Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-08-13

Entered a. second class matter
October II. 1908, at the postohice, "
tunwa. Iowa, under the ACT OF So"-
grsss Of March 8, 1879.
Foreign representatives: Cone. Lor-
engen 4 Woodman. Mailers Builoins.
Chicago; 2o5 Fifth Ave-, New YORK
City: Gumbel Bldg. Kansas City. MO.
AuTocRAcY OR DEMOCRACY
When peace is again established In
Europe there will come new order
of things. Democracy will not stand
forever upon the scaffold, with auto
cracy forever on the throne.
Ten days ago the German people
were at peace with all 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 condition
Of general poverty they had arisen to
great wealth and prosperity. They
had become the leaders and teachers
Of all the nations in the development
of scientific industry. Their COM
merce reached to every nook and cor
ner 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 Ger
mans had touched the high-water
mark Of human civilization. There
was not another country in the world
but could learn something from them.
Suddenly the vast fabric woven by
peace and industry and skill and
science is torn In two. All the
machinery Of progress is stopped
by the hand of autocracy The
kaiser plunges Europe into the
most devastating conflict known
to human history, and every civil
lied country reels under the
shock. And about what? Ostensibly
because Russia had answered Austria's
wanton war against Servia by mobil-
izing troops on the frontier In order
to protect her own interests. In reality
because the reactionary party Of Ger
many was determined to invite gen.
eral European conflict In order to
stay the advancement of political re-
forms. ssz5. III
In the very vanguard Of the TWEEN
.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 be&4en back by the
mailed fist, and at great crisis In
their history the German people are
deprived of that power over their own
political institutions without which
the English speaking races have Justly
come to regard life itself as in
tolerable.
Autocracy has had its way. Austria's
quarrel with Servia was no affair Of
the German people. Russia's chel-
,lenge to Austria was no affair Of the
German people. Yet the very fate Of
the German empire is thrown into the
balance in order to halt tho march Of
political freedom In Europe.
All the world knew that a DECLARE
ton Of war against Russia was in ef-
feet a declaration Of war against
France. Germany admitted 1t by
,mobilizing her army not on the Rus
sian frontier but on the French from
tier. Tho decisive blow was to be
struck against the French republic,
not against its imperial ally. 1t was
not Russian despotism that was to be
crushed, but French republication.
The hollow hypocrisy Of the whole
proceeding is revealed In the fact that
before the clash of arms is fairly be-
gun the Austrian invasion Of Servia
is practically abandoned.
Having begun the war, German
autocracy now finds itself isolated
italy construes the triple alliance as
applicable only to a war of defense;
because there would be revolution
I'm Italy II the government ventured
Ito 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
prestige. In this war they have no
,eympathizers even among neutrals.
The enlightened opinion of the whole
world has turned against the two
kaisers as it turned against Napoleon
III. when he sought to make himself
the autocrat of Europe.
What was begun hastily as war
OF autocracy is not unlikely to end as
q war of revolution, with thrones
crumbling and dynasties in exile.
Civilization cannot rest at the mercy
Of despotism, and the welfare of man.
kind Is not to be made the plaything
OF autocracy. If all Europe must be
drenched in blood before this lesson
Is implanted in the minds of kings
and courtiers, we may say Of this war
as Lincoln said of the war that ex-
terminated human slavery: THE
judgments OF the Lord are true and
righteous altogether"
This is the twilight of the gods
New York World.
VALUE OF PEACE TREATIES
Are the peace treaties and arbitra-
ton agreements promulgated by Sec
rotary BRYAN with various foreign ma.