THE FATHERLAND

New York City, New York, U.S.A.

11 August 1915

(page 13)

OUR FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS.

How “The Fatherland” Sprang Into Existence—Review of the Year

It seems but yesterday that we started THE FATHERLAND on what is colloquially described as “a shoestring.” To the utter amazement of most of us who thought we had the ability to gauge public opinion with fair accuracy, the local New York press, at the outbreak of the war, with one accord espoused the cause of the Allies. There are seventeen of them. War had just been proclaimed. Like vultures the English-speaking New York press hurled itself on Germany. There was no Belgian invasion then, and no Louvain. French aviators had flown across the German border and dropped bombs on two undefended German cities. The German Emperor had given France and Russia two days of grace to consider whether they wanted war or not. But there was no holding back the New York press. As there were no German atrocities to record, they created them. Glaring headlines stretched across the first page announcing that German soldiers were killing American tourists in the streets of Berlin, and American women were stripped of their clothing and publicly exhibited at railway stations by German officers.

[ . . .]

Knowing that we were well within our rights, we did not hesitate to criticise the Wilson administration for its leaning toward the Allies in all dealings. It was THE FATHERLAND that compiled and revealed to the world the vast extent of the munition industry in this country, and boldly attacked Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, the English ambassador, for his activity in connection with the recruiting of American citizens for the armies of England, Montenegro, etc. It consistently educated the American people through the enlightening articles of Mr. Frank Koester, Prof. Faust, Prof. Herbert Sanborn and others to the truth as to Germany and the significance to the whole of civilization of the pending struggle.

Its pages have been filled with the contributions of the best writers of England, America and Germany, Frank Harris, Aleister Crowley, Prof. Muensterberg, Dr. Edmund von Mach, Prof. John W. Burgess, Prof. Herman Schoenfeld, Hans Heinz Ewers, Prof. Ernst Haekel, Prof. Rudolf Eucken and others equally distinguished. For a paper accused by the British Ambassador and his American toadies of preaching sedition—we have never denied preaching sedition to England—this is a formidable list of agitators.