World War 1

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.

The German U-boat "Deutschland", the largest in the world, and her commander Captain Koenig arriving in Baltimore Harbor - July 10th, 1916, here being escorted by a tug. See a short video of the arrival

vol. 4 no. 24    July 19, 1916    Page 8

Behind the Scenes at the Capital

Washington, D. C., July 11—It will do no harm to keep an eye on the State Department in connection with the submarine Deutschland, which arrived at Baltimore on Sunday. This feat of German seamanship has created something like consternation in Administration circles, and it will be a wonder, as one member of Congress pointed out to me, if the vessel is not subjected to some form of diplomatic chicanery in the hope of removing it as a factor in showing the British blockade of Germany to be in very truth “ineffective, illegal and indefensible.”

Republican Presidential nominee Charles Evans Hughes and his wife (the former Antoinette Carter) campaigning in Winona, Minnesota in August 1916 on the Milwaukee Road's Olympian.

THE VERY ASTUTE FREDERICK F. SCHRADER COVERS the June nominating conventions and subsequent presidential campaign in his weekly "Behind the Scenes" column for THE FATHERLAND. -cy

vol. 4 no. 20    June 21, 1916    Page 8

Behind the Scenes at the Capital

The crushing defeat of Roosevelt at the Chicago convention is here looked upon as the most significant incident of the gathering. Never in American history has there been such a tragedy of fate. Roosevelt's whirlwind campaign was a marvelous feat of endurance and self-confidence. Wherever he went he belched war like the demon of the fable. The earth trembled under his tread and the welkins rang with his speeches at Detroit and St. Louis. For weeks he monopolized public attention, usurping the space daily alloted to war news on the first pages of all the papers. The country heard nothing but Roosevelt. Wm. J. Bryan in his palmiest days of a campaigner was a mere sideshow compared with the only P. T. Barnum of our day. It is estimated that he drew a small fortune out of his bank, staked it all on one card—and lost.

A map showing the battle of Jutland. Click to enlarge.

KNOWN TODAY AS THE Battle of Jutland, between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet under Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German High Seas Fleet under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, the Battle of Skagerrack was the largest naval battle and the only full-scale clash of battleships in WWI, plus the last major battle in world history fought primarily by battleships. It took place from May 31 to June 1, 1916 off the North Sea coast of Denmark's Jutland Penninsula, utilizing a total of 151 British combat ships to 99 for Germany. Both sides claimed victory even though the British lost more and larger ships (14 to 11) and more than twice as many sailors. The British press criticised the Grand Fleet's failure to force a decisive outcome. THE FATHERLAND celebrated the German showing and skill in several articles which I have reproduced below.

The Republican National Nominating Convention was underway in Chicago, but as news reporting was much slower in those days, and the outcome was not decided ahead of time, the choice was not yet known. Also note the return of my favorite writer, Edmund von Mach. -cy

Artist's depiction showing a German U-boat surfacing to see to the rescue of passengers and crew of a torpedoed American ship. In the Spring of 1916, Germany agreed not to sink any ship of any country without a prior warning and the safe removal of all aboard. Not all ships carried passengers, of course, and the number varied greatly.

THE FIRST THREE SELECTIONS BELOW FROM THE FATHERLAND of May 10, 1916 show the U.S. entry into the European war becoming increasingly inevitable, but slow in coming due to the Presidential election in November. The country was still not in favor; Wilson needed a good portion of the German vote, but his sympathies were entirely with the Allies. In the fourth and fifth longer articles, from the May 17th issue, we get insight about the very important German Note that came in reply to Secretary of State Lansing's note to Germany of April 19th. Fascinating. The censorship and political persecution back then was even worse than it is today. -cy

vol 4 no. 14     May 10, 1916     Page 6

WILSON PERMITS RED CROSS TO AID ENGLAND ONLY

By Professor Yandell Henderson, of Yale University

IN MY PREVIOUS POST, I INCLUDED THE STUNNING ARTICLE by F. F. Schrader published in the March 22, 1916 issue of THE FATHERLAND, relating the facts about the Secret Will of Cecil Rhodes in its relation to the United States and the pro-England, pro-war element rising in that country: The Great Conspiracy Exposed. A month later there appeared in the April 26 issue an open letter from Mr. Sinclair Kennedy, author of the book “The Pan-Angles” that was quoted in Schrader's article. A Massachusetts native and graduate of Harvard Law School, Kennedy sought to give a different interpretation of his work than that thought to be given by Schrader. The letter from Kennedy is followed by a brilliant rebuttal by Frederick Schrader. I'm posting both so you, the reader, can judge for yourself what relevance, if any, might exist between Rhodes' plan and the ongoing war. -cy

vol. 4 no. 12    April 26, 1916   Page 5

ENGLISH PLUTOCRACY VS FREE AMERICANISM

An Open Letter from the Author of “The Pan-Angles” and reply from Frederic Schrader

Left: American Henry Ford, Right: Englishman Cecil John Rhodes

IN THE FIRST SELECTION, AUTO MAGNATE HENRY FORD goes to the White House to discuss his “Peace Ship” to Europe with Wilson, and is shocked by the President's fixed, pro-war attitude. For fans of Ford, this is a must-read.

The second selection brings us writer Fredrick Schrader once again,  brilliantly laying out what he calls “the great conspiracy” to make the United States an integral part of Great Britain … in war as well as in peace, of course. This is not at all far-fetched, as it is still being proposed in our current time. I note Peter Brimelow at VDARE coined the term “the historic American nation,” by which he means English-settled; while VDare's John Derbyshire looks favorably on the concept of a brexited Britain forming an economic and political union with the U.S.A., making for a greatly enlarged Commonwealth. Both men are naturalized U.S. citizens who immigrated from England. If such a union came to pass we would see the dream of Cecil Rhodes come true! -cy