The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-02
SLAV AND TEUTON STRUGGLE
REALLY AN ECONOMIC WAR
Race Hatred Between Germany and Russia
Founded on the Lust for Land and
on Trade Rivalry

I international line. Moreover. the Russians
have given notable exhibition Of incon-
sistency In their treatment OF the Germans
In the Baltic provinces. Esthonia. Livonia
| and Courland
| in these provinces the Germans have kept
up for centuries a bitter struggle to main
tain their German nationality and their
! Lutheran faith against the attacks OF the
Muscovite offcisl and the Russian Orthodox
Church. Naturally the Germans of the
German empire have watched with SYM
pathy and deep resentment the plight Of
their brothers beyond the Russian frontier.
They have acquired the lively impression
that the Russian steam roller knows no
brother.
glance at German affairs gives q good
and plausible explanation OF the German
cutlery against Russia. as the big brother
of the Slav. In the kaiser's capital and
throughout the German empire in this por-
, tentous moment In which history is being
written with relentless speed.
The Weak spot.
! There lie weak spot In the armor OF the
Teuton Achilles. Achilles himself has been
aware Of II for some time, and Bismarck
undertook drastic measures to strengthen
the doubtful Joint. but the enterprise failed
because Of the astonishing vitality Of the
Slav. This weak spot Is the province Of
Poeen. or Posnan. which is inhabited over
wheminsly by Poles.
Now Russia has no love for the Poles
| within her own border, as any Pole will tell
you. But the Poles OF Posen the Pan Slavic
| Committee at Moscow hos long regarded
as in danger Of lspsing from true Slavdom
unless something we're done to maintain
alive within them the divine spark OF race
| consciousness
| Any Pole who knows will tell you that the
activities Of the Panslavic committee are
wholly unnecessary and uncalled for. But
You cannot furnish the gentlemen OF Mos
! COW with any adverse info rmation once they
have laid their hands to the immemoria al
task of keeping the Slavic race from being
Germanized OF the face OF the earth. So
the Muscovites have gone blithely about the
business OF meddlng In Posen.
Bismarck thou ght the peril of Polish sur
vival sinister enough TO adopt an expensive
plan Of appropriation Of land from Polish
| landlords and the settlement Of German
] farmers in their places. The evicted land
| owners. in order to be assured of the proper
influences, were transported to purely Ger
man communities and there settled with
orders to become Germans forthwith.
| few years ago an official report in the
| Prussisn Diet on the outcome OF this and
| subsequent costly expcrim ents in the same
direction indicated astonishing results.
1 These results were In short, that not only
had the informed Poles maintained their
nationality In all its original fervor. but
that they had actually Poonized some OF the
surrounding Germans.
| This appalling discovery 40 affected the
German mind that in all subsequent ar
rangements for the defence OF the empire
ample account has been taken OF the danger
OF Slavic uprising in Posen the moment
Germany should md itself at war with
Russia or any other neighpor.
! The German Government has never made
any attempt to conceal Its suspicion OF the
Poles as a peril to the empire. on the OF her
hand the Poles who are represented In the
Diet as well as in the ReiChstag. have waged
bitter warfare upon the Government AS a
sort Of perpetual and irrcooncilable opposi-
ton. Thus the business Of promoting race
hatred. consciously or unconsciously, has
gone on cheerfully on the German side of he
Russian border.
The heat of the anti-Slavic campaign in
Germany has been rising noticeably for a
year past. Inspired without doubt from
oflcisl sources. a considerable section OF
the German press. including several organs
recognized as official or semi Official, have
been carrying on an acrid campaign OF
Slavic race in general
Frontier Incidents.
Ample texts for these attacks were fur
nished by a series of frontier incidents, such
as unnecessary arrests of German subjects
on the Russian side OF the line. The capture
OF an aeronaut who had lost his way in the
night and descended on the Russian side
OF the border created-or was made TO
create-such a sensation In Germany that
some OF the newspapers actually demanded
that war be declared upon Russia forthwith
The fact that the unhappy aerinaut was
sent to Jail for short term because he had
violated a plain prohibition OF such I'M
warranted and defiant adventures upon
the soil OF Holy Russia added coal oil to
the blazing fire OF German resentment.
The pother that was made over an incl
dent which ordinarily would have been re-
Garded as only an annoying trihe made II
appear to the outside observer as If some
Influence In the vicinity OF the German
Foreign ONCE were employing. the affair
| az means to fan German patriotism 10
white ar dor OF belligerent Russophobia.
II is easy to understand how two races
mutually Incompatible. should develop
some heat In the course of bh cir friction: but
that two peoples should spring ready to tiy
such himsy provocation.
Race hatred AZ such. then does not ex plain
the present sinister alignment of nations
on either side of bristling barricade OF
hayonets. No. The cries Of Down with
Russia!" and Down with Germany" are
only the convenient rallying words devised
by cunning statesmen to arouse the mob
Tho underlying reasonss for the impending
cataclysm. the most appalling that tn,
world has ever dreamed Of are economic.
The outlying regions which the late Lord
Salisbury des' mated as the waste place.
Of the earth. 10 be appropriated TO thelI
own purposes by the thrifty and the strong
have been pretty well distributed Tn,
Slavs. for instance. as typified by Russia
have more than their share In the view OF
German economists.
The industrious. progressive. enterpris
ing German race. on the other hand IL
cramped for room. And now, only a yea,
after three small Slavic nations have ac,
quired a part OF the estate OF the sick mar
OF Europe" one OF these little nations
flushed with the pride of conquest. has SCI
out 70 worry away from German Austria
a region which IL covets and which II
truth must be told, is much better on unde
Austrian administration than IL would b,
under the rule Of the Servian.
Behind the protensions of this pugnaciou.