The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-10-14
MIR. E. C. MESCHINE WRITES OF
CAUSE OF WAR.
Editor Abbeville Press and Banner:
Abbeville, S. c.,

Abbeville, S. c.,
Dear sir:
Wars, in general, have two causes
the apparent cause which IS given tt
the public and the real cause which ]:
seldom known beyond the circle of 6
few initiated.
The apparent cause of the presen'
European war is the assassination o
the presumptive heir to the throne o
Austria by a servian, the endeavor O
Austria to saddle the responsibility o
the deed upon Servia and the refusa
of the letter to submit to the inaccept
able demands of Austria.
The real cause is the desire of Ger
many to make a further step towards
the completion Of the Reorganization
of the German Empire of the past II
f~urtherance of the plan of Bismark
and the said wal may be truly consid
cred as a posthumus offspring of thu
genius of Bismark.
Long ago Bismark then prime min
lister of WilliamI, King Of Prussia con
ceiyed the idea Of the restoration o
the German Empire and succeeded u
associating his master in the execu
ton of his plan. Prussia was the larg
est and most powerful of the German
is states, it was natural that the hon
or and benefits of the undertaking
should belong to the king of Prussia
The plan is to make Germany mas
ter in continental Europe and to Civ
her the supremacy of the Seas.
Hence the war of Shleswig-Holsteil
the Austrian war Of 1866, and tn
Franco-German war Of, 1870 was AZ
Immense success for Bismark AM
William I. The list of January, 1881
the German Empire was procla1me'
with William I as its first empero
and Bismark as its first chancellor.
To secure the stability of his achieV
ment Bismark then created the "tri
ple alliance" with Germany, Austri
and Italy.
France, Russia and England yer
not long to discover that the equili
brium Of Europe, their interest, ma!
be their existence we're put In jeop
ardy by the ambitious>tendencies o
Germany. France and Russia formed
defensive alliance and later Englan'
Joined them thus forming the triple
entente" fh-:! " ' 80 '.''-' -
We then assist to the frenzied arma
ments of Europe.
This brings US to 1914. q RI
Germany, being more completed!
prepared than the powers of the dtrf
ple entente, came to the CONCLUSION
that it was the proper time for then
to make a new move t~owardsrthe com
pletion. of the Bismarkian plan IN re
gard to tits maritime part. "
The servian incident furnishes he'
the pretext. -
Although, Germany has outletro'
the Baltic and on the North sea- ant
has Joined both with the magnihcen
canal of Kiel, she considers hersei
as cramped up. On the North Sea Ter
many possess only Hamburg and bre
men. Today Belgium Is slated TO tut
nish her Antwerp and ostend, ant
France Dunquerque, Calais and Bou
@l1oene. Holland is to come next wit
ROTTERDAM.
So. Germany declared war and, wit
utter disregard for her solemn en-
ieagements and to the establishment o
the world, brazenly violated the neu
%trality of Belgium and put this unsus
meeting and %unprepared grand It'll
country, an infant in size as compares
with gigantic Germany, in the oDlisa
ton of fighting for her honor and ne
existence.
Thus it is that for the satisfaction
LOT ambitious projects. Europe a lev
days ago prosperous and happy ma
Income a field of, destruction, carnag'
land desolation; that millions OF youn'
men, the flower of manhood, are hurl
ed to butchery; that ruins OF all sor''
will be accumulated, that suf1erin'
will be brought to millions and mil
lions, and that sorrow, mourning AM
DESPAIR will be spread all over Tn
world, ...,.
This. unnecessary war has had To-
| effect to arouse in the men engaged II
II dormant racial hatred and barba
rian tendencies, it is a blot to our CIV
ilization.
Each O fthe nations at war feel
that this gigantic struggle is a strug
gle for life; nothing but a mortal plo'
either to the triple alliance" or Il
the triple entente" will terminate !