The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-05
REAL CAUSES OF THE WAR German American Discusses for Readers of The Farmer the Immediate Incidents Precipitat
 ing Great Struggle Tn Europe

turbance of the political balance of Europe, in disfavor of both central European powers, but it would also be the end of Austrian Hungary.
 Since the return of the Russian pol icy from it's aims in Eastern Asia, to those in the near Orient, it is entirely under the control of PansIayism; i; that is, it lays claim to rule over the Slavic world, and wants to make use of all Slavic people toward it's aims.
 The murder of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and the investigation of the crime revealed that the real cause was to be looked for in Servia and that official Servian personalities had promoted the murder. It was impos- s1b1e for Austria. Hungary to look on any longer, and see it's political posi- ton destroyed by. Servian agitations; it had it's choice, either to punish Servia severely, or to declare itself as politically bankrupt. But Panslavic Russia came forword to protect Ser via The Russian Government waS not in a position any more to subdue the Panslavic instigators, and as Aus tria Hungary could not comply, Rus sia decided to wage war. Russia had prepared this war in great measures Indeed it did not want to undertake it as early as 1914, but only in the be- ginning of 1916. Russia built strate- gical roads. towards Germany, for which purpose France granted it a credit of two and one half billion francs, in addition to all former loans, and it increased it's army in times of peace to the enormous number of IS million men, more than double the number that Germany had in peace times. It ruined it's finances in an actually desperate manner, just be- cause it had resolved upon the war against Germany and Austria Hun gary. Even Russian official military periodicals stated in the beginning of 1914, that they were preparing for a war with Germany. It would have been a case of suicide on the part of Germany. if it had left Austria, Hun gary in the lurch. Should the Aus trfans be conquered, there would be no dam to hold back the Slavic flood from the heart of Europe and pre- vent it from oyerhowing Germany. No one among the German people was in the dark, as to the hard crisis which the war meant for Germany. and no one doubted for a moment that the only cost by which the war could have been avoided, was the delivery of Aus tria Hungary to Russia, which would have been equal to the extreme risk of the future of Germany.
 Let happen what will, for the sake of loyalty and it's own existence, Ger many must stand side by side against the Russian demand, that the Habs- burgers should voluntarily give them selves up, by toIerating the Servfan agitation, and letting the Servians go unpunisned for the murder of the archduke.
 The German Emperor in his. con- sultations with his ally, the old Bm- peror Franz Joseph went to the ut most limit of what was still possible for Germany and Austria Hun gary While the matter was being discuss ed between Vienna and Berlin, and mediation was asked for on the part of the Russians, as a pretext, the mo- bilization< of the Russian troops sud- denly ensued,-contrarY to the formal word of honor of the Russian Minis ter of War and the Staff of the Army Every day of delay would have threatened Germany with increasing danger.
 Germany saw clearly that the sud den attack had been planned from 3 sides and that 1t could not escape from it.. France demanded it's re- venge England the destruction of German commerce and Russia de- manded the destruction of Austria. and the rule over all the Slavic peo- pie Each of this three demands alone, signif1ed nothing eIse but the actual declarationrof war on Germany