OCR Text |
Show I LANSING MAKES SEVERE CHARGES In an article entitled, "A War of Self-Defense," Robert Lansing, secretary secre-tary of state, vigorously attacks German Ger-man imperial policy and openly accuses ac-cuses the Berlin government of committing com-mitting unbelievable crimes, which, when fully exposed, will make an astounding as-tounding tale. The Standard quotes from Lansing the following paragraphs para-graphs which should be read toy every American,- with knowledge of the fact that the accusations are made by the man who stands next to the president in authority: I know that some Americans may y consider that the idea that Germany B would attack us, if she won this war, I to be improbable; but let him who t doubts remember that the improbable, i yes, the impossible, has been happening happen-ing in this war from the beginning. ! If you had been told prior to August, 1914, that the German government would disregard its solemn treaties and send its armies into Belgium, would wantonly burn Louraia, would murder defenseless people, would extort ran- soms from conquered cities, would car-ry car-ry away men and women Into slavery, would, like vandals of old, destroy some of history's most cherished monuments, mon-uments, and would, with malicious purpose, lay waste the fairest fields of France and Belgium, you would have indignantly denied the possibility. You would have exclaimed that Germans, lovers of art and learning, would never nev-er permit such foul deeds. Ttodav you know that the unbelievable has "happened, "hap-pened, that all these crimes have been committed, not under the Impulse of. passion but under official orders. Again, if you had been told before j the war that German submarine commanders com-manders would sink peaceful vessels of commerce and send to sudden death men, women, and little children, you would have declared such scientific brutality to be impossible. Or if you had been told that German aviators would fly over thickly populated cities, scattering missiles of death and destruction, de-struction, with no other purpose than to terrorize the innocent inhabitants, you would have denounced the very thought as unworthy of belief and as a calumny upon German honor. Yet, Gold help us, these things have come to pass, and iron crosses have rewarded reward-ed the perpetrators of Jthese crimes. But thero is more, far more, which might be1 added to this record of unbelievable unbe-lievable things which the German government gov-ernment has done. I only need to mention men-tion the attempt of the foreign office to mention the attempt of the foreign office at Berlin to bribe Mexico to make war upon us by promising her American territory. It Avas only bne of many intrigues which the German government was carrying on in many lands. Spies and conspirators were sent throughout the world. Civil discord dis-cord was encouraged to weaken the potential strength of nations which might be obstacles to the lust of Germany's Ger-many's rules for world-mastery. Those of German blood who owed allegiance alle-giance to other countries were appeal to to support the Fatherland, which beloved name masked the military clique at Berlin. Some day I hope that the whole tale may be told. It will be an astounding tale indeed. But enough has been told, so that there no longer remains the shadow of a doubt as to the character of Germany's rulers, of their amazing ambition for world-empire, "and of their intense hatred for democracy. The day has gone by when we can measure possibilities by past experiences exper-iences or' when .we believe that any physical obstacle is so great or any moral influence is so potent as to cause the German autocracy to abandon aban-don its mad purpose of world-conquest. It was the policy of those who plotted plot-ted and made ready for the time to accomplish ac-complish the desire of the German rulers, rul-ers, to lull into false security the great nations which they, intended to subdue, sub-due, soi that when the storm broke they would be unprepared.. How well they succeeded you know. But democracy democ-racy no longer sleeps. It is fully awake to the menace which threatens it. The American people, trustful and friendly were reluctant to believe that imperialism imper-ialism again threatened the peace and liberty of the world. -Conviction came to them at last, and with it prompt ac- j tion. The American nation arayed itself it-self with the other great democracies of the earth against the genius of evil which broods over the destinies of central Europe. |