Hermanner Volksblatt. [volume] (Hermann, Mo.) 1875-1928, 1914-11-20

1.-THE question civilized nations
should ask themselves is this: Shall
Europe be Rus~sianized? Shall the
knout and the pogrom become in
situations in civilized EuropeS
america should lift her voice in
warning to England: Fools, if you
help to wipe out Germany, you will
have to fight Russia yourself, in Asia
and in Europe. before a generation
is passed.
Germany is fighting your Their
mopylaeF
There are three principal causes
of the terrible war that is raging
first, Russian ambition; second,
French lust of vengeance; third,
British resentment at losing world
markets.
Ever since the days of Peter the
Great, Russia has been eager to. get
its clutches upon Constantinople.
When it found its way to the direct
achievement of this purpose blocked
by England, a roundabout way was
devisci.
"The Slavic populations OF the
! Balkans were melted to Instructions
against Turkey, many Of which have
succeeded, and have d~ismembered
the Ottoman empire. Russia knows
that whatever parts u Turkey are
acquired by Servia and other petty
Balkan states virtually belong to
Russia, because Russian money
keeps all these states afloat. Their
kings are office bows OF the Gar.
"In recent times the rise Of
Austro- Hungarian supremacy has
interfered with this Russian plan.
Therefore, conspiracics and insurrec-
tons against Austria have been
fomented. We have seen the fruits
of this policy in the assassination OF
A~rchdukc Franz Ferdinand and his
wife at Sarajevo.
austria felt that the time had
come to put an end to this bloody
diplomacy. Then Russia showed
herself determined to protect the
murderous Servians at all hazards.
Thus the war was precipitated.
When the history Of its origin is
written, Civilization will point its
accusing finger at the Gar, and will
say, Thou art the mani
"But France-France still smarts
under the recollection of its defeat
il, 1s7o-71. France wants to get back
Alsacc-Lorraine, which Germany re-
covered after the last war. Alsacc
and Lorraine have always properly
been German territory, and were
perfdiously wrested from Germany
by France over 200 years ago.
That is why France has formed its
alliance with Russia. That a nation
which has so frantically extolled
liberty and humanity should league
itself with one Of the most brutal
of despotisms, for the sake Of glut-
ting its revenge, is one of the ironies
of history.
However, there is also a COM
mercial aspect to the situation. In
recent times practically every Rus
sian loan has been floated in Paris,
and so, in a large measure, France is
going to war to protect the interests
Of her big bankers.
CAS- for England-during the last
forty years England's unquestioned
control of the worlds markets has
j been sadly shaken by German thrift
and enterprise. Because they have
! been undersold, because the quality
of their, goods has been surpassed
by German manufacturers, because
their proud boast to rule the seas
and collect profits from all nations
has been successfully challenged by
Germany, Great Britain is filled with
bittercst resentment.
Jealousy OF a commercial rival is
at the bottom of England's policy.
Out of this motive springs her un-
holy alliance with her ancitnt
enemies, the liberty-hating Mus
covite and the Gaul.
These are the real reasons which
have led to the war.
''They say--they are the London
correspondents who are furnishing
practically all the news that is to
be had at the present-they say that
the Kaiser was the aggressor. Time
will show that these statements are
lies, invented TO ALLEVIATE the SYM
pathy of the world from the German
cause.
"For rs years every utterancs and
every action of the Kaiser has been
carefully calculated to promote and
to maintain peace with all the world
But the Kaiser knew with whom