The Detroit times., 1914-08-13
BY LOUIS WALLIS.


Author OF can Examination OF So
city" and other sociological works.
An economic war--a struggle grow
ing out Of the social problem-holds
Europe In Its deadly grip. This be-
comes clearer and clearer as we
catch our breath after the nrst, big.
staggering war-shocks are over.
The underlying causes Of all war
will be made palmer to the general
public within the next few weeks and
months than at any past time In hu-
man history.
Although war is a tremendous evil,
1t stimulates the mental powers a.
nothing else does or can. England q
greatest intellectual uplift followed
hard upon the defeat of the Spanish
armada The American Civil war
cleared the atmosphere Of this coun-
try and sent US forward into q new
stage of our history.
So don't be pessimistic and think
this big European war is the end OF
civilization. STUFF and nonsensel
Things always look bad In the midst
OF thunderstorm; but thunder.
storms always clear the air.
AZ to the causes Of this warstorm
mo matter what the little, trivial
events may be that are said TO have
led to 1t, the war IL economic In its
very fiber and essence.
Mourn as we may the enormous
loss Of life and property, this war
will be the capstone and climax of
the great social awakening which has
overspread all Of modern civilization
during the last few years.
We are told that II all grows out
of the murder OF q man belonging
to the Hapsburg family, q dynasty
which is entangled In European ALI
ances and race hatreds. But the al
legged cause" IL entirely dispropof-
tionate to the actual international
effects. Europe was ready to 60 to
war anyhow. The murder Of the Aus
TRAN crown prince was merely the
match that set the powder magazine
on fire.
Take those dynasties and those
race hatreds that we appeal to 80
easily. A dynasty is always family
Of land-grabbers. More than this, II
is always leading family OF land
erabbers. The other land-grabbing
families are the arfstocracy. The
chief reason for the existence OF a
dynasty Is that IL acts primarily as
the agent Of the aristocratic class.
The dynasties that mostly figured
In the present war. are the Hapsburg
family, In Austria: the Hohenzollern
family, In Germany, and the Roman
OF family, In Russia--all Of them
land grabbers and all OF them descen-
ded from land-grabbing ancestors.
Go back few centuries In history,
and you find Europe divided between
hostile tribes. each trying to lick the
other and seize its territory. Here 9
where land grabbing bitches on to
race hatred. And here's where we
get European history In its begin
nings or elements.
When q tribe fights with q neigh
boring tribe and grabs its land, who
Is IL that gets the land? Not the
peoplel The land goes to
the victorious chiefs and their relar
tives and favorites. That's how the
ancestors OF the present Romanoffs
and Hapsburgs and Hohenzollerns got
their Jobs In the first place.
in all European countries an aris~
tocracy (which Is descended from land
grabbers rides on the backs OF the
common people and makes the people
pay tribute for the use Of the earth.
In addition to this annual tribute,
which the people Of every European
country must pay In the form of
ground rent to the aristocracy which
holds the soil. the people must also
pay a huge bill Of taxation year after
year to support the various govern
ments. Thus we see that all the
common people Of Europe stasger be-