The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-03-23
Senseless Rivalry.

When qermans-I am thinking of the
great intelligent part of the German
people-deplore the turn affairs have
taken in France, it is simply because
they think that two great cultured
nations ought to be able to find worthier
tasks than q senseless rivalry In mat
ters which have absolutely nothing to
do with culture or civilization.
1t is not the turn Of the tide in
France which causes Germany to feel
some apprehension in regard to the
international situation. In the best.
informed circles in Berlin there is q
certain optimism in regard to the i'm.
mediate visible problems. The Balkan
question is to be solved without fur
ther complications. but the general re-
lations between the great powers are
not satisfactory, and the care which
the powers have shown in avoiding
open rupture during the last months
is considered not SO much to prove that
an equilibrium Of interest has been
reached as to prove that for the pres
ent no power stands to gain anything
out Of conflict.
The belief here is that Europe is on
the eve of extreme competition in land
ornaments into which other powers be-
sides France and Germany must be
drawn. The proposed French measures
arc being represented as greater than
is entitled by the German measures and
if that conviction gains much more
ground no one can tell where we are
going to end. Delcasse is probably 60
ing to use his influence with the czar. to
prompt Russia to make sacrifices sim
liar to France. and If Russia does the
ponderous ball will be set in motion,
which must end either in war or the
financial ruin Of Germany attempting
to feed tho military Moloch.
The pity of 1t all is, that the course
we are about to enter upon seems to
absolutely unnecessary to all but the
pronounced militarists. No one could
any longer imagine France going to war
to get revenge for 1901 and with
the Balkan question settled 1T would be
very hard to find any reasonable cause
of war between the triple alliance and
the triple entente, The excuse given
here By some that the rise Of the Bal,
kan states has somewhat disturbed
Europe military balance, does not
convince anyone of the necessity for
greater armies. The only plausible ex
planation to be found seems to be that
the military obsession hns too strong n
hold upon the continental chanceleries
to be shaken off by any political
changes. Militarism seems to have be-
come an end in itself which no longer
feels the need to Justify itself by ar
guments Of policy. And in this lies the
danger which the German people fenr.
The powerful German army league
which. as revealed by the Socialist pa.
per- Vorwaerts, has grown to such pow
er rs to constitute state within a
state, is fighting behind the scenes to
forward the now armament competition
with France,
Its latest maneuver is directed
against the stubborn 'fJunker' party,
which is composed of land owners who
are favorable to an increase of the
army but object to super-tax on their
incomes. which is the means proposed
for raising the money.
Now the official German press an
nounces that the raising OF the money
md tho army increase will be incorpor-
ated md introduced into the reichstag
as one bill: SO il the Junkers vote
against the super-taT they will be the
means of the army increases being re-
iected. Behind all is the threat OF
dissolution of the reichstag in case the
army bill is rejected.