Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-08-14
kU1OcRAcr OR DEMOCRACY.
New York World

o. the pteurisy of people!
Beaumont and Fletcher.
When peace is again established
in Europe there will come new
order of things. Democracy will not
stand upon the scaffold, with auto
cracy forever on the throne.
Ten days ago the German people
were at peace with the world. They
had no quarrel of their own with
anybody. In the years that had fol-
lowed the downfall of Napoleon iii
they had won the admiration Of
every civilized country. Out of a
condition of general poverty they
had arisen to great wealth and pros
perity. They had become great lead
ers and teachers of all the nations
in the development of scientific in
dustry. Their commerce reached to
every nook and corner of the globe.
Their ships floated on every sea.
Their victories were no victories of
brute force, but triumphs of applied
skill and trained minds. In many
respects the Germans had touched
the highwater mark of human civil
ization. There was not another cOun-
try i'm the world but could learn
something from them.
Suddenly this vast fabric, woven
by peace and industry and skill
and science, is torn in two. All the
the machinery Of progress is stopped
by the hand of autocracy. The
Kaiser plunges Europe into the most
devastating conflict known to hu-
man history, and every civilized
country reels under the shock. And
about what? Ostensibly because Rus
STA had answered Austria's wanton
war against Servia by mobilizing
troops on the frontier i'm order to
protect her own interests. In reality
because the reactionary part of Ger
many was determined to invite a
general European conflict in order
to stay the advancement of political
reforms.
In the very vanguard of the twen-
tieth century in most respects, Ger
many has struggled back into the
seventeenth century politically. The
curse of medieval government has
hung over her nOblest achievements.
Every impulse toward political free
dom has been beaten back by mailed
fist, and at great crisis in their
history the German people are de-
prived of that power over their own
political institutions without which
the English speaking races have
justly come to regard life itself as
intolerable.
Autocracy has its way. Austria's
quarrel with Servia was no affair of
the German people Russia's chal-
lenge to Austria was no affair of the
German people. Yet the very fate
of the German Empire is thrown in
the balance in order to halt the
march of political freedom in
Europe.
All the world knew that decla-
ration of war against Russia was in
effect a declaration of war against
France. Germany admitted it by
mobilizing her army not on the
Russian frontier but on the French
frontier. The decisive blow was to
be struck against the French Re-
public, not against its imperial ally.
1t was not Russian despotism that
was to be crushed but French re-
publicanism.
The hollow hypocrisy of the whole
proceeding is revealed in the fact
that before the clash of arms is fair
ly begun the Austrian invasion of
Servia is practically abandoned.
Having begun the war, German
autocracy now finds itself isolated.
Italy CONSTITUTES the Triple Ali
ance as applicable only to a war
of defense; because there would be
a revolution in Italy if the Govern
ment ventured to champion the
cause of the hated Austrian. Great
Britain is compelled to make
frances cause her cause. Germany
and Austria are left alone to fight
the battle of autOcracy and pay the
bill in blood and treasure and pres
tige. In this war they have no SYM
pathizers even among neutrals. The
opinion of the whole world has
turned against the two Kaisers as it
turned against Napoleon iii when
he sought to make himself the auto
crat of Europe.
What was begun hastily as a war
OF autocracy is not unlikely to end
as a war of revolution. with thrones
and dynasties i'm exile.
Civilization cannot rest at the mercy
Of despotism, and the welfare of
is not to be made the play
thing of autocracy. If all Europe !
must be drenched i'm blood before |
this lesson is implanted i'm the
minds Of kings and courtiers, we
may say of this war as Lincoln said
of the war that exterminated human
slavery: The judgments of the
Lord are true and righteous alto