Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-08-14
DOOM OF THE ARIsTocRAcY
One Of the Promised Results Of Great
War in Europe.

Speculation as to the effect Of the
war upon the European monarchies Is
most fascinating, especially to Ameri-
cans who have an ingrained suspicion
of every form of government save theil
own. There are many who maintain
that it is a war Of dynasties, entered
upon for territorial greed or because
of animosities of the reigning houses
The Hapsburgs are fighting to extend
their boundaries toward the Aegean, the
Hohenzollerns have dreams of world
dominion and the greater glory of their
name; the Romanoffs are seeking to
maintain their hold upon the loyalty of
the Slavs outside OF their empire and
to bind them more closely to st. Pet
ersburg so that the ultimate extension
of the Russian frontier to the Medi-
terranean may be facilitated.
There is no doubt that these are
among the potential reasons for the
conflict. But they are not all the rea-
sons. The German army is not merely
the kaiser's fighting machine. 1t is
Germany in arms. When 100000 men
respond to the call to the colors, or
stand ready to respond, to carry out
the plans of the kaiser, it is pretty safe
to assume that the cause of the kaiser
is the cause of Germany, and that ma
tional as we'll as dynastic reasons lie
behind the great enterprise. The same
reasoning will apply to Russia and to
Austria only to a lesser degree. Ger
many and Austria are in alliance be-
cause of their common interests. They
both seek an outlet to the Aegean and
to the markets of the east. The dy-
nastic policies are supported by the
commercial interests of the two en-
pires, and in a large sense the Hohen-
zollerns and the Hapsburgs are the
spokesmen for and leaders Of their
people and are leading in the direction
in which they would go.
There is no dynasty in France to be
glorified, but the French people have
been arming for forty-four years for
this great conflict. The Frenchmen
who took their hoardings from their
stockings to help their government pay
the indemnity to Germany in 1870 have
been waiting for the opportunity to get
ii back again, and their children have
inherited the same relentless purpose.
They have watched and waited nearly
half a century for this one great,
Overwhelming, all-absorbing oppor-
tunity of 'revanche!"
Despite the fact that the ambitions
of the people and the dynasties are in
accord, the effect Of the war upon mon
archical institutions will be momen-
tous The spirit Of democracy is
abroad. 1t has practically abolished
the British house of lords. 1t has fore
ed the establishment Of parliament
in Russia 1t is so active and alert in
Germany that the Social Democratic
party is the largest and most powerful
political organization in the empire.
In France it overturned the monarchy
nearly half a century ago, and is now
so firmly established that only the
widest dreamers ever imagine that re-
publican institutions can be displaced.
1t is regnant in Portugal and nearly 50
in Spain. A nation in arms, as Ger
many now is, will not long be content
to remain a nation without a ministry
responsible to it's parliament. The
characterization Of German institutions
is inevitable after the war, whatever
the result. The people, even in Russia
are no longer driven serfs. They think
they reason and a demonstration OF
the power of 100000 men on the bat
tlefield will not be lost on the patriots
who wish also to demonstrate the pow
er of the same number of millions in
deciding at first hand the causes for
which they will take up arms. Wheth-
er the kings and the emperors remain
on their thrones matters little. Great
Britain, though it retains the fiction OF
a monarchy is as democratic as the
United States and its parliament re-
spends with greater precision to popu-
lar sentiment than the American con-
gress. The war means the end of au-
tocracy whether the kings remain or
not t-Philadelphia Ledger.