The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-11-13
WHY AMERICANS THINK
THEY DO

Germans are our own DfOLnerS-yee,
they are largely ourselves, and we
agree with him in saying that the
Gripping of Germany would be dis
aster to mankind.
While thus speaking of the Germans
the ex-president of the United States
is not unmindful of the standing and
contribution of the other nations to
the splendor and up-lift of the world.
Of France Colonel Roosevelt thus
speaks:
France is a modern prototype of
Greece To have her broken or cowed
would mean a loss as great as was
that when the creative genius of the
Greek was submerged in barbaric
conquest"
Of Russia, young, lustful and reso-
lutte he is tolerant enough to speak
words of praise in her behalf.
He says:
Russia is young, strong, ldealistic,
with possibilities tremendous for the
good of humanity; it would be a ca.
lamity were she wrecked at the out
set of her wonderful development"
1t seems to us that we must all
agree with him in saying that 'any
peace that does not give Belgium re-
dress for her wrongs and provide
against the future raping of peace
full nations will be michievous rather
than beneficial
The ex-president, though largely
German, with his sympathies very
largely in her favor, is broad-minded
enough to lay the blame at the feet
of thu German kaiser where it prob
erbly belongs. He says of England:
THE honor as well as the interest
of Great Britain forced her into war"
1t see-ls to us that the ex-president
sums Up the matter quite correctly,
and it does seem that in a time like
ours, where there is so much enlight-
ment, so much freedom of thought,
that it should be rendered impossible
that any one man or any two or three
men should be cloathed with the pow
er to plunge whole nations into the
vortex of war.
In extenuation and apology for this
war Mr.. Hugo Won Kleist, the German
correspondent of the Ocala Banner,
and other syndicated newspapers.
says that it is the first time in his
tory that the great dream of the So
cialist-the brotherhood of man
has come about. AL" he says, ''are
working together as brothers, labor
ing for a common cause"
Of course-that is perfectly natural.
The house is now on fire and all must
work together to subdue the flames.
But the trouble arose when the
house was set on fire and the one who
committed the deed should be held
responsible for it.
We beg Mr.. Won Kleist's pardon
for saying that this is not the first
time in history that such thing has
been made an actual reality. Is not
the same picture presented in Great
Britain. Are not the Ulster men and
Orangemen and the Irish home rulers
and all other banded together as one
man holding aloft the British flag? Is
not the same picture presented to us
in France?
This war means the downfall and
re-making Of empires hence it is 60
ing to be terrible struggle for each
side knows the tremendous conse-
quences of defeat.
If Germany loses her war drums
will cease to heather military arm
will be broken and she will no longer
be dominating power. If she wins
she will dominate the policy of the
world, so it is natural that imperial
ism and socialism should be wearing
the same uniform and marching arm
in-arm together along the firing line.
In our civil war the same picture
was in evidence. Wings and demo
Gratis, unionists and secessionists, for
the time being, forgot their differ
ences and marched together to the
front.
In this state the lamented George
T. Ward was the recognized leader of
the unionists-those who bitterly OPP
posed secession-yet he was the first
to sacrifice his life in the forefront
of battle.
Mr.. Won Kleist is simply mistaken
when he says that the present war in
Europe has, for the first time in his
tory, made the dream of the socialist
the brotherhood of man"-an ac-
tual reality because all in Germany
are donning the same uniform and