Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-08-02

kaiser. Do you care to give any idea
of what you have observed?n
THE most painful observation that
an American can make in Europe is to
notice that every effort at progress,
whether in literature, in art, in music.
in manufacturing ~ IA the embelli h
ment and Improvement of the count "
every step toward progress is ham
pered by the perpetual fear of wa :,
and ne Germans. civilized. peace =
loving, cultivated people, are in con-
slant preparation for war. because
they expect an attack at any time
from Russia or France. This. Of
course, is a great drawback. The
money that should go to making Ger
many a center Of light for Europe has
TO go towards the maintenance of fort
resses, cannon and general military
equipments.
The emperor has to maintain great
force-a force which viii make CTR
many secure against attack. The
Russians on his eastern border have
nearly the whole of their army close
mp against his frontiers, and not only
that, they are constantly making all
sorts of pretensions upon the Black
sea, Constantinople and the Danube
which is incompatible with a desire
for peace. 1t is just as if Mexico were
to pretend sovereignty over California.
We would not stand that for one min
ute, especially if she put her army up
against the Rio Grande. France, too,
is daily offering Germany every form
of insult-in official as well as unoffi-
cial papers, by public speakers, and
the people of the music hall stage.
Not day passes that there is not
some insult thrown out, and all be-
cause Germany will not give back AL
sace-Lorraine. Under these circum-
stances Germany has to make a strong
military showing, and yet, if you fol-
low the emperor's public utterances,
and especially his behavior for tho
past six years, you will find he has
never lost an opportunity to reach out
in friendly way toward both France
and Russia. He has shown a direct
personal interest in the advancement
of literature and art; has always well
coined foreigners who have come
there; and | am sure he would be the
first man WHO would enter into any
reasonable proposition for cessation of
this state of savage civilization. 1t
is the most barbarous form of peace
a war of pocketbooks-a struggle to
see who will bankrupt the other first.
Last summer / was in Alsace-Lor-
raine throughout the maneuvers. l
was the only American there in nom
official capacity. / went over those
battlefields, talked with the peasants
wherever and whenever / got an OPP
portunity, and in every case found the
emperor had made himself popular, as
far as man could do in the short time
he had had.
The French. of course, hate the
Germans because their vanity is
wounded; but at the same time the
French of Alsace Lorraine have got to
see that Germany not only represents
greater physical power but that she
also represents order and education,
municipal government and security
all elements which conduce TO econom-
le prosperity.
II was myself surprised to see how
well the provinces had ,assimilated
with the German rule because was
in those provinces Immediately after
the war of 1871, and the feeling then
was very savage. At that time if you
asked man the way and he saw
you were not French, he would insult
you-at least he would turn his back
to you"
Mr.. Bigelow seemed to think that