Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1917 — FEELS BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY [ARTICLE]

FEELS BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY

Former German Appreciates Citizenship in America. Sir—Although I know from past experiences that that man is the wisest who keeps his ideas and opinions*to himself, yet I deem it my duty to express mine if you permit through your valuable columns. I am a naturalized citizen of this republic, German by birth and education, even have served in the German army. I have taken an active part in political contests for ovet twenty years. It may sound rediculous, but I realized since the campaign of 11)00 that i‘:’ the United States of American could pass by the rocks that destroyed the ancient republics of Greece aiid of Rome, the war between the democracies of America and the autocracy that dominated Germany was unavoidable. The principle of government that controlled all the actions of the Hohenzollern dynasty since Frederick the Great, that controlled the actions of Bismark and that was so deeply inoculated into the German people in the last thirty years was directly opposed to the principles that control the actions of our statesmen and our patriots and our people. The clash of arms was bound to come. It came sooner than expected. In IDOO W. J. Bryan closed his great speech at the Military park in our city with the following words: “Behold a republic in the western hemisphere that will defy the autocracies of Europe. Behold a republic that will shake the throne of every potentate, and will teach the people of all the world that goveriiment by and for the people has found its champion, j What prophetic words! Today the men and women of America are preparing to defeat a system of gov-

ernment that is put of place in this age. I otften said that a majority ot our people do not realize the blessings they enjoy, because they came naturally to them. They will more appreciate them when they are called upon to make sacrifices in order to secure them for the future. Every man or woman, be he German or of any other nationality, who knows the history of the Ilohenzollerns, who knows the principles that control the militarists of Germany actually as I know them, who knows that the aristocracies of Europe consider our republic their greatest enemy, and does not'support our government in this crisis is either biased or does not understand the fundamental principles upon which this government is erected. A weak government of our republic autocracy would welcome and sneer at. If America had not proved to the world that a great people gathered from all parts of the globe could govern themselves, autocrats everywhere would have pointed to us and said that popular government was a failure. ESut the United States has proved to the world that popular government is the best for all the people and that is the reason they use all their power to create disloyalty and discontment among our people. But they must and will fail.

As a Christian I believe that the good God has given the United States of America to the world as a haven where people of all nations may come and enjoy liberty, equality: And justice beneath the folds of the Stars and Stripes. Dark clouds that now threaten us will pass away. Misery and hardships that we now endure will end in joy when we have (proved to the world that although the powers of autocracy have tried to 'undermine the very foot of our government by instilling the poison of disloyalty in some' olf our people, democracy will endure, not only here in America, but everywhere. May God grant the people of Europe to have national leaders as America lias had them even in our day, not to say anything of the long past. May they have a statesman like Cleveland, a pacifier like McKinley, an energetic, patriotic firebrand like Roosevelt, a jurist like Taft and a champion of democracy like Wilson. —George S. Schauer, in Indianapolis News.