Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1911-12-08

on which she chiefly relied to sustain
her in her reputation of the Monroe
doctrine and her bold bid for a share
in the empire of the new world. But
not altogether did she rely on these.
She had also one man bomb throw
ing Drachenflieger of unknown value
among the resources.
But the Drachenfiiegcr were away
in the second great aeronautic park
east of Hamburg, and Bert Smallways
saw nothing of them i'll the birdseye
view he took of the Franconian estab-
lishment before they shot him down,
for they shot him down very neatly.
Tho bullet tore past him and made a
sort of pop as it pierced his balloon, n
pop that was followed by a rustling
sigh and a steadily downward move
ment. And when in the confusion of
the moment he dropped a bag Of bal
last the Germans very politely, but
firmly, overcame his scruples by shoot
ing his balloon again twice.
1t is impossible now to estimate how
much of the intellectual and physical
energy Of the world was wasted in mil
itary preparations and equipment, but
it was an enormous proportion. All
Europe was producing big guns and
swarms of little Smallways. The
Asiatic peoples had been forced in
self defense into like diversion of the
new powers science had brought them.
On the eve Of the outbreak of the war
there were six great powers in the
world and q cluster of smaller ones,
each armed to the teeth and Straining
every nerve to get ahead of the others
in deadliness of equipment and mill
tary efficiency. The great powers We're
first the United States, q nation addict
ed to commerce, but reused to military
necessities by the efforts of Germany
to expand into South America and by
the natural consequences Of her own
unwary annexations of land in the
very teeth Of Japan. She maintained
two immense fleets east and west, and
internally she was in violent conflict
between federal and state governments
upon the question Of universal service
in defensive militia. Next came the
great alliance of eastern Asia, close
knit coalescence Of China and Japan,
advancing with rapid strides year by
year to predominence in the worlds
affairs. Then the German alliance still
struggled to achieve its dream of i'm
pcrial expansion and its imposition of
the German language upon a forcibly
united Europe. These We're the three
most spirited and aggressive powers in
the world. Far more pacific was the
British empire. perilously scattered
over the globe and distracted now by
movements in Ireland
and among all its subject races.
Even more pacific than the British
empire were France and its allies, the
Latin powers, heavily armed states in
deed, but reluctant warriors, and in
many ways socially and politically
leading western civilization. Russia
was a pacific power perforce, divided
within itself, torn between revolution
aries and reactionaries who We're
equally incapable of social recon
struction and so sinking toward
vendetta. Wedged in among these
portentous larger bulks, swayed and
threatened by them, the smaller states
of the world maintained a precarious
independence, each keeping itself arm
ed as dangerously as its utmost ability
could contrive.
So ii came about that in every coun-
try a great and growing body of ener-
getic and inventive men was busted
either for offensive or defensive ends
in celebrating the apparatus of war
until the accommodating tensions should
reach the breaking point. Each power
sought TO keep its preparations secret,
to hold new weapons in reserve, to an
ticipate and learn the preparations Of
its rivals.
The strength and heart of the ma
tions We're given to the thought of war,
and vet the mass of their citizens was
teeming democracy as needless Of
and untitled for fighting, mentally,
morally, physically, as any population
has ever been-or, one ventures to add,
could ever be. That was the paradox
of the time. 1t was a period altogeth-
er unique in the worlds history. The
apparatus of warfare, the art and
method of fighting. changed absolutely
every dozen years in a stupendous
progress toward perfection, and peo-
Pile grew less and less warlike and
there was no war.
And then at last war came. 1t came
as Il surprise to all the world because
its real causes were hidden. Relations
were strained between Germany and
the United States because of the in
tense exasperation OF n tariff conflict
and the ambiguous attitude of the for
mer power toward the Monroe doc
trine. and they We're strained between
the United States and Japan because
of the perennial citizenship question.