AMERICAN'S ARE ASHAMED ALREADY. [To THE EDITOR. OF THE "
SPECTATOR.'i
SIR,—It gave me no pleasure to read in your issue of December 11th the letter from Mr. Edward Fuller, of Phila- delphia. As a native American, also of Philadelphia, and an active member of the British forces, I feel competent to rep'y to this "distinguished publicist," as you so grandiloquently term him.
In the United States the Anglomaniac is, no less than the Germanophil, more likely than not to be an unreasoning animal, particularly under the emotional stress which arises out of the existing hectic conditions in Europe. I submit that Mr. Fuller's almost incredibly infantile animadversions are a horn.. fying example of the mental state to which sympathetic indi- viduals in neutral countries have been reduced. It is difficult to deal seriously with Mr. Fuller's palpably fallacious statements and inferences. When he refers to our recent Note to England as a " harrying " with "subtle technicalities" over what he scornfully designates "the holding up of a few cargoes of beef," he betrays either a most lamentable knowledge of the context of that Note, or else a disingenuousness of argument that nullifies the effect of anything he may say. And when he says that our Note dealt with the seizure of goods obviously destined for German consumption," he goes into realms of sheer fancy. I have been under the impression that disin- genuous misstatement was a monopoly of the German-American, but it seems not. An equally flagrant perversion of truth is in his direct and unmistakable inference that the Note to England was a pledged quid pro quo for the German promises about attacks on ocean liners. Not even Count von Bernstorif would dare propose such a bargaining, as this "distinguished publicist" must very well know, if he retains any semblance of rational thought.
As to his complaint that the German and Austrian " higher- ups " have been allowed to remain in the country, it is only necessary to point out that Captains von Papen and Boy-Ed are now safe in Dr. Dernburg's bosom, and to suggest that others will follow as fast as requisite evidence is produced against them. Must one say that Diplomatic and Consular representa- tives cannot be dismissed on mere suspicion or on moral certainty of guilt ?
I must take direct issue with Mr. Fuller when he says we are as deeply humiliated as our worst enemy could wish, and that we " realize" that the President has stained our national honour. I dare say there are some Americans who feel that way (though they are mostly German-Americans 1), but there is neither truth nor sense in the suggestion that such is the feeling of :Lnything like a majority of the people. (I may say that I left home as recently as last May, and I have by no means lost touch with the United States, and am perhaps as well informed as to conditions there as Mr. Fuller.) We appreciate the tremendous difficulties with which the President has had to contend, and we arc quite satisfied with the way in which he has handled unprece- dented situations. And a vast majority thank our lucky stars that our tub-thumper, T. R., is safely put away on Sagamore Hill, from whence he may issue manifestoes and inept epithet to his heart's content.
But please do not be deceived by the puerile fulminations of our Anglomaniacs. We are, to a great extent, heart and soul with the Allies in this war, and some thousands of us are over here doing our bit cheerfully and with a good will. And our only response to the more or less unbiassed criticisms of such self-constituted advisers to the President as the Spectator is a
[As long as "A. D. Smith, jun." is showing his mettle in the trenches and fighting our battles he is most welcome to smile at the Spectator, and we do not doubt that Mr. Fuller and "T. R." will be quite as tolerant. Artemus Ward in one of his high-spirited papers deals with the saying Ex nihilo nihil fit, and declares that he is on the side of "Nihil, the man that fit." That was the man for his money. Well, we also are on the side of the man who "fit," whatever his views. A Wilsonite not too proud to fight is a first-class proposition anyway.— ED. Spectator.]
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