The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-05
T1he Roots of the Present War.

will once carry in the worlds his tory. ie already fixed to-day. It can be no other one, but the German " ar 1t Is a war for the position of the German nation in the world. Germany has three opponents: England, Rus-t sia and France. Of these three the French nation since olden times stood in warIike contrast to Germany In the Middle Ages the German Empire e1Nended deep into the France of to- day During the period of Louis XIV and Napoleon France was pushing it's way into Germany. A big part Of German land came under French rule. The war of independence against Ma poIeon and the rebuilding of the Ger man unity put aside the predominant ing position Of France in Europe and brought back the biggest part Of that land which France had taken away Sfrom Germany. The pride of the 4,r4de Of the French nation would not tolerate this decision of arms It declared openly to victorious German nsadghbor: As soon as we are strong enourh and the circumstances favor ah1e we will meet again on the battle feRd! Germany thus knew for over 40 years, what it had to expect from RrHnca No German therefore blauaes the French for their fighting against Germany.
 During the decade after the cree fAon of the German empire in 1SF1 kCsernaany's trade with other countries ; OuRte0e to SlZ5pUVVsOVut y yes4I1y.z F O4 q longer period the exchange grew larger but the increase was not alarm Eng. Therefore no vexahon arose with England. who up to this time was alone the reigning conmerclal power But a change took place in atFae ninetdes of the last century. The commerce of Germany started to grow with great rapidity. Fear arose in sTEngiand. So far back as in 1897 one Inf fine leading English political pc 11 T sfSS7 fTlFdav4 kviev'' said: The war for the share of the worlds trade between Germany and England was unayoidable-r1a ttons have fought for years for g. city or the right of succession to the throne, why should they not go to war for commercial value of hun : sdreds OF millions? If to-morroW. fternnany should be sxterminated from fha world. there would be no English men, who would not be the richer for it. the day after to-morrows That waa the statem ent word for word It coptfnued. England is the only poW-s CT which can suppress Germany without a great risk and without doubt Of a. success. When it has com. pleted it's work, it will say to France and Russia: Select your compenssl- tions-take whatever you like from Germany-you may have it. Like the old. Cato closed his speeches in fTae oman senate, with the worlds Carthage must be destroyed" so the saturday Review closes it's attack against Germany with the words: ssGermahisIn. esse defendant Ger many must be destroyed.9
 These views which for tha last 20 years have become fixed in the minds -if not of the whole English nation but in the decisive part of the pub lie mind of England and in the ma jority of the responsfble political lead CTS. A few years later, MT. Lee. member of the English NavaI bureau. said in a public speech that England would some day attack Germany so suddenly, that the Germans would re- ceive the news of the opening of hos ff1dhes together with the news of the .destrucHon of their fleet.
 When Germany gave France the right of way in the Morocco affair and demanded therefor compensa- EA1on in Inner Africa, the French gov 5ernment asked England for assistance. tin war matters.
 The plan was, as even admitted by gEnglish politicians. to aid France by 4enoring Holland and Belgian neu- 5fraHty, and sending 100000 men through the Scheld to Antwerp and across Belgium against the right flank of the German army. Fears on account of the German fleet hindered the execution of the plan But when England at this time decided to de- teIare war against Germany, 1t actual IY Inquired Of Holland, if an English army would be allowed to be trans ported to Antwerp by way of V1issin- gen. Holland, of course, answered tin the negative and they added the remark that the idea was queer, that they wished to defend Belgian neu- xalfty by ignoring that of Holland.
 Since the last Morocco crisis Eng s9and appeared to have changed it's policy toward Germany, for it even k11nade two treaties with Germany, one concerning the BagDad Railroad and the Orient and another Concerning colonial territory in Africa Both 1rea1ies contained concessions to Ger many. but it appears as if they were only signed to deceive the German government and the German people, for at the same time great quantities of English Artillery ammunition were being stored in tho French for tresses, to be of use to the English troops in a war against Germany. Such English ammunition station is in the fortress of Maubeuge, close to the Belgian border It is clear to be seen, that. from the beginning, it could not have been determined to de- fepd the Belgian neutrality, but to vio- late the same by the entry of the Eng fish troops into Belgium. If we ask what the main cause for this attitude of the English policy Is, we will, no where in the world, find another an- gwer but that England found 1t intol- erabIe to see Germany's participation in the commerce of the world grow, and to see the German trans-n1arine interests entrusted to a, capable Ger man fleet, instead of to the Cabinet of London.
 The immediate clash to this war came neither from France nor from England, but from Russia The Russian policy had suffered a heavy defeat in the war against Japan in Eastern Asia England on account of tits alliance with Japan by furnishing the Japanese with money and good advfce, saw to it that Russia was re- pulsed in the Far East. Now Eng fand, by the known treaty of 1907, which officially concerned only Per