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.Colonel, in,the following pages I shall relate the true story of the
Navy League, giving my authorities, and I challenge you to take
exception to a single fact I state. You accuse me of appealing to
the‘ sentiment against successful and wealthy men. You call your-
self, therefore, a “successful and wealthy man.” And you think I
and others envy you. You are mistaken. . ,
Colonel, I have seen the record in the Federal Courts Building
in New York. showing that on August 4, 1910, you paid there your
fine of $4,000, after having been found guilty of violating the
Federal law in cornering cotton. The time has not yet arrived when
Americans envy men of “success and wealth" who have broken
their country's laws. On the contrary, I find that there is in the
United States a strong and growing feeling of contempt and anger
for the men who have gained “success and wealth” by violating the
laws made for the protection of the public.
Colonel, you are a director and founder of “The American
Society," to teach resident aliens and naturalized citizens how to
become good Americans. Do you not think that if the “resident
aliens and naturalized citizens” study your career, they will be more
inclined to seek to gain “success and wealth” by breaking the laws
of their adopted country, than to become good citizens?
But to continue with the Colonel's letter to the Times:
“I would not have noticed the .ar,ticle,were it-not to raise the ques-
tion why these papers,,which appeal to a German audience, should
make this marked opposition to a purely American national move-
ment. .. . ,.
,Vf‘It is worthy of. note that the first subscription to the work of the
Navy ‘League was made by.a, leadingand patriotic American of
German.descent., Although this man is quite as prominent as any
ofuthe men named, the Vorwaerts carefully omits his name. Why?
‘.'From my acquaintance with many Americans of German descent
I, believe that, as a class, they are as patriotic and as true to our
ideals of liberty as any citizens of American origin.”
, I do not believe that any Americans of German descent will feel
tiattered by this grudging tribute from the pen of Colonel Thomp-
son. I do not think you will find the names of many Americans
of German descent on the records of a Federal Court, alongside
that.of the Colonel, who forever talks patriotism; who advises the
Federal Government to expend $500,000,000 of the people's money
for the benefit of himself and his friends, the while his name is
recorded as having violated the laws of that same Federal Govern-
ment.
The Colonel.winds up his letter in this wise:
“Why, then, do these German papers take the stand they do? VVho
is backing the movement to send out as news a rehash of these
articles? Is there some sinister influence behind them? Do they
represent, not the vieivsor wishes of Germans residing in America,
but of some one residing somewhere else who has an interest in
preventing America’s preparation?
ROBERT M. THOMPSON.
Washington, D. C., Nov. 7, 1915.”
Dear, dear, the cat is out of the bag at last-the sinister influence
which lurks in the background of my story.about the Navy League.
It represents the views and wishes of SOMEONE RESIDING
SOMEWHERE ELSE THAN IN AMERICA, WHO HAS AN
INTEREST IN PREVENTING AMERICA'S PREPARATION.
‘We all know who that, SOMEONE is to whom the Colonel refers.
We know him well-the arch criminal of the universe. It is the
KAISER, EMPEROR WILLIAM II., OF GERMANY.
S EE.now the secret and sinister plot exposed. The Kaiser, fight-
ing a world in arms, suddenly pauses in his work of conquest.
Somebody has slipped into his hand one of the 500,000 circulars
issued by the Navy League, in which Colonel Tliompson calls upon
the United States Government to spend $500,000,000 of the people's
money on armament for the national defense. The Kaiser's hand
trembles as he reads this missive, His cheek pales. He turns to
his aides and says in an uncertain voice: "Gentlemen, I have
crushed the great empires of Great Britain and‘ Russia, I have an-
nihilated France, I have beaten the Belgian and the Serb, but here,
here, gentlemen, is a new enemy who threatens to undo us all-..
Colonel Robert M. Thompson, of the Navy League.
“Quick, send a secret agent to von Bernstorlf at Washington.
Have him go to New York at once and hunt up this man Collman
and bribe him to expose this dangerous Colonel in Tm: FATHER:
LAND. We must crush this Southern Colonel at all hazards. The
safety of the German Empire demands it.”
Qh,,Colonel, Colonel, you delightful old wagl
- It is another great expose’ of the wicked German propaganda, I
suppose it is already in type in the office of the Provideizce Journal,
You see, it works out in this wise. The Colonel, who has a perfect
rage forpatriotic societies, is also a member of the Pilgrims of the
United States. His fellow member is a British-born person by
name of ohn Revelstoke Rathom, who is carrying on an English
prropa an a-in a small provincial newspaper, the Praizidenre Journal.
. he olonehwhispers the terrible story in Rathom’s ear. Raihom
hurriedly sets it in type. These two Pilgrims have a friend who
THE FATHERLAND
is also a Pilgrim, Adolph S. Ochs, of the New. York Times.
Rathom’s English propagandist stories are always grcedilv :re-
published on the front page of the Time: by the Pilgrim, Ochs. I
can already see the glaring headline: Kaiser Plots With Collman
to Down Colonel Thompson of the Navy League."
Colonel, you do not quite understand wh I oppose your "purely
American national movement." I shall tell’ you why. I think the
munitions agents of VVall Street, these men of “success and wealth,"
have made enough millions by violating the ncutralit laws of this
country in their contraband traffic in (var material. I mm: a decided
objection to their thrusting their hands in my pocket and the pockets
of my neighbors, in order to abstract from us a cool $500,000,000
in order to bolster up the earnings of their mushroom war plants.
As to the question of the national defense, I think that if -the
people of this country decide upon the necessity for defense meas-
ures. the matter can be handled far better by their representatives
in Congress than by you and your cronies If the United States
is going to expend $100,000,000 or $300,000,000 on armamc-nt,,it shall
certainly manufacture its guns and ammunition in Government
navy yards and Government arsenals, and not buy them from Wall
Street millionaire munitions makers, and certainly it shall not buy
its nickel from the chairman of the Board of directors of the In-
ternational Nickel Company.
I Now let us examine into this story of the Navy League, and see
if it is, as you say, “untrue as to fact." ,.
I quote from the publication, The Navy, July, 1914, page'332:
“The Navy League of the United States
Herbert L. Satterlee, Counsel. Directors, P. Morgan, N'ewrYork,
N. Y.; Col. Robert M. Thompson, Washington, D. C., Chairman of
the Executive Committee.
"A Proposal for a Union of Anglo-Saxon‘ Fakes,
The Secretary of the British Navy League Mr. P. J. Hannon,
at the dinner of the London Section of the‘ Navy League of the
United States, declares, ‘That if once the Anglo-Saxon race achieves
a perfect international understanding, the peace of the world is
secured for all time.’ He suggests that the two organizations the
British Navy League and the Navy League of the United Sfates,
should co-operate in trying to bring about a closer and more har-
m0"l0“5 relationship between the two nations Should a union of
armed nations commence with the United States and England" and
include other powers when they are willing to co-operate?" '
This was printed one month before the great war in Europe I
confess this does not sound to me like a “purely American naticinal
movement." On the contrary, this proposal to unite the American
and British navies smacks strongly of Mor an’s ersistent <pi-0-
English propaganda, as exemplified by his Cagrne iep Hall meeting
in 1911, which was succeeded by the creation of; his New York
Peace social)’. headed by the Englishman Carne ie' the American
Peace and Arbitration League headed by the ES lishman Clews'
the National Security Leagueland the Navy League ' ’
Again I Quote The A’a;rJ', February, 1915, page 37. The Navy
gilt-:?agg1;:aItJlC‘>vtaIx-5. afoot. This is seven months after the beginning of
“THE NAVY LEAGUE
“BC8in"lI1E With the present number, The Nazi will cease to earn’
“TIIV:3R;’ League Section. -The administration ofythe League and of
Nu avy have at all times been independent of each other, the
3V)’ ,1-633116 having no control over the matter appearing in the
magazgne proper, and the magazine proper being in no way re-
i?0“5‘ 16 f0",3"Y'fhmg 3Pl>e:iring in the Navy League Section.
.""e"heless, it has been inevitable that so long as The Navy car-
”? 3 NEW)’ I-83111-It; Section, the opinion should be held that the
po icy of the magazine was in some way connected with the policy
of the Navy League. However, there are good reasons wh th<i
;.‘z'3:!]:e;’.,f, each may succeed better if the separation is carric still
What ‘V35 the meaning of this singular separation of The Navy
go” ‘ts N3"Y.Le3E1l?? The Navy League, hitherto supported bl’
rforfan and his associates‘ for the purpose of advocating the union
0 t e. American and British navies, was to expand into a broader
lC,3mP31g"- t0 educate the Public into the necessity of expending bil-
iqnfl of dollars that the war plants of Wall Street munitions makers
5318 t continue to thrive after the European War had ended. , The
W)’ C01Ild not follow on this path of adventure. The Navy League
3&5 now to 9“b1‘5h “5.0‘V“, magazine. The Seven Seas, and Colonel
t 0"‘P.50“ W35 to begin his campaign by making this half-forgot-
Ien society known from one end of the country to the other. And
iere is how he began:
From New York Tiiiies, June 7, 1915, page 4;
.C010“‘’.1 Robe” M- Thompson, chairman of the executive com-
mittee, will present to'300 prominent New Yorkers 313 3 iuhcheon
an 'conference on national defense at the Recess Club, 60 Broad-
gtab 0'; Thurs,day, the plan of the Navy League ofgthe United
aites or -the investment at once of $300,000,000 in a greater navy
an army. The most important thing to he considered at the’ con-