TaÌˆgliche Omaha tribuÌˆne. [volume] (Omaha, Nebr.) 1912-1926, 1914-09-23
(Rsprintsd from the Omaha Worl,
Herald. Sept. 9, fot4.)

w.
Herald. Sept. 9, i9t4,l
CThe following is from an interview
given TO the Kansas City Star in Lon
don by Norman Angel, foremost Eng
lish advocate OF peace, who lectured
last winter in the United States)
What Is Americas role to be in
the European crisis?' was the ques-
tion.
There was a second OF bordering.
and then the answer came rapidly.
America was eve so fayorably
placed as now to play the leading role
in the organized civilization Of the
world" he said. 1T is the only great
power left out OF the turmoil. and its
job probably will be TO mediate The
time is not yet ripe for mediation. A
definite proposal to mediate now
might do more harm than good. But
President Wilson has made a good
start with the offer Of the services Of
the government whenever the parties
TO the conflict see At. The terms Of
peace are most likely to be signed In
America.
1T is highly important, therefore.
that America should not become par.
tisan. There are signs In the news
papers already Of a strong leaning to.
ward England. The disposition should
be guarded against most carefully.
Take your war news with salt. Re.
member that the dispatches TO the
American newspapers come almost en-
tlrely from English and French
sources since Germany is bottled UP,
and therefore bear the French and
English bias. You get nothing from
the German point of view, and, conse-
%quently, in America as in England, it
may seem that Germany is entirely at
fault. She Is not. The war is every
body's falkland nobobdy's fault.
Hardly anyone in Europe wanted war,
and hardly anyone in Europe has
stayed out OF il. The fault Is that our
civilization is not yet so organized that
our actions conform TO our intentions.
Germany may be the culprit.. I
think not. But she may be. In either
case, it is very certain that sisty-odd
millions of intelligent people who live
there believe she is not. Take eve
the socialists, the most extreme paci-
fists. When the chancellor appealed
in the Reiehstsu for support for the
war, they applauded to the last a
Russia, you see, appears in Ger
many to be a very real enae And
Il hasn't been at any pains to change
that impression. Last spring an in
crease Of 5000 men was voted for its
already enormous army, effective this
fall. Germany couldn't see what that
wal for, unless for aggression. It con-
firmed the German suspicion that the
slavs has decided Il was time for Slsv
supremacy in Europe. And the mill
tary party in Germany argued that II
the German army was ever ready TO
meet the Russians on anything like
equal terms, IL must do II before that
increase in the Russian army this fall.
Consider the high average intelli,
gence in Germany the the illiteracy in
Russia, where, of a population of 170,-
600, 900, fewer than 20, 1000, 900 can read
OF write, and you can understand why
it is that the Germans believe God is
on their side in a struggle for their
civilization.
In spite Of It's pressing fear of Rus
STA. there are good reasons for saying
dogmatically that Germany did not
want the war to come when it did. For
on ething a very considerable part of
its navy was in the Far East, practical
ly useless. For another, its crops,
which might have been harvested in
side of three weeks-for Germany very
important munitions of warfare now
rotting in the fields, and Germany is
in danger of famine within two
months. Moreover, the military party,
the Junkers, are the farmers. Their
influence would naturally be toward
waiting for the harvest.
Il have just been piecing together
the story OF the starting of the wal as
presented in the White Paper issued
by the British government and in that
issued by the German government
The diplomatic correspondence re
printed there shows Germany in a bet
ter light than has been allowed her in