The Washington herald., 1914-10-02
By WILLIAM $. CULBERTsoN.

By WILLIAM s.. CULBERTsoN.
III.
The transitions from autocraey to anarchy and
from anarchy to autocracy equally easy. In time
OF great upheaval such is in progress today in
Europe this will not be forgotten by those on whom
the task viii ultimately fall of bringing order out
of social and political chaos. Humanity when
either In the despair of anarchy IN the temporary
security of despotism France, in the last of the
eighteenth century, leaped from the despotism OF
and when full and sick with its excuses turned for
refuge to the despotism of Napoleon Europe Is
now directing her entire thought and energy to de-
structon. Her peoples care very little whether the
destruction of their enemies are accomplished by
monarchial republican government; all discus
SION upon constitutional political and social ques-
tons is suspended. Even the Socialists in Germany
are supporting enthusiastically the monarchy in its
war program.
But from this period of excitement, from this
havoc OF destruction, there will be reaction So
cety must reconstruct ITSELF and the first great ques
ton that will require answer will be: According to
what ideals will the reconstruction take place?
The establishment of order of any kind in Eu-
rope after the fighting ceases, will in itself, be
task. Never. before has there been conflict In
which the entire male population was engaged It
has suspended all peaceful activities and subjected
all men to the brutazing influences of the battle
field. They will be slow to unleam the ways of
war, and despair may make them needless of the
rules of civilized society. The first work of leaders
then will be to protect society from anarchy and
violence
This once accomplished what next? This will
depend very decidedly upon whether the Germans
or the allies are vctors. In far political and
social institutions are concerned this IS a
hict between democracy and autocracy The allies
stand for the former: the German Kaiser for the
latter. The Kaiser glories in an absolutism which
declares that he rules by divine right and that he is
answerabe to the vote of parliament or electorate
He fosters bureaucracy and fills its places with his
favorites. He is devoted to miltarism. Without
doubt he has done wonders for the material prosper
Ity OF Germany. to those who like Maternal
men to those who prefer to have others rather than
themselves determine the of their affairs the
pulsive to the democratic mind If the Kaiser tn
umphs in the present war; this ideal-the ideal of
monarchy and militarism-wll be established, not
merely in Germany, but IN all those parts of the
world to which the fortunes of may carry Ger
man sovereignty More than this, this ideal will be
reawakened IN other countries, where it is now in
distavor. Buried ideals of monarchy will be dug
up and they may appeal to peoples, who, upon the
moment blame their republican institutions for their
reverses. In 1871 France abandoned monarchy for
repubicanism. Should she be defeated in this war
der the leadership of the Kaiser will that demo-
cratic sentiment not merely in Germany but through
out the world, will be stihed
But what of Russia? it may be asked Russia.
it is true, is proverb for despotism and arbitrary
rule. The Gar has out-Caesared the Kaiser. Ger
many is democratic when compared with despouc
in Russia. 1t is not to be doubted that in time the
democratic nations of the world will come into con-
fict with the Cossack and his ideals Today, how
ever they are using this force as means of crush
ing another peril TO democratic institutions As far
as the democratic nations of Europe are concerned
the Russian peril is today of secondary Importance
From their standpoint the German Kaiser must go
FIRST 1t may be that the crushing of the autocracy
and militarism of the Hohenzollern house may be a
SUFFICIENT boon to democracy shake despotism even
IN its Russian citadel
England. She is the mother of parliaments and
the principles of her fundamental law are the cherish
ed heritage of millions of people in the British Isles
and far from its shores. An independent judiciary
Parliament responsive to the electorate the finances
controlled by the representatives Of the peope-these
are enemies Of absolute government England still
retains some OF the pageantry of royalty, but this
splendor IS merely national toy The essence of
the ideal of the English constitution is best seen in
her children over the seas-n Australia, New Zea-
land, Canada, South Africa; yea, in the United
States.
England and France are today the buffer states
protecting the democratic nations of the world from
the monarchial institutions of old Europe. 1t may
seem like tar cry to sound a note of warning to
America, but what if England and France are crush
ed and the German military power stands upon their
runs looking Atlanticward? Will not the Monroe
doctrine. which has guarded the republican nstitu-
tons of this hemisphere since the DAYS of Washing
ton and Hamilton, vanish in a twinkling of the eve
unless America is willing fight in its defense
Democratic countries of the world have in re-
cent years turned their attention to legislation in the
interests of economic freedom There have been
accident prevention laws, social insurance and pen
sun idNS employers laws anu-COfnDlnatOn
laws; there have been great movements for the or
ganization of labor and movements directed toward
the Improvement of living conditions and toward
restricting the destructive effect of poverty 1t is
not necessary here to determine what are the merits
of the many measures and plans proposed; it is
important however to recognize that there is great
movement in the world tending toward equalizng
conditions in the struggle in which men are engaged
for living. There is ever-increasng demand that
political democracy be supplemented by industrial
democracy
Monarchy is opposed to this movement. 1t is op-
posed to it because monarchy and industrial de-
mocracy cannot flourish side by side. The Social
Democracy is the party in Germany that stands for
! this Of freedom, and the Kaiser has fought
it bitterly. He realizes that its success means his
decline; that its coming into power means the going
out of aristocratc and royal privilege and mitaris
If peace in this mighty world conflict returns the
Kaiser victorious to Berlin, it will mean a crush
ing blow to social democracy as well as political
freedom among the German people and it will mean
arrested progress in all lands who are pushing on
to finer ideals of social life If the allies however
successful the world will take long step toward
establishing social and economic independence for
all its people
However much may feel that the German
Kaiser is inimica to the true interests of the world
he should not fail to- recognize the fundamental
greatness of the German people and the vast con-