The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-10-06

ened from its dream of world peace
by the diabolical conflict which has
just begun. Just a century has
passed since Europe was devastated
by the scourge Of the Napoleonic
wars, and those who believe in the
witchery of numbers will argue that
1t was time for another great war;"
but in spite Of all sophistry the fact
remains that this conflict was wholly
unnecessary and inexcusable. 1t was
unthinkable that these various ma.
tons, who were bound together in
such close community of interest,
should have flown at one another's
throats in this way, without real pro-
vocation-but history has to deal
with events and not with priori as
symptoms, and-reason or no reason
the general war so long predicted
ana feared is here.
And these are. Christian nations!
And the partisans on each side are
praying to God to prosper their cause
and are relying on this divine help
to give them the victory!
The historians of the future, when
they come to write the history of this
greatest of wars, will be at a loss to
assign a cause for 1t. 1t just hap.
pened. But of course there are va
rious elements which can be pointed
out as helping to bring 1t on. First,
the huge ornaments which these ma.
tions have been building up, to the
impoverishment OF their people were
a constant provocative of war. Give
loaded revolvers to a lot of hostile
common sense tells us this. The only
logical outcome of the militarist pol
icy is war; the nation that carries a
big stick is going to try using 1t
sooner or later; the very possession
of weapon turns men into braggarts
and DULLES.
And how futile has been all this
arming after all. AS fast as one ma.
ton increased military footing her
rivals increased theirs accordingly,
and so the relative situation remain.
ed unchanged. There had to be an
end of this policy, for there is a
limit beyond which people will not be
taxed and ground down for the bene.
fit Of the war-mongers. The worlds
expenditures for armament purposes
have more than doubled In the last
ten years and 1t was only question
of time when war would be precip.
itated.
Who shall say who started the war;
on whom Is the blame for this awful
consuming confiagration to be plac-
ed? We must not Judge too hastily.
II you have ever seen two boys quar-
reling and have tried to find out
which started the fuss you will agree
that 1t Is no easy matter to arrive
ut the true origin OF such a many
sided contest as this is.
AS in nearly all cases, there We're
number of contributing conditions,
none of which would have been sufil.
cient to produce the catastrophe.
Many see in this war life and death
struggle for supremacy between Teu-
tonism and Slavism. 1t is true that
the Germans and Austrians have he.
held with Jealous fear the develop.
ment of Russia and the other Slavic
countries. They have cherished an
ambition to see the Pan-German
sway extended not only down through
eastern Europe to the Bosphorus but
also on through western Asia to the
Persian gulf.
The Balkan allies In their war
against Turkey put a severe check
on this Pan-German ambition. Then
Austria interfered and prevented her
neighbor Servia from reaping the
fruits of her success. Servia had
won her long coveted outlet TO the
Adriatic sea, but Austria shut her out
OF It. The assassination Of the Aus
trian grand duke bv Serbish zealots
was the pretext wnieh induced Aus.
tria to appeal to arms--but no one
will contend that the sacrifice Of any
individual would be sufficient iusti
fication for plunging the world into
war. Three of our presidents have