The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-16

 policy (policy is the right word) does not exactly tally with ths sentiments of the Englishman, who would gladly die for his own liberty and rights. We Americans (and l proudly call myself thus though l am German born), could tale unfold. but I will not enter upon this, unless l am urged. To me the English policy has nearly always sprung, not from English sentiment, but from commercial self-interest.
 Not entering into detail now. l will only cite two examples of this policy: That in South Africa against the Boers, who, liberty loving themselves, could not escape English sovereignty, no matter how often or how far they treked, leav ing their beloved homes to escape from being overloaded; and the policy former ly pursued In China, where the Chinese were forced by war to allow the i'm portation of opium against their will, though it ruined the Chinese people, Eng land has for years been worried about the growing industries and commerce of Germany, the peaceful competition of a peaceful kinsman, and alarmed at the growing strength of the German navy. How foolish.
 The English navy outnumbers the Ger man two to one, and it Is Ilngland's s own fault that Germany has navy, as | will show. The Germans would rather save the money and build machinery than war vessels. if they were not forced by English policy to protect their grow ing commerce. England has always fav- cred and will not give up the practice of legalized piracy in times of war, while Germany has promised not to build an- other gunboat if this practice were stopped. MT. Smiths country is at war with MT. Schmdt's country now and pr ,tl, md tolr ,11 erty belonging to the aforesaid innocent MT Schmidt. which she can pick up afloat on the main, said main having been turned over by the Almighty in a special charter to Great Britain. If Germany, whose far-flupg commerce is at the mercy of her enyious English brother, cannot protect all her merchant men, she can at least take reprisals on the perfectly innocent MT. Smith, by having a little navy of her own. And the opportune war on Germany, which might destroy the business of competi- tor and wipe out his little fleet, for which England has been preparing and which has been openly advocated irf Eng fish admiralty circles for years, has come at last That England knew that the moment was nearly at hand is indicated by. the fact that shortly before the as- sassination of the Austrian heir appar- ent, with no cloud on the horizon, she had the greatest armada the world has ever seen assembled in the North sea, prows pointing eastward. All the inflammable material for world conflagration was carefully piled up everywhere, the heaps were fomenting on the point of spontane- ous combustion, powder was underneath the mass of cartridges and fuses laid i; all it needed was the spark, the shock, to set it off.
 Dream of Pan-SIayism
 That the hand of one or two assassins. even if they represented secret societies with qualifications in Servia and Austrian Bosnia, and even if the victims were the archduke of Austria and his wife, who, by the way, was of the Slavic race, should set almost all Europe afire. that may seem monstrous. But the motive inspir- ing the dark deed the end to be attained by any means no matter how foul, this is the cause of the war between Austria Hungary on the one side and Servia and Russia on the other side. The great cause of the war is the feeling of race kinship, kindled in all the branches of the Slavic race. This would be praiseworthy, but it does not stop there. It is Pan Slavism, the dream of world dominion animating the Slavic race which natur- ally looks to the leadership of Russia to bring it about. This would not be so horrifying if the Slavs assembled in char dcteT ana clNlllzdtiOn the loNaDle FTench- man, who is perhaps a little vainglorious. or the admirable Englishman who has such lofty sentiments. but whose prover- bial sense of fair play is so easily ob- scured by self-interest. The Slav, how ever, is on a different level and it will be dark day for civilization If he should ever realize his dream of world empire.
 Germany and Austria-H Hungary are and have always been the bulwarks of the west against the east and it Is not less than a crime against civilization for France and Russia to do battle on the side of such menace to it as Russia. Envy and hatred will cloud reason and make individuals, as well as nations, will ing to do anything to satisfy the ruling passion.
 How far such emotions will go was Loticed in some remarks made in the Birmingham press by an English gentle man of excellent pcise, ordinarily of vast information, a scholar in fact whom I ad- mire. who said that Emperor William was a monomaniac. Why should he say this if the German people, who are level headed. admire and love him? They should know better, than this cultured gentle man. It is partly owing to the counsels of this great ruler that Germany has been so successful in all the arts of peace and progress His people fondly call him the reise-ka,ser, the travelling | Emperor and chief drummer of the em. pire. He likes to be called the friendens. Kaiser (peace emperor and justly so, be cause it is owing to him that the Arma geddon, which had to come was etavet off so long. In the Moroccan imbroglic over Agadir, he certainly showed a love of peace. German interests were at stake and France did admit this and indemnified