El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-05

| ton, ana VIII DulId DreadnOugntS py
( the score.
! May Be Revolution.
| When the next general election is
! held, If it results in decided victory
J for either side, the British will face
real revolution. If the Liberals win and
the house of lords is deprived Of its
! legislative power, then the British de-
mocracy Will be free to institute a sysz
| tenn Of industrial and social reforms
which probably will fill the stomachs of
the starving third, but which also is
almost sure to destroy the British i'm
perial instinct
II the Conservatives win it will mean
! that the hope of democracy to control
| the government by exercising the ballot
/ is at an end, for the lords would be
! reformed and confirmed in the possess
! sion of legislative powers which they
/ have not exercised for nearly three
! centuries. What such permanent Tory
victory might mean no man may say,
| but among its possibilities must be
] counted the war with Germany.
The German Situation.
= The conflict between the autocracy
and the democracy in Germany is as
! Stunning the phase of open warfare The
| kaiser's recent eruption and bold re-
assertion of his divine right to rule
without any responsibility 10 the peo-
pie will result in further gains by the
J Socialists and open agitation against
| the continuance of the monarchy. No
one knows why the emperor chose to
| break his promise of silence in such
| an inopportune manner. Perhaps he
| had reached the conclusion that he had
| made mistake when he permitted the
parliament to gag the imperial tongue.
| Perhaps he had decided that the time
and come to law down the gauge of
battle and bring the Republicans and
ant inf ho IN, l,afy
fight against the throne. Perhaps he
concluded that a promise of the en-
peror did not bind the king of Prussia
Perhaps he merely boiled over. In any
event, the effect will be the same
that is, to widen the chasm between
the kaiser and the people.
Larger German Navy.
If, as some of the most serious Ger
man newspapers appear to believe, the
kaiser's speech was the opening gun of
deliberately planned political cam
paign, then 1t is probable that the Ger
man government has decided upon
still further increasing the taxes TO
meet the demands of the larger navy.
1t never has been . secret that the en-
peror has been displeased by the sub
serviency" of the reichs1ag to the
popular clamor against the increased
taxes 1t was necessary for bismarck
in 1852 to ignore the Prussi21 Darlia-
ment and to establish a virtual die
tatorship in order to make the neces-
sary preparations for the wars with
Denmark and Austria. It may be
necessary again to set aside the con-
stitution in order to prepare Germany
for another series of empire expanding
wars.
Situation Like EnSIand's.
The present situa ton in Germany is |
in essentials not remarkably different |
from that in England. The country is !
disturbed by unprecedented unrest I
which manifests itself in a different /
form from that in England because of /
the fundamental differences in the two /
systems of government. In Germany.
as in Great Britain, the cause Of the !
political disturbance is the increased ;
burden of taxation made necessary by I
the reckless expenditure of money in.
preparation for war. In Germany as |
in England, this protest against taxa
ton finds its expression in a demand /
for constitutional reform of the ma
chinery Of government in the direction 4
of more democratic rule In Germany,
as in England. all classes of society
are notably unanimous in supporting
the governmental program for
strengthening the navy, but the diff
ference of opinion hinges upon who is
to pay the bills.
In Germany, as in England, the party
of privilege and aristocracy Is most in
Sistent upon huge expenditures and is
utterly unwilling to pay. In Germany.
as in England. the aristocratic and
privileged classes have an unequal pro-
portion of political power. and are de-
termined to use their power 10 shunt
the burden OF increased taxes from the
shoulders of the rich classes on to the
packs Of the poor masses. In Germany !
the people demand a political reform
which was obtained by the British /
nearly 300 years ago-the responsible
ity of the ministers of the government /
to the elected representatives of the
people With this they demand in their
state governments, particularly that of
Prussia; popular suffrage reform sim
liar in scope to those which the British !
people Won so years ago when the Re
form bill was passed
Similarity of Politics.
While this striking similarity in do
nestle politics exists, the two countries
are at loggerheads in the field of inter
national politics. England, having the
best part of the world under its flag,
and its imperial appetite for conquests
satisfied, is intent only
upon maintaining : its present estate
Germany, on the other hand, growing
rapidly and feeling every day more and
more the need for expansion. is cribbed.
y
alliances and understand
ings built up BY British diplomacy
and made effective by the supremeIy
powerful British navy. Germany would
break down these barriers and make
way for itself in a campaign of i'm
perial and colonial aggrandizement |
This it cannot hope TO do until its navy
is strong enough, if not to overcome.
at least to give pause TO the British
seapOwer.
Danger of Bankruptcy.
Germany and Britain both are plung-
ing recklessly toward the gulf of bank
ruptcy, as has been remarked. by null
tiplying Dreadnoughts Both nations
pretend that they are building ships for
defense, but. 1t is apparent from the
tone of public opinion in the two coun-
tries that the British are building for
defense because they are afraid while
the Germans sare building for attack
because they are not afraid Germany
believes in its destiny it is enslaved.
Oy its traditions of military conquest -
It believes it is able to whip the Eng
ish, and in the fulIness of time it ex-
poets the war to come on and TO result
N German victory even greater than