The Daily News. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1916. THE ENEMY WITHIN OUR GATE.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 June 1916, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1916. THE ENEMY WITHIN OUR GATE.

It is astounding that Germans can jubilate ostentatiously with impunity, as it ia reported German-born settlers did at wore the ether day over the alleged naval victory of their compatriots. Or that German agents can openly boast, as it is reported from Wellington that one boasted, that New Zealandcrs will HAVE to buy German goods. Or that Germans can still operate on the London Stock Exchange, enjoy all the privileges of citizenship, and continue to serve the fell interests of their bloodthirsty Kaiser. Do the Germans already exercise dominion over the British Empire? Is our power but nominal and the Germans' actual? Really, what is happening and has happened since the outbreak of war makes us wonder. The fact of the matter is that we are too easy-going. Our tolerance, our fairness, to the enemy within our gate is regarded by them as weakness or fear; they are presuming to an extent that is astounding. War is war, and if we are going to win through we must change our lackadaisical manner of treating the enemy, who has forfeited all right to further consideration. Germans who liave settled within the Empire during the last twenty years cannot be trusted. Their actions since the war have abundantly proved that. They are all infected by the same virus—Teutonic, predominance, regardless of the rights of anyone else. Hey should be placed out of harm's way—in internment camps.

Injustice in the process may bo done to some, but better that than take any further risk. The Germans in their own country have taken no risks with aliens. They not only have imprisoned aliens, but havo gone out of their way to brutally treat them. We only have to instance the happenings' at the Wittenberg camp, where the British were left to starve and die of typhus without the German authorities raising a hand to help them. It was their calculated policy—to kill the hated British, by the most inhuman and hideous means. No one can read the British Commission's report on the awful happenings at that camp without wanting to shoulder a gun and exact'vengeance from the cowardly German murderers. ■Xo Britisher wants to mete out similar treatment to the Germans within his country, but he has a right to expect the authorities to take proper steps to safeguard the interests of his own people. The movements of the Hampshire, and the fact that Lord Kitchener •,>'as aboard, it is pretty certain, were communicated to the Germans by spies, and there is ample evidence that spies are at work throughout the Empire. Why, then, should we hesitate to intern the whole lot of them? We would go further; we would not allow a German, naturalised or unnaturalised, who has taken up his residence during the past twenty years, to own • a foot of country in the British Empirej we would prevent liim holding interests or shares in any company (as is being clone in Australia); we would recognise none of his patents; we would confiscate all his property and ships in our ports; we would for a period of years block his ships from entering British ports, and put a prohibitive tariff on all his goeds for 23 years. Drastic? Yes; but do not the Germans fully deserve drastic treatment? Have they not plunged the world into bloodshed, pillaged and ravaged peaceful, unoffending neighbors, broken every law of God and man, abused the liberty and privilege and hospitality of the British Empire? We should set ourselves out to cripple tkem and deal with them as we would deal with so many mad dogs. The trouble is that so far we have fought them with kid-gloves. It is about time we used our bare tonicities and gave them a knock-out blow wherever we can. We | may be sure, they will do it to us if I they have lialf a chance.