| Show West est Is s Strong for W Ian ar Engi ish man S Surprised Slacker Attitude Absent V By International News Service LONDON j- j Dec Deo 1 Is 1 Is the great 7 Middle Iddle West Vest of the United United States whole heartedly in the war Has the vast population throughout these Middle Western states of German descent had bad any appreciable effect pon the war enthusiasm An English En En- glish Ush correspondent who traveled with the Lord Northcliffe mission and ilio made man many investigations on ont his t hi lf own own account thinks that the vast fiddle f idle U West Vest especially the cities is t strongly n enthusiastic for the w war r. r and anil Ind that the German influence has lleen completely overcome He publishes publishes publishes pub pub- lishes his c conclusions in the L London mimes Writing from Indianapolis h ho- ho says sars 1 Since I came to the United States in in inthe the middle of July I have been v wanting to know v what the Middle V West st was feeling and thinking about ih the war I was told by all whom I consulted at New York that it needed w waking king up up The people of the Mid- Mid dl West I was assured with grave handshaking did not realize the war u understand it it or like it In time perhaps perhaps' the Perhaps the sentence remained portentously portentously portentously por por- por- por unfinished i With doubt dou t and misgiving I came I therefore the Middle West that Vast Past territory of people which Includes the great farming I states of Ohio Indiana Illinois Missouri Missouri Mis Mis- soud Kansas and Iowa I came expecting exP expecting ex- ex ex ex- P ing to find if not open hostility lukewarm interest in the war an absenCE absence absence ab ab- ab- ab sence of vigor in adopting war measures measure's measures meas meas- meas-I meas ures tires ures unwillingness even to think of or war sacrifices I Now I am on my way back to tell teU my Now New York informants that they were re grotesquely wrong in what they I Ire told me I shall shan prove to them how wrong wrong they were Let me rehearse a afew afew few feY of my proofs Cleveland was the first place vis vis- J J 1 arrived about noon and heard familiar noises like eX exploding loding bombs They were bomb explosions explosions harm harm harm- less Jess bombs scattering bombs scattering Liberty Loan leaflets leaflets' to the people in the central square of the city I stood and counted attentively the number of explosions In order to learn how I many millions of dollars Cleveland subscribed to the loan by midday Hanging 1 outside a factory I saw a flag blue many stars upon it and asked what it was I was told I it it if was vas to show how many men had gone to the war from this establish establish- ment These flags hang everywhere There is a spirit stirring rivalry be between between between be- be tween places of business as to which can show most stars MUCH CHEERING I 1 went went to two meetings in one I evening The first was a Y M. M C C. C A. A meeting beginning Cleveland's effort to assist In raising pounds for war work Thousands of men young young middle aged and elderly p packed ked tightly together clapped I hands vigorously Ame Americans do n not t cheer in ill sign of approval l at every L reference e made to the need of ever ener- ener ti var activity for all JI The next m f ig was composed of business m meri men ri Tickets had been given to as as many many as applied upon the understanding understanding under- under st standing that the ru rule e of admission was first come first served Holders of tickets who did not come early could not get in there were throngs around every entrance The local newspaper said next Dext d day y tl that t thou thou- ou- ou sands were disappointed and there was a riot outside A big overflow meeting was held In the street The I chill October night air was unheeded the indignation against Germanys Germany's disturbance of the peace kept the listeners warm enough Inside Lord Northcliffe speaking as chairman of the British mission was with a warmth which surprised him accustomed as he Isby is isby isby by now to the enthusiasm of American American Ameri AmerI- can audiences The people stood up clapped hands and waved flags for nearly two minutes Mr Herrick late United States ambassador at Paris had introduced the city's guest as one of the most powerful men In Europe What he did said Mr Herrick was as much for our benefit as the benefit f his own country He stirred Britain to a knowledge of what were the needs of her armies at ata ata ata a critical time brought about the necessary change of government and abolished party lines That Immense service to our ally was service also alsoto alsoto alsoto to us That great meeting proved b by applause both loud long and continued continued con con- that it understood stood how real is the allies allies' interdependence upon one another and how needful is that close cooperation for which Lord Northcliffe asked FOREIGN ELEMENT DIVIDED Cleveland has a a. very large proportion proportion proportion pro pro- portion of inhabitants of foreign origin I heard it put as high as 82 per cent Mr Baker the secretary I of war a former mayor told me that in one ane ward thirty-nine thirty languages I were spoken and that there were large districts where English was never heard But at a luncheon of I the the- heads of big businesses which I attended attended-a a luncheon where it was wasI I whispered the guests represented hundreds of millions of dollars only dollars only I one of those at table bore a foreign name It Is still men of British es especially especially especially es- es Scots and Irish ancestry who are the Industrial and commercial commercial commercial commer commer- cial chiefs as also the governing governing- classes in the states It It was no doubt the existence of so large foreign elements in the Middle West which suggested to New NewYork NewYork NewYork York suspicion of the mid mid- midWesterners midWesterners' Western mid Westerners Westerners' Western Western- ers' ers war keenness But the foreigners foreign foreign- ers it must be borne in mind are far from forming a solid block of Americans In Milwaukee for i instance there are now almost as many Poles as Germans and the Poles are fired by a passionate longing longIng longing long- long Ing to rid the world of the Prussian domination under which they have suffered so long German immigration tion into the United States has been small in recent years while the number number number num num- ber of Slavs pouring in has been very large That has helped to keep German influence downIn downIn downIn down In most cities of the Middle West the greater number of shops display German names over their windows But many of these names are borne by Jewish traders nd there is a gulf fixed between German-Americans German and German Jewish Americans In Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- Chi Chi- cago I 1 learned that the two classes had nothing in common A year ago the Germans held a bazar in aid of war charities The Jewish folk of German Gennan origin kept aloof and the bazar was a failure These folk have become American and have dropped the prefix German They are not so numerous as the Germans who keep up their double nationality but I they have more influence Among the double faced German-Americans German the I Lutherans from Prussia are the bitterest bitterest bit bit- bitI I terest and most dangerous the Roman Roman Roman Ro- Ro RoI I man Catholics from Southern Germany Ger- Ger GerI j I many the least objectionable A few i Catholic priests who made attempts to stir up opposition to the war var were sent by the Archbishop of Chicago to toa toa toa a remote convent Nothing of this treasonable kind has been heard of since CHANGE IN CHICAGO The feeling about the war in Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago has altered during the last month or two I was there on the I first day and heard nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing but approval of this measure I saw a Loan parade many times longer and more elaborate than our I Lord Mayors Mayor's show and the whole population watched it pass A few days before th the biggest demonstration I tion the city l las as ever known had I applauded the eloquent labor advocate advocate cate oate Clarence Darrow when he I re recited recited recited re- re cited the tale of Britain's effort in inthe inthe he the the war and declared himself thankful thankful thankful thank thank- ful that he had escaped that hatred of England which almost every American boy learns at his mothers mother's knee Men who not long ago were asking scornfully why the English let others do all the fighting are now v saying fervently We are with you the old country countr has put up a bully I fight Kansas City prides itself on the k smallness of the population of foreign foreign foreign for for- I eign origin But in the pleasant I rolling country all around are villages entirely German Some of their inha inhabitants in- in I ha habitants who had spoken in defense of Hun ambition and Hun savagery I are likely to suffer when the American Amer- Amer ican can casualty casually lists begin to tb be pub- pub fished In n this part of the country I an in American well wen known in Europe told old me most men carry guns meaning pistols and if the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans practice their brutalities on our men at the front these guns will be used right here I found a bitter feeling eeling in Kansas Kansas- and Missouri against Germans of doubtful 10 loyalty A former senator from Des Moines 1 Ia a. a harangued me heatedly about the danger of letting them be at large I The burning of part of Kansas City stockyards whereby sheep and hogs logs were destroyed has awakened I I uneasy fears and guards everywhere I being strengthened At are one of Lord Northcliffe's meetings a local I speaker said Those who are not with us is are against us They should either go back where they came from or be stood against the wall and shot That was vas heartily clapped HUGE SUM RAISED In In St. St Louis the people of German origin f rm third one-third of the population population tion ion which Is nearly a million They keep quiet They subscribe to the war loans Their sons march off to the he trailing ing camps I heard from a company officer that In his company of no more than ten had English names There is no difference between between be- be tween them however he added in any other respect It Is significant that hat that most venomous of the German German German Ger Ger- man language newspapers in the United States the Post of St. St Louis has been compelled by busIness busness bus- bus mess Iness ness considerations to turn Its English English En En- glish gash publication into an organ of loyal kaiser-hating kaiser Americanism Cincinnati where the population populations is s two-thirds two of German origin is also full of mone money At a luncheon of f business men over pounds was subscribed for the loan Not less significant of the warlike ardor of the he Middle West is the dropping of the he word draft The prejudice against men who waited wailed to be fetched is so strong that the latter are now I called selects or in order to save sa them from unpleasantness Need for more light on the origin n I and objects of the the- war there certainly is in the Middle West states Need I for instruction about Britain's effort naval military financial The people I k know ow that they need such instruction and listen eagerly to speakers with first hand information They have received very well Lord Northcliffe's appeals to them to be economical with food and they have been heen stirred by his elaboration of Lloyd Georges George's I cry for ships ships ships The They have seized the opportunity presented by our tour of making plain their sympathy sympathy sympathy sym sym- pathy with Britain and their desire to take whatever part they can in bringing victory nearer The Middle West Vest I shall tell my New York friends is sound and solid an and there ther j jis no danger of weakening R there to |
