The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-06-08

CHAPTER X.
An Emperor Disappears.

| and unstable. Men who in all their
lives had respected law and society
began TO question the value OF COM
munal authority. when even the most
carefully reared power proved unable
TO protect itself against what appeared
10 be only one invention. Taxation
had created government, which In turn
had devised armies and navies and ex-
pended more and more money in their
equipment IL had now been demon.
strated that the discovery OF some one
new force, some one engine of destruc.
ton more powerful than any other
known, could destroy the values OF
navies and armies In q day. And yet
In this frame Of mind. where anarchy
seemed less terrible and governments
at best but weak organizations. the
greed for sggrandizement and con.
quest reasserted itslf
In Russia the revolutionists took
heart and hoped to possess the land.
In the Balkans, reeking with the blood
OF past strife. new forces were forming
for independence. Rulers Of neigh
boring powers studied the map OF
Turkey. dreaming Of what portion
might be seized. China, rehabiitated
for aggression by Japan herself. re-
GREETED q compact with the smaller
country which prevented it's seizure.
now that it was so terribly weakened.
But the most threatening attitude of
all was that OF Germany toward Great
Britain. The Hohenzollerns, line Of
warriors. still held the ancient throne.
and the kaiser was ambitious for his
countrys advancement. An astute
ruler OF exceptional capacity, he al
ready had advanced Germanys flag
OF trade beyond all seas, and by this
means alone practically dominated all
OF South America. In all earlier days
of this trade conquest the United
States had been busted In her home
enterprises. saying to herself that
when she chose she could find Q way
to take the traffic OF the southern con-
tinent with ease. With her eyes swad-
died In silly egotism, she had waited
till too late. and then, when her band
ages we're removed, suddenly learned
fined to America alone. The sleeping
giant had lost commercial supremacy
in a continent which was hers by right
OF location and needs, TO a race of in
dustrious workers across the sea.
. Nor had Germany neglected her
fight for trade at home. There, too.
she found cyclists. so swollen with
selfsufficiency that by disastrous
tariff methods they had been bested.
England failing to protect her pro-
ducers had driven her own farmers and
carriers from the field. until, as one dis
gruntled farmer said: You can't pick
Up cabbage in stall which don't
bear the words made in Germany"
and II a new crown was needed for the
king. Germany would have stood a fair
chance of booking the order. In al
natural revulsion which had reached
fever heat before the Japanese-Ameri-l
can war broke out, England was try.
ing to obstruct this encroachment.
The feeling thus engendered between
the two nations eliminated in one OF
envy on the part OF Great Britain and
one OF hatred on the part OF Germany.
The kaiser. calmly reviewing times
and conditions. decided that the time
had come TO strike.
England. with power sadly dimin.
ished through the loss of her great
feet. and at the mercy OF the United |
States in her richest colony. stood
open to attack. While she was still
mourning defeat. Germany took ex.
ceptlon to the tariff laws In a very i
carefully worded message. 1t was one |
that under normal circumstances
would have provoked demands for
apologies. or. in a refusal of such. al
most instant war. But now the lion i
was driven to temporlze. That the |
kaiser hoped for an open rupture and |
intended to leave no stone unturned |
for such an outcome. was demon.
strated by his sending more CURLY |
worded notes.
The English press retailed these
to the public, and accused the kaiser
OF deliberately plotting war with a
foreign country to Offset the spread Of
socialism which threatened him at
home. hoping by combat abroad to re.
unite his own people.
The kaiser demanded an apology
from the British press; but English
men were not accustomed to bending
the knee, even though the lack of fiexi-
bility might cause the loss OF life.
Lacking nothing in bravery. they re-
luctantly faced crisis rather than
brook humiliating domination. Their
answer therefore was bellicose.
Germany at once began an ominous
assembling OF her fleets In strategic
waters from which on a moments no
tice they might sail forth. France
stood automatically aloof, hoping per.
haps that when the world had wearied
OF nghting she might be In a position
to gain by plunging into the fray.
Alsace Lorraine WAS still mourned.
and her monument In the Place de 10
Concorde draped.
Then, at the very moment when u
saened thai Englaad would b con-
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