Immigrants: “The United States is a nation of immigrants.” That statement was as true one hundred years ago as it is today. Countless citizens were from Europe or were of European descent and had a personal stake in the war overseas, many due to familial ties or financial dealings. When war was declared on Germany, the United States faced opposition from a diverse range of its citizens. To gain support for the war, American media and propaganda vilified Germany, leading to suspicion and persecution against the thousands of German-Americans living in our country. Both president Wilson and former president Theodore Roosevelt spoke out against “hyphenated Americans” meaning anyone who identified with their foreign ancestry. From the day war was declared, you were either American or you were the enemy. The passage of the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Acts of 1918 allowed for the persecution of anyone who spoke out against the country, or the war. Untold numbers of citizens lost their sense of identity, suppressed their heritage to survive in the patriotic fervor of the day, while countless others lost their personal freedoms and livelihood through prejudice and persecution.
St. Joseph had a large German population who moved into the city from the mid-1800s until WWI. One such immigrant was Mathias Heckel, who came to St. Joseph in 1881. Realizing the difficulties faced by Germans in America, Heckel opened Heckel’s Benevolent Home for German Immigrants at 2nd and Mitchell. The establishment provided immigrants with a safe haven to learn English and become accustomed to American ways while maintaining their German sense of community. Heckel was also instrumental in founding the St. Joseph Volksblatt; a German language newspaper, the Beer Garten; an outdoor event space along St. Joseph Ave., and the German-American Bank; which provided financial assistance to the German speaking population at 7th and Felix beginning in 1887. When war was declared, the German-American Bank covered the crests carved above its doors and later changed its name to the American National Bank. The Heckel family moved outside of St. Joseph during the war, to escape anti-German sentiment in the city, and returned when the war was over.
Recruitment and Opposition: Even before the official declaration of war, St. Joseph men were volunteering for the armed services. Some joined the British and the French as volunteers to see combat before America joined the war. 50 Benton High School athletes joined the U.S. Army on April 4. By the end of the month, the city expected to enlist at least 100 men into the navy. Company B and C of the 6th Missouri Infantry were comprised of volunteers solely from St. Joseph. New divisions of the military were formed and drew the interest of St. Joseph volunteers, such as the Aero Squadron, Tank Division, and Gas and Flame Regiments, all units of technological advances never before used in American combat. Between June 1917 and February 1918, at least 639 men enlisted in St. Joseph.
As the Preparedness Movement had feared, the number of volunteers was not enough to form a viable army capable of facing the German forces. In May 1917, the Selective Service Act was passed, which required all men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for the draft. Many, even in St. Joseph, feared the draft and sought to avoid it. These men; pacifists, conscientious objectors, businessmen, and family men, represented a trend of anti-war sentiment which had spread across America. Once war was declared, these voices were suppressed by fervent public patriotism and fierce enforcement of federal laws designed to maintain order and positive public opinion of the war.
The nephew of the Owen sisters, Herbert Owen, Jr. listed on his draft card that his family could not be supported by a privates wages. A local man named Grover Long was arrested at the end of 1917 and charged with treason for giving a false name and address. George Yeager, a “rabid member of the Industrial Workers of the World” from Troy, KS, fled to St. Joseph and was sentenced to 20 years for draft evasion. In March 1918, local clothing retailer A.J. August went on trial for attempting to bribe draft officials so his employee, Isaac Kalis, could be exempt from service. Kalis was acquitted and August was sentenced to 2 years and a fine of $1500.