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WHO ARE THE HUNS?

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American "Neutrality." 303<br />

press (for instance, the "St. Galler Tageblatt") should be correct—namely,<br />

that the United States had a law dating from<br />

the year 1818, which forbids the export of weapons, etc., to<br />

warring powers with which the United States is on terms of<br />

peace.<br />

This law was put into very stringent operation some three<br />

years ago, during the Mexican rebellion—and that against the<br />

legal President of Mexico—whilst the rebels were plentifully<br />

supplied with arms that were smuggled across the borders<br />

with the knowledge and connivance of the government. These<br />

charges of gross and de plorable injustice have since then been<br />

verified in every particular. We recommend the reader to<br />

contrast President Wilson's words on that occasion with his<br />

subsequent position in the case of Germany. 1<br />

The attitude of the American Republic abases not only<br />

the spirit of neutrality according to the law of nations, but<br />

also the spirit of the "treaties of friendship" which still<br />

exist to this day between Prussia,—now the German empire—<br />

and the United States. Even in international law all outrages<br />

against morality, all acts perpetrated upon "that sense of<br />

decency which actuates all fair and right-thinking men"—to<br />

use the words of a lofty tribunal, the German Imperial<br />

Court, must eventually succumb to the great law of compensation.<br />

The attitude of the president and of the government was<br />

from the very beginning characterized by no particular<br />

friendliness and gave rise to serious doubts as to its correctness<br />

1 The "Daily News" of London, reports as follows from New York under<br />

date of May 3rd, 1915:<br />

"The Boer General Pearson filed a suit in the United States Court in<br />

Milwaukee, against the Allis-Chalmers Company, which m conjunction with<br />

the. Bethlehem Steel Company, he accused of conspiracy against the State<br />

Laws of Wisconsin by manufacturing shrapnel for delivery to the Allies.<br />

Pearson also intends to institute similar charges in states that have similar<br />

laws." {retranslation.)<br />

Reuter remarks upon this from Washington that President Wilson had<br />

requested the Attorney-General of the United States to investigate this charge<br />

of Pearson's. The American Government, to be sure, quite openly condones<br />

the violation of the law by the English—(the Passenger Act) in the case of<br />

the "Lusitania."

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