Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-11-21
Press Comment.
PEACE AND THE WAR LORD.

Springfield, Mass, Republican: For
a month past the fate Of Europe has
been resting in the hands of one man.
III Austria attacks Servia, Russia
stands ready to defend the little Balk-
an state. II Russia and Austria clash
allies will come to their support, and
continent would be ablaze. Against
Germany, Austria, Italy, Roumania and
Turkey would be arrayed Russia,
France. England, Bulgaria, Servia,
Montenegro and Greece. 1t would be
the greatest catastrophe in human his
tory and one man, proud, arrogant.
ambitions and lover Of war might
bring 1t on. yet he holds his hand. I'm
questionably Austria has much at
stake, far more than appears on the
surface. It has feared the crumbling
of an edifice that had been building
thirty years and lacked only the key
stone Of the arch. What the last push
to the Aegean would have made Arm
and complete is now left hanging
weekly in the air. From the imper-
ialistic point of view Austria has had
ample cause for declaring war in the
insistence of Servia on annexing terri
tory to Albania which would block the
Austria advance to it's goal at Salonica.
But Austria dare not go to war with
out the sanction of Germany, and evil
dence has been accommodating that
Germany does not want war. It Is
ready; both army and navy are in q
condition Of high efficiency, and a
German officer did not exaggerate more
than patriotism excuses in speaking
Of 100000 German soldiers as ready
to take the field; on a normal war
footing the army has half that prodigt-
GUS force ready to bear arms. But
Germany is inclined to peace for
obvious reasons. She is in the midst
of great commercial development,
and whatever the outcome Of the war.
she would lose far more than she
gained. 1t is not her quarrel, yet as
the most powerful and efficient of the
allies she would have to bear the brunt
Of the war, attacking simultaneously
Russia and France by land and Eng
land by sea. However ready her
soldiers may be, her financiers are ap-
palled by the prospect; industrially
and financially Germany is stretched
to the limit, and is in no condition to
enter upon the greatest war in history
Left to herself, Germany would I'M
questionably favor peace. One man
alone could by single rash act have
turned the scale toward war, and that
is the war lord of Europe, William II.
What a strain this great monarch
has been under since Austria and
Servia clashed can easily be imagined.
Here is born fighter, Of fighting
race, reactionary prince who glorifies
war for its own sake. His boyhood
saw the triumphal rise Of Prussia to
the headship Of militaristic empire
and the stunning defeat of Austria and
France. His childish Imagination was
nourished on the conauests Of his
predecessor, Frederick the Great Since
his acces sion his mind has BEEN ever
on war. He glorified the army. he
created great navy. he exto1led Ger
man valor. and boosted Of the Shining
armor" which he was keeping spotless.
His lightest word has sent a tremor
over Europe. And yet. the "war lord"
has never fought. That 1t is cross
to 80 frey a soul to keep the peace can
well be supposed. In other days he
would have been at the head Of his
troops winning the glory that gives
kings place in history along with
poets and other great men; instead, he
Is doomed to spend his days In ignoble
squabbles with socialists. War
there is the trouble-has outgrown
even kings. Frederick could wage a
seven years war and reap lasting
fame. Such war az has been hanging
In the scales might smash Europe to
pieces in as many weeks.
The German emperor has taken no
such responsibility. Though hothead
he has more than once in past years
showed exceptional self control. His
impulsive words, notably his kilograms
have often given Europe 'the Jumps"
yet when a crisis has come he has
acted with poise and discretion. It is
very likely true as Vienna reports, that
he has helped prepare to it's last de-
tails a strategic plan for the allies;
that is only a matter of common mill
tary prudence in such crisis, anI no
doubt the other side has an equally
clear understanding. But that he has
been using and is now using his enorm-
GUS influence not for war but for peace
there is every reason to suppose. To
this we must In great measure as
cribe the marked moderation of Aus
tria's demands and the increasing pros
pect that a basis of settlement may be
found. However he may extrol war,
we may be sure that he will go as far
as possible to avert such war as he
might by one impulsive act provoke.
Even militaristic hotheads are sobered
by the enorrnity Of such q CONFUSION,
and in this lies the greatest hope for
peace, which today seems almost as
sured.
For Real Highways.
Cedar Falls Record: It Is con-
tended that this country would regain
the principal inside OF five years in
case a billion dollars were spent in
permanent highways. Statisticians
have estimated that the average cost
per ton mile of hauling our farm pro-
ducts Is three times what It would
he n we had snitahle HIGHWAYS whv