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Show 1 COMMUNICATION I ' f German Language Papers in the United"States. Editor Tribune Should the government, I at lest during the war. permit the pub- j licatiou of German language papers, Is a question which must sooner or later be decided. The writer has been employed em-ployed by and has also in years gone by published German language papers, but in the latter cases published American papers in the German language. Yes, in years gone by, an editor of a German I language paper considered it as his sacred j mission to educate his countrymen who ; came to make their home here to Ameri- can principles, so they might become ' useful citizens. The readers were ad- j vised to learn the English language as j soon as possible, the beauties of a free i people were explained and shown them; in fa.ct, the spirit of men like Carl Sohurz breathed through these papers. A good many of the editors were men who participated parti-cipated in the 18-iS revolution in Germany, had to flee their native land and found a safe refuge trom autocratic oppressors in this country. They were grateful to their adopted country which gave them happiness and freedom, and their writings writ-ings expressed the feeling of the heart. These papers were truly American papers in the German language and performed a splendid mission. More than thirty years ago i got my first teachings from such a source, and so did millions of others who had the misfortune mis-fortune of having been born in Germany I say misfortune, because Hanover, the place of my birth, was trampled under the Prussian heel in 1SI56, like Belgium, and forced under the kaiser's rule but became not only American citizens in name but in tact. But the times have changed! One by one were these old stalwarts called to the place from hence no traveler ever returns. Slow but sure the German language papers became '"kaiserized," 2nd it became an open secret se-cret that influential papers were subsidized subsi-dized by the so-called '"Bismarck reptile fund." Of course, the "old timers" resented such .changes of principles and refused further support. Tn course of time liquor and other scheming interests purchased directly or indirectly a good many papers and put men in as editors who might have made a good grocery clerk, waiter or something else, but lacked every necessary neces-sary qualification for an editor, and very often were devoid of all principles. While this does not apply to all, it applies to a good many. It would be unjust to the German people peo-ple to hold them responsible for the doings do-ings of the kaiser and his junkers, as they have no voice in the government, and it would be equally unjust to hold American citizens of .German birth responsible re-sponsible for the shameful, actions of the German language papers 'in the United States. I say shameful, because this it is. At the beginning of thi3 war, even after the German chancellor admitted the wrong of invading Belgium, not a single German language paper in this country if there was one single exception, I want to know the name of that paper had the courage to stand up for the right, had, the courage to defend Belgium. Quite contrary, con-trary, Belgium was held up as the guilty party, England, France and allied nations were painted so black that even Lucifer would have appeared as an angel of light compared with them. Germany, or rather Prussia, was always held up as a model of "kultur," as a poor, innocent victim, and, of course, the allies were always de- i scribed as arch-conspirators who wanted ' iu crush the land of "kultur." And how have these papers, generally speaking, acted since the entry of the Vnited States in the war? Have they given Uncle Sam that support which any ; loval paper owes to the government? I ! say no, with a capital K. At the best, some have onlv given a lukewarm sup- I port, others no support at all. while some editors performed acrobatic stunts to keep on this side pt the danger line, the crossing cross-ing of which would have sent them to the internment camp. These are facts and are known to anyone who has watched the German language press in the United States since the beginning ot the world's war. The loyalty of the vast majority of American citizens of German birth is certainly not the result of the so-called German-American press of today, to-day, but .of a loyal group of men, most of whom are under the soil and spared the pains of seeing a press which does no more represent the rank and file of loyal citizens of German birth than the kaiser and his clique the rank and file of the German people. Of course, the vanishing subscription lists and the ever-increasing withdrawal of advertising patronage in the German language papers in the United States, as well as the fact that some of the better class of papers closed their publications as a. matter of propriety, may adjust conditions and save Uncle Sam the necessity neces-sity of looking a little closer into this. But if this should become necessary, it will be the end of the overwhelming majority, ma-jority, if not all of the German language papers in the United States, and rightly so, with no mourner to shed tears, but a few editors who, as faithful servants of the Interests that owned them, lost a "soft snap." G. F. BUSCHMANN. |
