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Neutrality in WWI
Mass Meeting at Turner Hall
Watertown Gazette, 11 04 1915
Hold Mass Meeting next Sunday
A mass meeting of citizens is called to meet in Turner Opera House next Sunday afternoon, November 7,
at 2:30 o’clock, under the auspices of the German-American Club of Watertown,
of which Dr. A. F. Ernst is president, Prof. E. W. E. Schlueter,
treasurer, and C. H. Jacobi, secretary.
The executive committee consists of the following well-known citizens:
J. W. Wiggenhorn, Dr. Arthur Hoermann,
Rt. Rev. Carl A. Mueller, Dr. J. H. Ott, W. D. Sproesser,
Arnold E. Kraeft, C. A. Feisst,
Rev. G. Sandrock, Karl A. Keppler,
Chas. A. Gamm, John Schatz, Camilla Burger, Henry Mulberger,
Wm. Sproesser, Wm. H. Rohr, Max Rohr, E. A. Knaak, H. R. Moldenhauer, Otto R.
Krueger, Geo. P. Koenig, John Schempf, C. E. Frey, Dr. Hermann Klein, Prof. E. Wendtland, Max Gaebler, Gustav
Exner, Dr. F. B. Hoermann.
Neutrality in the present European war will be the subject, and it
will be ably discussed by Mr. Robert Wild of Milwaukee, who will speak in
English, and Dr. H. Gerhard of Chicago, who will deliver the German address.
Mass Meeting of German-Americans
Watertown Gazette, 11 11 1915
Turner Opera House was packed last Sunday evening with people to
listen to speeches on “Neutrality” by Robert Wild of Milwaukee and Dr. H.
Gerhard of Chicago. A. F. Ernst,
president of the Northwestern College presided.
The resolutions adopted and published below were prepared by D. J. H.
Ott, Dr. Arthur Hoermann and Rev. George Sandrock. Before the
meeting the Watertown city band played on the streets, and at the meeting music
was furnished by the Northwestern college band.
A feature of the meeting was singing by the audience of “Die Wach am Rhein” and “America.”
Following was the program and resolutions passed:
Overture - Northwestern College
Band
Address of Welcome - Dr. A. F.
Ernst
German Address - Dr. H.
Gerhard, Chicago
Vocal Solos—
Heinrich red Vogler Loewe
Vaterlandslied.... A. Methfessel
William Sproesser, Mrs. William Sproesser,
Accompanist
Die Wach
am Rhein
Audience, accompanied by
N. W. band
English Address
Robert Wild, Milwaukee
The Star Spangled Banner.
William Sproesser Mrs. William Sproesser,
Accompanist
Reading of Resolutions
America
Sung by Audience
RESOLUTIONS:
We, the citizens of the United States, in mass meeting assembled
at Watertown, Wis., by a unanimous rising vote, adopted the following resolutions
referring to our present international relations.
First. We hold that the American people, being declared friends of
all the belligerents, should treat them all alike and should not suffer any one
of our citizens to do anything detrimental to any one of the warring
nations. We, therefore, condemn most
emphatically the present manufacture and shipping of munitions of war, which
have of late assumed such gigantic proportions, as flagrantly violating the spirit
of neutrality, since we thereby become an active enemy of one group of
belligerents.
Second. We are firmly convinced that the majority of our citizens
do not desire this traffic in arms which makes us an accomplice of this
unprecedented slaughter of human beings, and we, therefore, demand that the
president and congress take immediate steps to stop this infamous traffic.
Third. We also hold that in furnishing one group of belligerents
enormous sums of money we are identifying ourselves with them and thereby
become deeply interested in their success, an interest that again makes true
neutrality impossible.
Fourth. We hold that the present time is eminently opportune to
establish once for all the principle that “the flag covers the goods,” or that
“free ships make free goods;” that our legitimate trade is not subject to the
rules and regulations of any foreign power.
We, therefore, demand that the entire navel strength of the country be
employed to give effect to these, our rights.
Fifth. We consider ourselves free and independent citizens of the
greatest nation of the world, and we, therefore, condemn as a traitorous act
any attempt to make us vassals of England, the “bully of the ocean.”
Sixth. We hold further that no distinction ought to be made
between American citizens of non-British extraction and American citizens of
British extraction, that any attempt to disparage one class is against public
policy and is sowing the seed of division in our country, thereby thwarting the
happy assimilation of the various elements of our population.
Seventh. We deplore the attitude of the greater part of the
American press, whose ignorance and perversity have done much to bring about
the present prostitution of public opinion and the unhappy dissentions under
which we are now laboring.
Holding these views, we hereby publicly declare that we shall not
endorse any one for any office whatsoever who is not in accord with our
position and does not pledge his support.
History of Watertown, Wisconsin