity and patriotism of people of German descent living in the United States, we fear he is basing his Published In Manufacturers Record, August 9, 1917. 23 theory or his hope on a foundation more unsubstantial than sand. In every direction there are evidences that German- Americans are doing their utmost, many secretly and some openly, to antagonize the United States and to uphold Ger- many. Every pro-German thus engaged is directly, to the extent of his ability, whatever may be his position, however high or low, co-operating to murder American soldiers, and we cannot afford, if we would save the men who are being sent out to fight for civilization, to permit them thus to be murdered in cold blood through the traitorous acts of the many traitors who curse this country by their presence. For the good, decent people of German descent living in America who, like Mr. Otto H. Kahn, head of the great banking house of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., whom we lately quoted as hating with intense loathing the spirit which dominates Germany, though he still loves the Germany of old, the Manufacturers Record has great sympathy and apprecia- tion. But for every German-American who places before the welfare of this country the spirit of Evil which rules Germany we can have only that righteous hatred which is justified against murderers and the co-workers with mur- derers. There are evidences all over this country that German spies and German-Americans are increasing their activities in the interest of Germany, and surely President Wilson must be ill-informed by those around him if he does not recognize the dangers which we face from these activities. In coal-mining, in iron and steel and in other industries there is a spirit of unrest and hostility and strikes, due al- most, if not entirely, to the work of pro-Germans. The Alabama Coal Operators' Association, which is facing the possibility of a coal strike, and at a time when every ton of coal that can be mined is needed, in an announcement to the public as to the influences at work to bring about a strike in Alabama, says : Whether the mines be worked closed shop or open shop, union or non-union, the agitators have succeeded in closing the mines, some for a short time and some for a long time. The troubles have been especially acute where the Austrian and other Germanic allies have been in the majority. In one district in Pennsylvania within the last few days 24 thirteen organizers were started out and twelve of them were for- eigners. This agitation and disturbance of business relations between the coal operators and the miners has been so helpful to the enemies of the United States that it is openly charged, and quite generally- believed, that there is German money back of many of the troubles. * * * We charge that the leaders and the paid foreign agitators not only are serving the enemies of the United States in forcing the stoppage of work in this district, but that those leaders who live in this district have been untrue to their home people in forcing and aiding the deportation of needed labor from the industries here, and that both the home leaders and the paid foreign agitators are untrue to their country in their effort to transport from this district 25,000 men to help the manufacturers and coal operators of the North. * * * The fact that the marching in Walker county last Sunday was led by a German who up to the time of the declaration of war between this country and Germany was a non-union man is not, to our minds, an evidence that all of the men who followed him did so from the same motives that actuated him, but it shows how easily it is to be led by an enemy of the United States in doing that which is certainly an unpatriotic act. It is well known that many of the German-American papers in this country are preaching treason, and the Gov- ernment is failing in its responsibility to its soldiers when it fails to suppress these papers or compel them to be printed in English in order that the general public may know exactly what they are saying. We would not for a moment deny that there are many German- Americans thor- oughly sincere in their loyalty to this country, but, unfortu- nately, unless they stand out conspicuously and make their voices heard in behalf of the United States they must suffer the discredit of the evil done by others. Congress is full of pro-German activities. There are men in Congress today who are striving to save Germany from defeat and who would rejoice in the defeat of the United States in order that Germany might be the victor. Their actions are endangering the lives of our soldiers and of the people of this country. There are many who are striving to develop the thought of peace in order to save Germany from its well-deserved punishment for the unspeakable crimes which have marred the history of the last three years. These facts are patent to everybody, and while it is right that President Wilson should give hearty encouragement to 25 any thoroughgoing, whole-souled, patriotic German-Ameri- can whenever he can be found, he must, as the head of this Government, recognize the danger of German activities in this country and the struggle which pro-Germans are mak- ing in every part of the country to embarrass the industrial and agricultural activities and the naval and war prepared- ness measures. Back of the movement in the Senate and the House to hold up much-needed legislation, which President Wilson has been so vigorously and righteously demanding, have been these pro-German influences. Back of the effort to create the impression that American soldiers cannot be sent abroad are pro-German influences. The men guilty of this work are traitors to the world's civilization as well as trait- ors to their own country. No language is adequate to de- scribe them. Posing as Americans, they are tied, by some unseen but strong force which can easily be suspected if not proven, to Germany in its effort to dominate Europe and eventually to dominate this country. President Wilson cannot afford to smooth things over or fail to appreciate the serious danger from these pro-Ger- man activities. Too many men working in the interest of Germany and too many quietly but aggressively co-operating with Germany against the United States are at large. We need more jails and penitentiaries or internment camps for these people, and we need a prompt use of the firing squad, for this is not a war in which we can take any chances. It is not child's play, but it is a war in which every wrong move made by us or any failure on our part to throttle Germany in Europe and throttle pro-Germans in this country means the death of American soldiers, the loved ones of American fathers and mothers. It is up to the people of Alabama to see that pro-German activities do not dominate the coal-mining interests of that State. This is not primarily a contest between union and non-union labor ; it is not a contest for wages, for wages are already at the highest point ever reached. This is entirely in its essence a contest between Americanism and German- ism; between people of this country in their struggle to increase the output of coal and iron and steel and the pro- 26 Germans who in every way possible are seeking to decrease the output of these materials. Wherever pro-Germans can bring on a strike, however specious may be the plea; wherever they can increase drunkenness in order to lessen efficiency, wherever they can play upon the ignorance of the less intelligent negroes and uneducated white laborers, wherever they can do any of the work of deviltry which has been so well taught in Germany and from Germany, we will be certain to see it. The fact that a German was the leader in a march of Ala- bama coal miners who are threatening to strike is only in keeping with the curse of this influence in every direction. But usually the pro-Germans are keeping in the background and using underhanded ways of creating trouble without themselves appearing at the front. Alabama has a great opportunity to show its American- ism by preventing a strike, or, if a strike is forced by the coal miners, Alabama should see that the law is so rigidly enforced that every man who wants to work is protected — if every man who seeks by force to prevent his working is "shot on the spot." No parleying, no dilatory tactics, no political play of weak-minded men will avail in this hour. If Alabama will handle this threatened strike, brought on by pro-German influences, as it should be handled, it will set an example to the nation. This is not a question of unionized labor, but of Germanized labor. The Manufacturers Record has always been an advo- cate of the broadest and most liberal treatment of work- men. It has believed in giving them the highest wages pos- sible. It has believed that humanity as well as efficiency demands the best conditions for labor, and it does not in the slightest lessen its persistent teaching in this direction. But it does insist that the safety of the nation must not be endangered and American soldiers made to die because of pro-German activities in bringing on strikes. Alabama soldiers, far greater in number than the total number of miners in the State, will be called to the colors, . and most of them will probably have to face the fearful bat- tles of Europe. Every day's delay in producing coal and iron and steel through this labor agitation in Alabama will 27 lessen the strength of the country to save these Alabama soldiers from death, and will strengthen the forces of hell let loose in Germany to destroy our men. Where will Alabama stand? The soldier must work, even when not in battle and merely in training, from about 5 o'clock in the morning until late in the evening. There is no thought of an eight- hour or a ten-hour day with him, and when m the battle, fighting for the life and the womanhood of the labormg man, as well as of all others, he must fight as long as power to stand exists, regardless of the hours ; and though he may see his comrades torn and shattered all around him, he must keep on fighting. But some laboring men, under pro-Ger- man influences, are demanding an eight-hour day. Every man who demands a limitation of his work to eight hours is abetting Germany. Every man who is not willing to work as the soldier works should be conscripted, regardless of age or of family responsibilities, and sent to share the fate of the soldier, and in this way be made to learn the respon- sibility of living in these times. Our Stupid Leniency in Dealing With German Spies, Men and Women A dispatch from Washington states that every German citizen in the United States is now being watched by reason of the fact that it has been proven that spies are in all parts of the country, and are supposed to be operating even in the offices of the National Government. How intelligent men in this country could have so long been ignorant on this point we do not understand. The his- tory of German activities in England and France and Can- ada should have been sufficient to put our own people on guard. For good, honest-hearted Germans and people of German descent living in this country, but hating Kaiserism and this war, the Manufacturers Record has the profoundest sympathy; but, unfortunately, they have to suffer because Published in Manufacturers Record, July 12, 1917. 28 of the guilt of other Germans and so-called pro-German Americans. Any man or woman living in this country who is now a pro-German in sentiment is unfit to bear the name American. In this dispatch it is stated that the President has been loath to take drastic action against alien Germans in the United States to restrain them. In this President Wilson has made a serious mistake. They should be restrained. We are in war. We are not engaged in diplomatic corre- spondence. We are at war with an enemy desperate and determined, which has for fifty years been training for the present situation. We are in a war which will tax every power of our nation to win, and failure to take drastic action against the alien Germans in this country means the death of many an American soldier and sailor. It may be hard to deal in drastic ways with these alien Germans, but the lives of our people are at stake, and the life of our nation as well. More- over, there are many men and women of German descent, claiming to be Americans, who are ready at any moment to betray this country, and they should be as drastically re- strained as the rankest German alien. In this Washington dispatch it is said : It is understood here that women — young and pretty women — have been the most successful of the German agents in this country. It is learned that the Department of Justice has under suspicion a number of young women who pose as students, social leaders and even invalids. These women are believed to have been largely responsible for much of the information which has gone out of this country. It should not have been a surprise to Washington that women are acting as spies for Germany. If our officials had followed the situation in Canada they would have known that women of high social and financial standing were the worst German spies with which Canada had to deal. It was discovered early in the war that everything done in Canada was soon known to German officials in the United States. The censorship of the mail and the telegraph and the watch- ing of known German men brought no clue to the Canadian Secret Service men as to how German officials in the United 29 States were getting this information. It was later, how- ever, discovered that many German women, or women of German antecedents, standing high in the social and finan- cial circles of Canada, were making an unusually large num- ber of trips to New York. No one had suspected them up to that time of being in any way co-operating to betray Canada to Germany, but investigation developed the fact that these women secured information about Canadian affairs which no other spies could have gathered. Moreover, the informa- tion gathered by male spies was given to them and through them transmitted verbally to German officials in the United States. They did not dare trust the mail or the telegraph, and so these women, traveling back and forth from Canada to New York apparently on social visits to friends, were the means of conveying a vast amount of information. If this fact is not known to the officials of our Govern- ment, it only shows that we have not kept up with what people in Canada have known for the last two years. It became necessary to take drastic steps to break up this woman spy system operating in Canada for the -benefit of Germany. We venture to say that the statement made in the dispatch from Washington that women are operating in this country is true, and true to a far greater extent than even the Department of Justice would be willing to admit. These spies are all over the land. They are posing as honest people. They are operating in schools, in social circles, in churches and wherever it is possible for them to secure any information of value to the German Government. We have been living in a fool's paradise, and in the last two or three years as a nation we have done more fool things and left undone more things that we should have done than any other great country in the world's history has ever been guilty of. We hardly deserve to succeed, for we have failed completely to measure up during the last two years to the responsibility that has been upon us to get ready for this hour, for every intelligent man in the country should have known that this hour was inevitable. 30 No Peace With Unrepentant Murderers and Rapists A man who condones a felony is himself guilty. The man who for the sake of peace permits unbridled sin to run ram- pant is a co-partner with the sinner. The community which for the sake of peace and the sav- ing, perhaps, of some lives in the effort to suppress mur- derers and rapists, permits them to go scot free in order that there may be no possibility of death of the defenders of law and order, would be spurned by decent men throughout all civilization. There are times when none but the most despicable cow- ard, with a soul shrunken until it has no resemblance to the Creator in Whose image it was made, will be willing to make peace. Life is a precious treasure, but life allied to unspeakable crime could only be unspeakable woe to a good man. Life in the shadow of dishonor, individual and national, or life where a man had refused to face dangers in order to save women and children, would be without value. The coward who dares not risk his own life when by doing so he might save another life has little of the Divine of manhood in him. For three years all civilization has been outraged by a barbarism such as the world had not known. It is scarcely conceivable that amid the dark ages of the past, when the Huns of old at their banquet tables drank from the skulls of the enemies whom they had killed, could men have been guilty of more atrocious crimes against women and children, against honor, private and national ; against all that is sup- posed to have ennobled man since the day when the breath of the Almighty was breathed into him than the Germans of today. For three long, weary years the world has been suffering an agony such as the angels of Heaven never looked upon before. For three long years men have given their lives as a sac- rifice upon the altar of civilization in full recognition of the Published In Manufacturers Record, August 9, 1917. 31 Divine statement that "greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for friends." And now, after all these years of suffering and agony, of world misery which no human tongue can ever describe, which no human hand can ever paint, the barbaric and ruth- less outlaw of the world seeks to find a way to keep its ill- gotten gains, to save its royal murderers from the gallows or the firing squad, and talks of peace. The very suggestion of peace with such unspeakable criminals would disgrace the individual or the nation that dared to consider the discussion of the terms of peace with such a country, except that country had unconditionally sur- rendered and left to the victors the right to decide the fate of the royal murderers and outragers who are responsible for these years of untellable and voiceless woe. May God pity — if God can pity such cowardice — any indi- vidual or any nation that would be willing, for the sake of peace, to parley terms with such crimes ! Vain would be all the work of civilization ; vain would be all the blood shed by the soldiers of civilization on the battle- fields of Europe; vain would be the heroism of the millions who have died that civilization might live and women and children be saved, and vain would be all the teachings of all the ages if this nation should for a moment give considera- tion to the effort of Germany to create a desire for peace on its terms. Shall these dead have died in vain? Shall the millions and the tens of millions of widows and orphans and loved ones, whose agony has been beyond all description, be without avail in this crucial time, which will settle the question as to whether civilization shall exist or die? This is not simply a fight "to make the world safe for democracy." This is a fight to save even the semblance of civilization, to save womanhood and childhood and manhood from the ruthless savagery of barbarism. Civilization might exist without democracy, but civ- ilization could not exist, nor could there ever again be, for centuries to come, a true conception of the responsi- 3^ bility of man to stand for civilization and, if necessary, to die for God and the right if we should now heed Germany's offer to parley for peace terms. Better that you and I and every other man in this country shall fight the good fight unto death than that we should, as a nation, be recreant to God and to humanity. Because of the effort that Germany is making to create a thought of peace on Germany's terms we print elsewhere in this issue extracts from editorials on this situation, showing the view taken by many decent, self-respecting American papers. The Soldiers' Question: "We Have Given Ourselves. What Will You Give?" To a group of New York's leading bankers a leading worker for the Young Men's Christian Association, who had been in the trenches and seen the heroism of the soldiers, and who had learned to appreciate the marvelous consecra- tion of these men as they offered their lives in the great battle for civilization, said : "In the light of what I have seen of self-sacrifice, of hero- ism, there is not one of you in this room worthy to blacken the shoes of the men who are in the trenches." This was said to a group of men of the highest morality, of a patriotism which has led the nation, of broad generosity in giving to the work of the Red Cross and the Young Men's Christian Association and kindred interests, and giving not by thousands, but by millions. It was not an exaggerated statement, but it was made for the purpose of trying to im- press upon these great bankers that the man who gives only of his money, even though he gives deeply of his principal, is giving less than the men who are so willingly giving their lives. The superb sacrifice of 7,000,000 men whose bodies have already covered the battlefields of Europe, while mil- lions of wounded have suffered untold agonies on the battle- fields and in hospitals, calls the world as nothing else in all human history of the last nineteen centuries to sacrifice that it may serve. Published in Manufacturers Record, July 19, 1917. 33 The man or woman who, facing the awful realities of this war, can move along in his or her accustomed way, seeking to accumulate money, or to pass his or her time in the pleas- ures or the frivolities or even the usual routine of duties, has not at all grasped the significance of the agony and tragedy through which the world is passing. Some thousands of American soldiers have already landed in France, and other thousands, and hundreds of thousands and millions will have to follow. These men are not at all unmindful of the reality of the struggle upon which they are entering. Each one knows full well that he is offering his life ; and if perchance he be saved to return to his loved ones, comrades all around him and by his side he knows will die. Each man realizes fully that he is going into a war for service. These men are not going from any thoughtless desire for adventure ; they are not going without a full un- derstanding of what is meant to lie in the trenches day after day and night after night, and crawl out over the trenches to and through the barbed wires and struggle in a great death grapple. These things are before them, and yet they go forward with a courage which should stir every latent quality of good in every human heart. Before such men those who cannot go should stand with uncovered heads and bemoan the fate that makes it necessary for them to be saved by the sacrifice of the lives of others. These are the living realities, the verities, of this hour. They call in thunder tones to the nation. They call to every human heart to honor the soldiers and the sailors ; to throw around them every possible safeguard to protect them from every temptation ; to make their task as light as possible ; to furnish every comfort and convenience; to lighten their work and lessen their sorrows; to provide the means for their healthful enjoyment around every camp, and to banish from every camp the accursed liquor traffic and all the evils which follow; to provide the nurses and the stretcher- bearers, and the physicians, and the hospitals which may minister unto them in hours of agony ; to provide the facili- ties for the training of the body and mind afforded by the Young Men's Christian Association in every camp. For these things the American people must work whole- 34 heartedly, with an enthusiasm which matches that of the men in the battle line. Out of the nation's work and the wealth that may be accumulated therefrom must be poured to the fullest limit the money needed for these things. A few weeks ago Maryland troops on a parade in the in- terest of the Liberty Loan carried a banner on which was inscribed : "We have given ourselves. What will you give?" That is the question which the life of every soldier puts before every man and woman in this country. What will you give to the men who are giving their lives ? What service will you render to them to lessen their bur- dens, to lighten their homesickness, to soften their agony on the battlefield, to save their bodies and to save their souls? What answer will the American people give to the question "We have given ourselves; what will you give?" Germany Three Years Ago and Today Three years ago Germany was rejoicing in abounding prosperity. Its commerce encircled the globe ; its industrial activity was the wonder and admiration of all nations; its scientists ranked among the world's foremost leaders in achievements ; its people were honored by the whole world, even though some of their peculiarities caused many thoughtful men to regard with some degree of fear the future of a country where the teaching that "might makes right" had been sapping the moral strength of the nation. It was not realized, however, that the microbe of this disease had so thoroughly penetrated the whole body of German life as to have made it rotten to the core. Outwardly Germany was fair to look upon, and until the fearful day when Kaiser Wilhelm and his followers un- loosed the spirit of Evil upon the world, Germany ranked among the greatest and most honored nations on earth. Today, Germany is not merely hated, it is regarded with the most supreme contempt and loathing by every right- thinking man on earth. Published In Alanufacturers Record, August 2, 1017. 35 Germany, the once rich and progressive country, is today staggering beneath a load of indebtedness which bids fair to wreck and ruin the Government and the people of that land and of Austria as well. From a country of civilization, Germany has become a country of barbarism. From a land of prosperity, it has become a land of almost endless poverty, where woe and want and gaunt hunger are everywhere in evidence. Millions of its ablest men are dead. Every family throughout its borders has suffered the agony of the three years of its hell-born, unjustifiable war. The very flower of its life, the men whose abilities would have carried Germany to still greater world pre-eminence in commerce and industry, have, with their bodies, fattened the fields of Belgium and France and other countries. It was left to Germany to lead the world in murder on the high seas, in the outraging of women and in the murder of women and children with its hell-bom work of dropping destructive bombs on unfortified cities from the air. It was left to Germany to make the submarine a crime unspeakable in its atrocity against the world. It was left to Germany to write on the pages of history the blackest stains that ever marked the history of mankind. Hundreds of millions of people in the Allied countries, as in neutral countries, will, for generations to come, look upon the crimes committed by German soldiers with a loathing which no human words can express. From its high estate of esteem and prosperity three years ago Germany has fallen to the lowest depth of human degra- dation. And for what? In order that Kaiser Wilhelm and the military spirit of evil which surrounds him might de- stroy democracy and on its grave build a world domination of autocracy. In all the experience of mankind there is nothing with which to compare the record of Germany's descent from civilization into barbarism, from prosperity into woe and want, from the abounding healthfulness of its people into the awful toll of death and suffering and sadness which, like a pall of darkness, spreads over the land ; from its high place 36 in the world's esteem to the loathing with which it is now regarded by the world. In all the record of human history there has been nothing to match the fearful crimes committed in behalf of Prussian militarism, and Germany, like all others guilty of unre- pented sin, shall yet learn that its sins shall find it out and it shall yet pay the fearful penalty of the unspeakable crimes which have stained its course beyond the combined crimes of all other countries of all other ages. On August 6, 1914, at the very beginning of this war, the Manufacturers Record said : "Humanity may be staggered by the horrors of Europe's war, but civilization will not be destroyed. Millions of men and billions of treasure may be lost in this devilish work; thrones may totter and new maps of Europe may be neces- sary before the end is reached; but mankind will, on the wreck of these ruins, build a better civilizaztion — one in which the people, and not a few unscrupulous men who feel that they have been Divinely appointed, will rule." Despite all of the power for evil which Germany has been able to muster, we have an abiding faith in the overruling providence of Almighty God that Germany shall be con- quered and made to pay, as far as it is possible for human beings in this world to atone for sin, for all the fearful crimes and all the misery, all the death and all the sorrows and all the money loss of the last three years. Civilization would indeed be a failure if this should not prove to be the case. Suppress the Traitors, Open and Secret Alike All that this nation holds dear in life, in womanhood, in liberty, in the sacredness of homes, in religion, in business, in government, is at stake, and the danger is terribly great. Every potentiality of the nation will be needed to save our- selves from complete destruction, and destruction as ruth- less, as frightful as that of Belgium. Indeed, the bitterness of Germany against us would result in even more fearful Published In Manufacturers Record, June 28, 1917. 37 conditions here than existed in Belgium if Germany, through the destruction of France and England, were able to land on our shores through Canada and turn this land into a condition which would make General Sherman, if he were alive, apologize to Hell for speaking of war as hell. These are not overdrawn statements. They are not fig- ments of an overheated brain. They merely express in sober language what every man in this country who has had the opportunity to look on the inside of things during the last two years knows to be the case. Facing this situation with a determination to win, regardless of the cost — and win we shall — we are permitting ourselves to be handicapped, in- deed, our country to be betrayed, by the traitors, open and secret, who in every possible way are trying to foment trouble in our own land. Some German-American papers are openly and aggressively fighting the United States and encouraging pro-Germans of this country. Even in Con- gress there are men who are still so pro-German in senti- ment that they would apparently be willing to sell their nation rather than see Germany defeated. There are some millions of pro-Germans in this country. Fortunately, many other Germans and those of German de- scent are honest, true-hearted men and women and are ready to stand by this, their own land, as against Germany. To them all honor. But there are some millions of Germans who are not citizens, and of citizens who are of German descent, but who would stab the country in the back, would welcome to our shores the invading hosts of Germany's army of beasts and brutes and rejoice in the privilege of heralding themselves to this incoming army as friends of Germany. These men and women who uphold Germany's murderous campaign are themselves co-partners in the vilest work that has ever been done on earth. Every man or woman who upholds Germany in its cam- paign of ruthless savagery and outrage is himself or herself steeped in sin with a heart as black as thaT; of the murderer and the outrager. We need not attempt to hide these facts from ourselves, nor, like the ostrich, bury our head in the sand and refuse to see them. There are going up and down this land, uncon- 38 trolled by the Government, some millions of enemies who are as ready in every way possible to embarrass this country and aid Germany as are the ruthless murderers on the sub- marines who seek to send to the ocean's depths the innocent women and children on torpedoed ships, and as are the men in the armies invading France and Belgium, whose record is the blackest in all the pages of human history. Accustomed as we have been in this country to deal leniently with agitators and those who fight the Govern- ment, we are making it by the present leniency absolutely certain that your son, or your neighbor's son, or other loved one, by the tens of thousands, must die on the battlefields because of the work of these pro-Germans in this country. Their work lessens the strength and power of this Govern- ment and strengthens the arms of Germany as it seeks to overrun the world. Some of these pro-German newspapers reek with the rottenness of their defense of Germany and their denunciation of the people and the Government of this country ; and yet the Government permits them to go on in their shameless, traitorous fight against the nation, and be- cause this is permitted, thousands and tens of thousands of the very flower of this country will have to die by reason of the work of these pro-Germans and the pro-German papers, and because of our failure to make it impossible for such pro-German activities to continue. We have been accus- tomed so long to our easy ways that we have overlooked this situation, and we have let the pro-German overrun the coun- try at large, planting wherever possible their seeds of death. We have been told that we must not go into this war with any spirit of hate. When your son loses his life because of Kaiser Wilhelm's murderous campaign and of the activities of the pro-Germans in this country, must you love the Satanic power that doomed him to death? We do not so interpret the teachings of the Almighty. Must you stand idle while the ravisher and the murderer enters your house and make no effort, with holy wrath, to destroy them ere they destroy your family? Cursed for- ever in this world and the next would be such a coward. The people of this country must open their eyes to this situation. They must cut loose from every social and family 39 and business tie of the pro-German, it matters not how poor or how rich, how high or low he or she may stand. Those who are favoring Germany are favoring open murder and outrages upon the innocent, and those who favor the ones who favor these things are themselves participators in this guilt. There is no middle ground. There is no basis for compromise. The law condemns the traitor and also the one who hears a traitorous expression and does not report it to the Government officials. He who fails to report any traitorous expression is, according to law, himself a traitor, and is liable to punishment as a traitor. This must be driven home into the hearts of the people until they are aroused to the realization of this last great world fight upon which we have entered — a fight upon the success of which depends the safety of every woman and child in America as well as in other lands. There is no story that has ever been told about Germany's atrocities that is one-half so bad as the reality. If the civil authorities will not take measures to suppress these pro-Germans and to intern or imprison every one in any way whatever guilty of pro-German act or speech and control the movements of every German in the country who is not naturalized, then we shall need martial law through- out the land in order that the military authorities may do what they know is essential to our safety. More Drastic Control of Pro-German Activities Needed German spies infest this country from end to end. Pro- Germans, some claiming American citizenship, and many who are not citizens, all the way from Government circles in Washington to the farthest stretch of the nation's life, are active in their work in behalf of Germany and against the United States. This means that they are working in hearty co-operation with the most unspeakable crimes which have ever marred the record of mankind. It means that they are co-operating with the forces of Evil, whose march through Belgium and France has been over the out- Published In Manufacturers Record, August 9, 1917. 40 raged bodies of women and the murdered bodies of innocent children. The life of our nation is at stake because of these pro- German activities to be found in the United States Senate, to be found here and there in the pulpit, in the editorship of German papers published in this country, and even of some papers claiming to be American in spirit, but heartily co-operating with the forces that Satan has unloosed through Germany. The Industrial Workers of the World, one of the worst organizations which the world has known, is using its ut- most power to halt the progress of this nation in preparing for war. It is seeking to retard the development of the things needed for war, to make impossible the gathering of crops which have been produced, and, according to reports from the West, it is "spiking" some of the best timber of that section, in order to keep it from being used in the con- struction of ships. No act, however vile, is too vile for this organization, working in co-operation with and at the be- hest of Germany and its spies. In the Senate of the United States are to be found a num- ber of men who are openly seeking to betray their country, and who would far more appropriately stand before a firing squad than stand in the Senate fighting the efforts of Presi- dent Wilson as he struggles to fight the battle for our very existence. The country is full of these efforts and pro-German activ- ities to embarrass this country, to create uncertainty, to retard progress and to hamstring the country as after years of waiting we come to the crucial point and find that there is no safety for the women of this country, no safety for its democracy and no safety for its very existence as a nation except through the downfall of the power that is seeking to overrun us and the world. Nevertheless, in the light of all these facts, known in Washington, no vigorous efforts adequate to the hour are being made to suppress these pro-German activities or to intern those guilty of them and to intern all pro-German sympathizers, whether they be American citizens or Ger- man citizens. It is merely a question as to whether this coun- 41 try or Germany is to live, whether civilization as we know it shall continue to exist on earth or whether the barbarism which Germany flaunts before the world shall rule us as well as the rest of the world. We need not for a moment imagine that we are any safer than England and France thirty-seven months ago thought they were. Who was there in all of England, or, in fact, in all of the world, who just a little over three years ago could in the wildest of his dreaming have imagined that England's life was at stake, and that for three years England and France and Belgium would be draining their life blood in order to save themselves from utter destruction ? Who is there who three years ago would have counted it possible for Germany to continue to increase its strength and its resources until it occupies today with its soldiers a territory half as great as that of the United States, with 175,000,000 people or more directly under its domination and subject to its orders? And yet these are the things which we have lived to see, and men are still to be found here and there who blindly refuse to see that unless on the battle line of Europe Ger- many through our aid can be destroyed, Germany will over- run us and we shall have to pay with our lives and our souls and our honor the full limit of Germany's demands, which would be the nation itself and the destruction of the woman- hood of the nation ere Germany's hatred and lust would be appeased. Is it not possible, in the light of these facts, for the Ad- ministration to carry out the suggestion recently made by the Manufacturers Record, that a Department of Safety be created and at the head of it Theodore Roosevelt be placed for the express purpose of handling this internal sit- uation in connection with Germans and pro-Germans ? Every man in America, whether he has any personal esteem for Colonel Roosevelt or not — even his enemies, and he has many of them — would recognize that his appointment meant that there would be no fooling and no trifling in a matter of such vital interest to the country. The Pro-Ger- mans and the Germans would know that their personal lib- 42 erty, and perchance their very lives, would depend upon good behavior, and the country would know that, whatever mistakes Roosevelt may have made, he would bring to the task a far-seeing vision of the situation and perfect compre- hension of the danger and a mental and physical activity which is the marvel of the age and a courage which never falters. The Manufacturers Record has never hesitated to criticise Colonel Roosevelt when it felt that criticism was needed, and this has been often. But we believe that here is an opportunity for the nation to get the benefit of his unusual abilities, his amazing activity and his full compre- hension of the whole situation. Unless something of this kind is done we shall soon see many repetitions of the lynching of an Industrial Worker of the World leader in the West last week. The people of this country are determined that its welfare shall not be sacrificed by pro-German activities right here at home, and every day which the Government delays in dominating the situation will hasten the day when there will be outbursts against pro-Germans and Germans which will cause suffer- ing to the innocent as well as to the guilty. It will be infi- nitely better to control the situation by law than to wait until the mob spirit breaks loose in the land and endangers the life of every pro-German, wherever he may be found, and that will be the inevitable outcome of continued inac- tivity on the part of the Government in handling this situa- tion. Be Not Deceived by Germany's Peace Talk Do not be deceived. Germany will put forth many rumors in regard to peace, hoping thereby to create throughout the world an impression that she wants peace, and thus throw upon this country and the Allies the burden of blame if we do not accept Germany's peace moves. That is the game, and that has been the game of Germany for many months. Published In Manufacturers Record, July 19, 1917. 43 Moreover, Germany will fill the world with stories about its inability to continue the war, or, at least, such rumors will percolate through the world from German sources for the express purpose of causing this country to halt in its war preparations. Do not believe anything Germany says until she has unconditionally surrendered. The great game of seeking to deceive us and our Allies will be played to the utmost extent of the power of German diplomacy. We will be asked to walk into the parlor of the spider. If we accept the invitation, we will, like the guile- less fly, be promptly absorbed by the spider. When Germany really reaches the limit of its fighting ability — and it has not by any manner of means reached that yet — there will be a tremendous effort to bring about peace on the basis of saving Kaiser Wilhelm and his co- workers in the world's greatest campaign of murder. When Germany reaches this point it will struggle for peace, or Kaiser Wilhelm and his followers will, hoping thereby to be permitted to deal with the United States and the Allies around a peace table where no suggestion would be brought up for consideration of the utter destruction of Hohenzol- lernism and the condemnation to death or to some other even more severe punishment to be meted out to the leaders in this world-murdering campaign. Efforts will be made to bring about peace proposals be- fore Germany has been compelled to surrender uncondi- tionally. But if we do not take into account the necessity of compelling an unconditional surrender and then fix the peace terms based on the awful war upon civilization, upon the millions who have died because of Germany's war and the hundreds of millions who have suffered in anguish be- cause of the inhumanity of Germany, we shall be recreant to our responsibilities for the centuries to come. The individual, the community or the country which, for the sake of ease and comfort and peace, surrenders to law- breakers and murderers the right to set the terms on which they are willing to stop their murdering without any punish- 44 ment for the past would justly be doomed to eternal ruin, and that would be our just fate if we should be misled by Permany's efforts to secure peace without punishment for its misdeeds, and without indemnity for the awful cost in money which has been brought upon the world. There should be no peace except based on the full punish- ment — the penalty of death or a convict's life in stripes on the highways — of those who have been guilty of bringing on the war and of furthering its atrocities, and until Ger- many has been compelled to assume a burden of indemnity commensurate with the limit of its ability for generations to come to pay, until Belgium has been completely restored to the extent that money can be made to do it, until Alsace and Lorraine have been returned to France and France paid for the awful cost in men and money which it has had to bear because of Germany's atrocious war, and until other coun- tries have been restored and other nations have had their burdens of debt amply protected by Germany's indemnity. No maudlin sentiment should be permitted to control us for peace on any other terms. So far as this country is con- cerned. President Wilson stated that we neither sought in- demnities nor any other material advantage, but we have a right, from the highest ethical point of view, to demand that Germany shall bear a fair share of the cost of the expenses which we are incurring in this war, and that for every life lost since the Lusitania was sunk Germany shall, to the ut- most extent that money will recompense, indemnify the families of those who have been murdered by her in this campaign, down to the last American who dies in war. Until Germany realizes that the iron band that civiliza- tion is tightening around her means the complete crushing of Kaiserism and the death of those, from the Emperor down, who have been responsible for this war, and until it realizes that through the generations to come Germany must pay the cost to the world, its people will not quite realize the tremendous guilt which rests upon them, for they are trying to measure things on some other basis than on the only basis which the world should consider. 45 Nero a Saint As Compared With Some Who Live in America A tremendous issue is before us. We have been pleading with the country for many months to realize it. But, with eyes bandaged in order to prevent seeing the truth, with ears stopped in order that they might not hear it, the politi- cians in Washington have, for the last two years, been wasting the most priceless time in human history, deaf to the call of the world for rescue from barbarism, and blind to the certain destruction of our own country unless, stand- ing with the Allies, we save them from ruin. Washington has been filled with pro-Germans, the Con- gress of the nation has listened to the speeches of traitors guilty of treason to a degree which ought to have sent them before the firing squad ; the country at large has refused to awaken, and so we have gone on day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year, until now we have reached a point where the danger which confronts us is the greatest in its terrific possibilities ever confronted in the world's history by such a nation. Nero fiddling while Rome burned was a patriotic saint, worthy of the highest admiration of his own generation and of all the generations that have followed, as compared with many of the men in Washington, whose work has not been merely to fiddle in pleasure, but who have been engaged in throwing on the fuel and lighting the torch with which .to burn the nation's life at the stake. And these men are not only the pro-Germans and the traitors whose presence dis- graces Congress, but there have been many others whose narrow vision, whose inability to comprehend facts, has made them, sometimes unintentionally, it is true, co-part- ners with the traitors and with those who have tried to nail the nation to the cross and around it pile the fagots and help to put the torch, that they might around this martyred na- tional life dance with- fiendish glee and prepare to welcome Kaiser Wilhelm and his co-workers fresh from Hell. Published In Manufacturers Record, July 26, 1917. 46 A Prayer of the Defenders, on Land and Sea, of America and of Civilization Almighty Father of infinite love, Thou who didst give Thine only begotten Son to die upon the Cross that men might be saved, we would come unto Thee in this solemn hour and seek Thy guidance and Thy protecting care for our loved ones and for our Nation. Thou, O Christ, who didst give Thy life that men might live, hast taught us that the highest life is in service to others. We feel that Thou art calling us in this, the supreme hour of civilization, to battle for the right, for the welfare of others, and to save millions from being destroyed by the power of evil, and we would not, O Christ, our Saviour, our Leader, refuse to hear and heed Thy command. We heard Thy call, O Thou Almighty Ruler of the Nations, in our country's call to gird ourselves for war and go forth to save mankind, and thus to serve Thee. No hatred, except the hatred of sin and barbarism, fills our hearts. We go not from love of adventure, nor moved by false national pride. We go determined to battle for the right that evil may be destroyed. We realize what this momentous hour means to the whole world, and our hearts are bowed with a sense of responsibility, as to the call of God and of hvmianity, we answer: "Here am I, send me." We are offering our lives in a service which we believe is dear to Thee. O Father of infinite love, be Thou with us. Let Thine ever- lasting arms be about us. Be Thou our guide and our shield. May Thy rod and Thy staff comfort us, and may we fear not, because Thou art with us. Temptations we know will assail us, but help us that we may trust in Thee, O God, for strength to resist evil. Be very near us, O Father Almighty, as we tread the path of duty, and guide us and guard us day by day, that our lives may be clean and pure in Thy sight. If there are any among us who know Thee not, O Christ, our Lord and our Redeemer, we beseech Thee draw them unto Thyself. May their eyes be opened to see Thee; may their ears be unstopped to hear Thy tender voice, and may their hearts be so touched by Divine love as to yield obedience to Thy call. May the camp and the battlefield be unstained by sin. May they indeed become hallowed ground where our lives shall be dedicated to Thy service. But not for ourselves and our comrades alone would we plead with Thee, O Thou prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God. It is for the loved ones that we leave behind that we pray. They will need Thy help. Their sorrow will surpass our sufferings. By day and by night Published in Manufacturers Record, August 9, 1917. 47 they will be bowed with grief at the dangers we may have to face, except that Thou, O Father, shalt give them the comfort which Heaven alone can offer. We pray for them. O Father, Almighty, tender and loving, give them the joy of Thy presence; help them to feel in all its fullness Thy rich grace. Fill their hearts with the Peace of God. Unto Thee would we lift up our hearts in prayer for these dear ones. We know that Thou lovest them far more than we do, for God's love surpasses man's love as the Divine surpasses the human, as eternity surpasses time. Therefore, we commend them, O Father, to Thy tender care, and Thy loving kindness, and we go forth with the joy of knowing that Thou wilt sustain and keep them, and that their health and their lives will be very precious in Thy sight. As Thou workest through human agencies, honor us, O God, by using us as Thy instruments to save the world from the fearful evil which wreaks its vengeance upon innocent women and helpless chil- dren and to bring to all people everywhere religious and civil liberty, that Thy name may be glorified throughout all the world. Let Thy benediction, O God, be upon our Nation. Banish from it all that is unholy. Quicken its people to a new sense of duty to Thee and to mankind. Fill them with the spirit of sacrifice. Teach them that Thou art calling them to some great service in the home, in the factory, on the farm, as Thou art calling us to the battlefield. Awaken everywhere, O Heavenly Father, a deeper sense of the meaning of life, a new consecration of our Nation to Thy service, that the time may be hastened when, through the service and the sacrifices of our country. Thy kingdom shall come and Thy will be done throughout all the earth as it is done in Heaven, and Christ shall reign in every heart. Hear us, O God, in these our pleadings, for we come in the name of Thy blessed Son, our Saviour, lifting up before Thee Thy promise to hear and answer when we come in His name. And now, O Father, keep us pure and clean; keep our lives unspotted that the work which we have been called to do may not be stained by sin; and unto Thy name shall we give praise and honor here and through eternity. ^ * LIBRARY OF cONrpcco ■Pi « vio 465 817 3 HoUi I ■Iffiliiij