Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-08-17


| Is it really possible to doubt that
! Emperor William desired nothing but
! honorable peace with all the world !:
! For twenty five years he has been the
most efficient power for European
peace. He has done more for IT than
all the European peace societies to-
gether and however often the world
seemed at the verge of war his versatile
mlad averted danger. He knew too
well and the whole German people knew
too well that the Incompatible cultural
and industrial growth of the nation
since the foundation of the young en-
pire would be horribly threatened by
the risks of war. Can any sane man
really believe the SANDER that all was
long prepared game which Austria
was to start and in which Germany
would wiliully force the furies OF war
into the Russian realm.
No, this time every effort was in
vain. and all good Will for peace was
doomed because the issue between the
onrusiling Slavic world and the Ger
man world had grown to an overpower-
ing force The struggle between the
two Civilizations was imminent and
where such a historic "orld conflict
arises the Will of individuals is crushed
until they serve the will of the nations.
The Slavs of the southeast, the Ser
vi MS, had defeated their oppressors,
the Turks. II was inevitable that their
new strength should push them to am
bit ious plans. 1t was necessary that
they should aim toward new great
Slavic empire which would border the
I 4 NJ.
sessions. That had to mean the end
of Austria, the crumbling Of its historic
power. Such an inner. passionate con-
flct. such an issue of exist ence must
lead to explosions. Servians killed the
arch duke. That was Austr,a's oppor-
tunity for an effort to crush the power
which aimed toward its downfall. But
I it was no less historically necessary
that the largest Slavic nation, that tbs
Russians should feel that Servia's cause
was their own. Russia knew well that
while it had recovered from the wounds
of the japanese war the Slavic strength
! was still unequal to that of the Ger
man nations. but it knew also that 1t
! could rely on Frances latent longing
to revenge itself for Alsace and on
England's grumbling jealousy Of the
great German rival in the worlds mar
3, kets. AT last the chances seemed
splendid to strike the long delayed blow
! of the Slavic world against che German.
/ The car vas unable to resist the
gigantic pressure of the hour: his gov
eminent D1obiliZed against both Austria
and Germany.
Is there really any sense in blaming
the German emperor for actually de-
claring war.-when the Russian hostile
prepa ration was evident. before its slow
mobilization was completed and before
Germany by such loss of time had been
! brought to certain destruction? Four
! times he urged the car to abstain from
+ the moving of the Russian troops to the
/! frontier; most Willingly he undertook
| to urge Austria to new negotiations
But the world contrast of the two civil :
cations was too deep; Russia could not
forego its unique chances. and SO it con :
tinued passionateIy it's ornaments
trusting that the French guns would
start of themselves. The German
emperor would have shamefulIy neg.
lected his duties if he had quietly wait.
Ell t;::.;l .hs Russian armies were
brought together from the far east He
hau 10 Strike as soon as the war was
certain. He therefore had to go thru
the Formally of declaring war. but il
was Russia which made the war. and i,
was part of Russia's war-making tina,
1T forced Germany to declare the wa,
first. America undertook without suct
a deep inner conflict a punitive expe.
dition against Mexico, not unlike tina,
Of Austria against Servia. II at tina,
time Japan had declared that it could
not tolerate such hostility to Mexico
and had sent all its warships TOWARD
i California. would the president have
genia!ly waited until the japanese
cruisers entered the Golden Gate in.
stead of putting an u.timatum to the
mikado saying that unless the ship.
stopped it would mean war?
In this historic situation neither
Russia nor Germany could really ac
otherwise. The great conflict of civil.
cations was necessarily stronger thar
the mere wishes of peaceful individuals
But if it Is such a gigantic conflict o
Slavic and Germanic culture, the sym
tpathies Of the progressive American ma
j. ton ought not to be 80 wilfuIly mislet
and ought not to be whipped into TN