The Conquest of America | Page 2

TURNED INTO WALL STREET,
AND STOPPED OUTSIDE THE BANKING HOUSE OP J. P.
MORGAN & COMPANY
AS THE GERMAN LANDING OPERATIONS PROCEEDED, THE
NEWS OF THE INVASION SPREAD OVER THE WHOLE REGION
WITH THE SPEED OF ELECTRICITY. THE ENEMY WAS

COMING! THE ENEMY WAS HERE! WHAT WAS TO BE DONE?
THEN, FACING INEXORABLE NECESSITY, GENERAL WOOD
ORDERED HIS ENGINEERS TO BLOW UP THE BRIDGES AND
FLOOD THE SUBWAYS THAT LED TO MANHATTAN. IT WAS
AS IF THE VAST STEEL STRUCTURE OF BROOKLYN BRIDGE
HAD BEEN A THING OF LACE. IN SHREDS IT FELL, A TORN,
TRAGICALLY WRECKED PIECE OF MAGNIFICENCE
THE PEOPLE KNEW THE ANSWER OF VON HINDENBURG.
THEY HAD READ IT, AS HAD ALL THE WORLD FOR MILES
AROUND, IN THE CATACLYSM OF THE PLUNGING TOWERS.
NEW YORK MUST SURRENDER OR PERISH!
GERMAN GUNS DESTROY THE HOTEL TAFT
"YOU KNOW, MARK TWAIN WAS A GREAT FRIEND OF MY
FATHER'S," SAID THE CROWN PRINCE. "I REMEMBER HOW
MY FATHER LAUGHED, ONE EVENING AT THE PALACE IN
BERLIN, WHEN MARK TWAIN TOLD US THE STORY OF 'THE
JUMPING FROG.'"
AND ON THE MORNING OF JULY 4, TWO OF VON KLUCK'S
STAFF OFFICERS, ACCOMPANIED BY A MILITARY ESCORT,
MARCHED DOWN STATE STREET TO ARRANGE FOR THE
PAYMENT OF AN INDEMNITY
PROM THE CITY OF BOSTON OF THREE HUNDRED MILLION
DOLLARS
"MY FRIENDS, THEY SAY PATRIOTISM Is DEAD IN THIS
LAND. THEY SAY WE ARE EATEN UP WITH LOVE OF MONEY,
TAINTED WITH A YELLOW STREAK THAT MAKES US
AFRAID TO FIGHT. IT'S A LIE! I AM SIXTY YEARS OLD, BUT
I'LL FIGHT IN THE TRENCHES WITH MY FOUR SONS BESIDE
ME, AND YOU MEN WILL DO THE SAME. AM I RIGHT?"

THE CONQUEST OF AMERICA

TO MY FELLOW AMERICANS
The purpose of this story is to give an idea of what might happen to
America, being defenceless as at present, if she should be attacked, say
at the close of the great European war, by a mighty and victorious
power like Germany. It is a plea for military preparedness in the United
States.
As justifying this plea let us consider briefly and in a fair-minded spirit
the arguments of our pacifist friends who, being sincerely opposed to
military preparedness, would bring us to their way of thinking.
On June 10, 1915, in a statement to the American people, following his
resignation as Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan said:
Some nation must lead the world out of the black night of war into the
light of that day when "swords shall be beaten into plow-shares." Why
not make that honour ours? Some day--why not now?--the nations will
learn that enduring peace cannot be built upon fear--that good-will does
not grow upon the stalk of violence. Some day the nations will place
their trust in love, the weapon for which there is no shield; in love, that
suffereth long and is kind; in love, that is not easily provoked, that
beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things; in love, which, though despised as weakness by the worshippers
of Mars, abideth when all else fails.
These are noble words. They thrill and inspire us as they have thrilled
and inspired millions before us, yet how little the world has seen of the
actual carrying out of their beautiful message! The average individual
in America still clings to whatever he has of material possessions with
all the strength that law and custom give him. He keeps what he has
and takes what he can honourably get, unconcerned by the fact that
millions of his fellow men are in distress or by the knowledge that
many of the rich whom he envies or honours may have gained their

fortunes, privilege or power by unfair or dishonest means.
In every land there are similar extremes of poverty and riches, but these
could not exist in a world governed by the law of love or ready to be so
governed, since love would destroy the ugly train of hatreds,
arrogances, miseries, injustices and crimes that spread before us
everywhere in the existing social order and that only fail to shock us
because we are accustomed to a regime in which self-interest rather
than love or justice is paramount.
My point is that if individuals are thus universally, or almost
universally, selfish, nations must also be selfish, since nations are only
aggregations of individuals. If individuals all over the world to-day
place the laws of possession and privilege and power above the law of
love, then nations will inevitably do the same. If there is constant
jealousy and rivalry and disagreement among individuals there will
surely be the same among nations, and it is idle for Mr. Bryan to talk
about putting our trust in love collectively when we do nothing of the
sort individually. Would