THE MEANING OF AMERICA'S ACTION.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 272, 4 May 1917, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE MEANING OF AMERICA'S ACTION.

A WARNING TO OTHER NEUTRALS OF THE GERMAN PERIL.

By T. P. O'Connor

(The writer of this article, in the "Daily Chronicle," is one of the bast informed journalists and public men in Great Britian. Ho is aJso well known in America, and thousands of Australians road with delight anything that he writes. This article was written on the sth February, when war matters in America had not reached their present acute stage.)

A mad dog rushes into tho streets <arly in tho morning when few people are about; most of the citizens are still in bed. For sonic horrible moments it lias a full and unchecked run. It bites here, there, everywhere; it catches tho early postman and the chambermaid, and jumps at the baby in arms, until tho whole town is at last aroused, and pell-mell everybody rushes after the mad dog and its brains are dashed out by the truncheon or the rifle, and the unclean and wicked tiling lies on the ground with the poisonous foam still oozing from its dead and impotent lips. This is a parable; it sums up and and symbolises to my imagination tho story of Germany in this war. For years, as Mr. Lloyd George put it in ono of his great passages, she plotted to murder Europe in her sleep. Meantime she prepared herself for this devil's work by poisoning her own mind and the mind of all her peoples with the devil's gospel that miglut alone constituted right; that war was not merely a means but an end; that the human conscience, tho free will, the existence of nations should be at the mercy of the biggest battalions and the best niachme-guns; and when the appropriate time was supposed to have come she burst on sleeping and unarmed Europe, foaming at the mouth with tho fury of madness. At first the mad dog was able to bite and to affect everybody and everywhere until at last the whole world woke up to the universal peril, and to-day the whole world or almost the whole world is in full pursuit of tiie noxious beast, and its end is near at hand. America has come in to give the coup de grace. For it is quite certain that America's intervention is the coup de grace. 1 do not f.ay this because of the active military and naval contribution which America may add to the forces of the Allies; how much, or indeed whetner she will contribute that element, may be loft in doubt for some days yet; but who can measure the moral influence which the hostility of America will exorcise on the fortunes of the struggleP To the Allies it brings a new ground for the certainty they have never lost of having the superiority of iorco and of morale whicn must briug them final and crushing victory.

EFFECT ON OTHER NEUTRALS.

To other neutral countries tlie ex•iinp'o of the greatest of all tho meutrals must bring a new realisation of the common peril of Germany to all civilised and free lands. I have never lost tho hope that before this war was over we might see every free nation in the world joining in the hunt of the mad dog. But apart from these efieets of the declared enmity of America on other countries, I look with confidence to its effect an: the Gorman people themselves. Be it remembered that there is not even a small villago in Germany which is without relatives and correspondents in some pan of the United States. The association between Germany and America is accordingly intimate and con vinous, practically daily through letter and newspaper and relative. After all, witn all their insane self-conceit, the Germans are an intelligent and educated people; and assurely it must have some effect on their belief in either the j ustice of their cause or tho chances of their armies to find that tho greatest of neutral countries, in spite of tho millions of their blood among its citizens lias come out decisively against thorn. I look to this declaration of America as being to the Allies of as much worth as the winning of several big battles. Next to the pressure of famine, it is tho most demoralising factor yet brought against the staying power of Germany in this year's lighting. Those who do not know America are asking some ridiculous questions as to the attitude towards the action of the American Government of what are called hyphenated Americans. Anybody really acquainted witii America knows that after all the fundamental principle of American life is Aniericnism. The vastness of the country, its gigantic ie. sources, its vast possibilities, its boundless genius and initiative in business, its hospitable and generous welcome, an dits splendid exchange of conditions for the servitude, the poverty, and the narrow horizons of the Old World, all these things make such an appeal to the immigrant from Europe tiiat ho 1,0 comes instinctively and almost from the moment of his landing an American to tho last drop of blood. I have seen this myself over and over again among Americans of foreign origin. Hie child of the German or the. Slav often red uses to speak the language off his parents and his home, lost it snoiild seem to detract from the 'central and proudest fact of his life—namely, that he is an American. Whatever America may have failed to accomplish in solving thj deeper problems of economic and social life—and there we have all failed—in attacking her children, home and foivign. to her Government and her institutions, si:e has been the. most marvellous success in human history.

Another .spec 11 la tic p. I jind i-, on tho part which Amerk-a may play in tin < onfercni o that must follow the war. With obstinatj optimism Germany may look to tho entrance of America into that Conference as likeiv to bring ;ulvantaKo to Germany. It is palpably the most delusive of hope.s. Wnat can there !«■ in common l».-t.«ecu the brutal ai romance c.t (icrman autocracy and German militarism and the pure dottioc. racy, with all its democratic ideals, of ■-i;ch a country as the I'nited Statesy If voi want to know what kind ot peace AiiH'nca will insist, on having. r ;ul the speech of .Mr. Wilson to the Senate. I pointed out at the time that if you rea<l trie words of the s|H'iv;li - < specially it you read between tie* lines you would find scarcely any dilter- < ni ■ feetween the terms wliich Mr. W i!. son demanded and the terms which we 'icinand. H•' demanded the consent i>i the governed to the existence of any government; he protested atrainst the i Hiding over of any peopl" without I In ir consent to anv Power: hed"inandcd efiual respicts for tie- rights of t!ie •ma.ll as ior fhoseotf t h. • great nation-: ho demanded guarantees atrainst siu-li a a-s of a"LTc-sion in the future as that with wliich Germany has now cursed the world: he d-ma''d'd a un'ted and ind". pendent Poland- I ns|< wliich </ (he-* <l< mands of Pr"sid' nl Wil- ui is n'.t «no-s :d-n? f 11sot n'v ord'ni;!y to the j-j.-r •A lii"h P-'cwident W'lUon will orobab!-/ e-tahhsh tho previieo of Atacr:-! in

'h'' Peace Conlcl-eiic . alter the war in "lie ol iho utmost advantage to us. and Halc-ed as giving us the certainty of having our demand granted. One word finally. 1 pray my reader-, Knglish and Irish, Scotch and Welsn', to believ ■ that I ulte;- this word in the interest of the Lire- All n «.t t lie |iisi <■. ui«> for which we are lighting. Would you desire to have even, if possible, n. more whole-h.-arted suppct I rom America and fier |>oople in arms and i" «">mn il; w< old you desire to go into the Peace Coillctvnce with a juste", a clearer, a mole consistent would voi; desire all I hi-? Then I give you the pres< ivi,t'on ni two words. Settle Ireland.