The Fatherland

Headline on Feb. 3, 1917 after President Wilson spoke to Congress and the nation about his decision to react as promised to Germany's resumption of a more aggressive submarine warfare.

BEGINNING WITH THE FEB. 14, 1917 issue, THE FATHERLAND became THE NEW WORLD, saying they were making the change "to avoid misunderstanding and unnecessary provocation." On February 3rd, President Wilson had declared to Congress that the U.S. had broken off diplomatic relations with Germany because of its announced change in submarine warfare policy. Ambassador Bernstorff was given his passports by the State Dept. and sent back home to Germany. Everyone knew this brought us that much closer to a declaration of war.

This once secret British document depicts the general situation of minefields surrounding Great Britain on August 19, 1918. Enlarge

BECAUSE OF PRINTING DEADLINES, EVEN IN THIS LAST THE FATHERLAND NUMBER that came out on 7 February, 1917 there was no hint of the surprise U.S. break in diplomatic relations with Germany that was announced in Congress on 3 February.

In this issue, Capital correspondent Frederick F. Schrader once again writes the most pithy and informative account of the political situation: just how close America was to forcing peace on the belligerents, yet how active the powerful pro-British lobby was in keeping the war going.

The "Peace Dove" of the Entente -This caricature was originally published in the 28 January 1917 issue of the satirical German journal Kladderadatsch. The “peace dove” of the Entente is portrayed as a vulture carrying a map of Europe showing the areas to be "severed from the German Reich."

FOLLOWING PRESIDENT WILSON'S "SERMON ON THE MOUNT," as it was dubbed by The Fatherland Editor George Sylvester Viereck—that is, his speech to the Senate on Jan. 22 laying out his ideas for peace—the talk in Washington and in the country was of a positive nature. It was felt that the position of Germany was strengthening and that that nation was gaining in good will. The belief in a coming peace was palpable. This turned out to be deceptive, or at least, not to last. Below is some of what was published in that upbeat tone in the next to the last issue that was to be published under the name of THE FATHERLAND. -cy

President Woodrow Wilson addressed “the people of the countries now at war,” in a highly-publicized speech to the US Senate on January 22, 1917. He called for 'peace without victory' and a Monroe Doctrine for the world.

AFTER WILSON IS INAUGURATED INTO HIS 2ND TERM, he seems to sincerely turn his mind toward peace efforts. His idealism doesn't go over well with the Allies, for whom peace at this time would not give them what they want. Instead they are ramping up their propaganda efforts to bring the United States into the war.  At the same time, Germany has decided it must ramp up its submarine warfare with the aim of blockading British shipping in order to force England to the peace table. The editor of The Fatherland does not see what's coming; the poet in him waxes optimistic about Wilson's speech in the January 31 Fatherland issue. But first, the more down-to-earth Frederick Schrader tells us the mood and pro-war activity in America just before the President's important speech. -cy

IN THE JANUARY 24, 1917 ISSUE OF THE FATHERLAND, which will cease publishing under that name with the February 7th issue, the unsuspecting editors are still exposing the hypocritical nature (to put it kindly) of prominent pro-British, pro-Allies spokesperson Elihu Root. This former Republican senator from New York was President Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of War during the Philippine-American War (1899-1902) when many atrocities were carried out against the Filipinos. Knowledge of that was prevented from reaching the American public. Writer Franklin Schrader uncovered secret documents and exposed them perhaps for the first time, at least for most Americans. The second article below adds to what was revealed in my prior post on Elihu Root's conduct of the war. But first, another “crime” revealed by a Fatherland reader. -cy

vol. 5 no. 22 Jan. 3, 1917 Page 4

ENGLAND BREAKS ANOTHER PACT

Letter to the Editor of The Fatherland

Sir:

In the issue of October 18^th in an article written by Mr. C.A. Collman THE FATHERLAND drew attention to the scandalous robbery going on in Nigeria where German property, real estate, warehouses, factories, wharves, residential sites, etc., etc., are to be forcibly sold by auction.

Elihu Root was the United States Secretary of War, and of State in the Republican Roosevelt administration, and a Senator from New York from 1909 to 1915. He was a major critic of Germany's alleged war crimes. 

vol. 5 no. 21    Dec. 27, 1916    Page 3

ELIHU ROOT'S RECORD OF BARBARISM

An Exposure of His Ruthless Conduct of the Philippine War Vouched for by Charles Francis Adams, Carl Schurz, Edwin Burritt Smith and Herbert Welsh, Committee—Belgium a Sham and Pretext—Root's Inhumanity Proven

By Frederick Franklin Schrader

THE PUBLIC SHOULD WELL UNDERSTAND that the meeting to protest against the deportation of Belgians, held in Carnegie Hall, New York, on the evening of December 15, was not prompted by sentiments of humanity, but by hatred of Germany on the part of a notorious clique of old offenders, headed by Elihu Root, James M. Beck, Roosevelt, Rev. Dr. Manning, Joseph H. Choate, George Haven Putnam, and others who, ever since the first gun was fired, have been the principal agitators for American intervention. [New York Times writeup of the meeting here] The majority of these men are long past middle age. They are not going to fight themselves, but they want others to fight for England.

A Wilson campaign truck spouting empty slogans--notice on the side the question "Who keeps us out of war?" is carefully worded to not say he 'will keep us out of war' in the future.

THE REELECTION OF WOODROW WILSON on November 8, 1916 (results not reported in THE FATHERLAND until the Nov. 15 issue) left the American "war party" in a strong position even though the true situation was confused in the public mind. Democrat Wilson campaigned on the slogan "He kept us out of war," while the Republican candidate Charles Evans Hughes had openly anti-German Republican war-mongers (former President) Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Root, Henry Cabot Lodge and others campaigning for him. This sentence, written by F. F. Schrader in the Nov. 29 issue (below), best sums up the true situation which was never reported in the press:

The consensus of cabinet opinion [in the Wilson administration, prior to the last stretch of the campaign] was that not only civilization generally but the United States in particular was interested in seeing Germany crushed. This sentiment was not only approved by the President, but was made more emphatic by him in a merciless verdict of condemnation expressed in a few but bitter words which closed the session.

Zeppelin over England -The German military successfully utilized these huge airships as bombers and scouts, striking fear in the population.

v. 5 no. 9    Oct. 4, 1916    Page 4

ZEPPELINS CAUSE GREAT LOSS OF LIVES AND PROPERTY

By J. H. Donnelly

(The following article, written by one who has actually witnessed the disastrous effect of the Zeppelin raids on England and the results of the last two Zeppelin raids upon London refute the assertions made by Mr. S. S. McClure that no damage was done by the huge German airships. Let us remember, however, that Mr. McClure has openly stated that he wanted to see the Allies win.)

I was struck by the strange account today of the invasion of England by thirteen Zeppelins last night, as usual, “few killed or injured and no military damage done.” The claim is invariably made that most innocents, women and children, in unfortified towns are the victims.

Kaiser Wilhelm II enjoying a light moment with his officers.

A MR. BRUCE BARTON, THE AMERICAN EDITOR of Every Week magazine, published in his August 7, 1916 issue a “Personal Letter to the Kaiser.” It was shockingly condescending to the point of insulting to Germany and its emperor Wilhelm II. Of course, the letter was not sent,  but just printed in Barton's magazine as something of an editorial. It gives us an idea of just how sleezy were the slanders directed against Germany and Germans in general at that time and how difficult it must have been for German Americans to tolerate.

In response to Barton's letter, The Fatherland published it's own “Open Letter” to him, authored by a “Proxy” for Kaiser Wilhelm. My sense is that it is the work of The Fatherland's editor, George Sylvester Viereck. I think it does an outstanding job sounding convincingly like Wilhelm; if I hadn't been told otherwise, I could easily believe it was the emperor himself, even though I, of course, am not familiar with him. Viereck was, though.