New-York tribune., 1906-04-21
THE GERMAN BOGEY.
side.

There are welcome indications that the Ger
man bogey is being laid at last Some of those
who have most suffered from both acute and
chronic Teutoniphobia are beginning TO realize
that the responsible head of one of the greatest
empires and of the greatest military power in
the world is not an international tirebrand and
marriott and that il is quite possible there
should he an insurrection in Natal. a famine
in Japan. or an earthquake in California. with
out it's being caused by malevoent German in
trieues Prince Biilow. in his latest speech,
lust before he was stricken down with illness.
declared in straightforward fashion that Ger
many had had no political designs on Morocco
no desire to interfere with the historic claims
Of France and Spain and wish to strike
blow at Great Britain. but merely wished to
protect her economic interests and to show she
was not negligible quantity in international
affairs II would he easy for some 10 reply
with cheap sneer about sour grapes but il
would we believe. he unjust, For ourselves
we held and expressed long before the Alge-
ciras conference. precisely the views of Ger
man policy which the Chancellor afterWard
announced. There seemed TO us every reason
for Germany's keeping the peace, and absO-
Iutely none for her provocation OF a wanton
war.
Germany was. and IS entitled to fullest rec
ognition in international affairs, in Africa and
Asia as Well in Europe. Great Britain ac-
corded it 10 her in the case of the Anglo French
agreement over Egypt II is quite probable
that had tIc same been done ny France in the
case OF Morocco TIE dispute over that coun-
Try. which at one time little short of acri-
monious, would have been avoided 1t must be
remembered that Germany is one OF the great
est empires in the world, and has, with one ex-
ception, the most widespread interests She
has The largest civilized and enlightened popu-
lati0n in Eucu"e ana one of the two or three
largest IN ia world. She is one of the two
or three greatest Industrial empires, and after
only Great Britain she has by far the larg-
est ocean borne commerce. Golden. the great
apostle of peace, would have fought for mar
kets Certainly Germany has a right to use
al legitimate means for securing and retan-
ing access to the markets of the world With IL
single exception. such access is most necessary
to her Of all great nations.
There is no doubt. certain natural and in
evitable rivalry between Great Britain and
Germany. and there is also, in less degree
but in the same kind, rivalry between Germany
and America. There always is rivalry between
two of n trade Yet 1t is to be remembered
that while England has fought almost every
at war with Germany, or with Prussia. but ON
the contrary the two have in more than one
great war been allies. We do not like To reca n
our wars yet the historic record is that whiIa
we have fought England twice and France once
and Spain once, and have other occasions
been within measurable distance of war with
each of them. we have never fought Germany
nor been in serious danger of quarrel with
her There is question that since the raor
ganizatlon of the German Empire a generation
ago the Teutonic world has been self-asssrtive