Evening star., 1915-12-12
The Germans in Africa.

,,,ssessed four African colonies: Togo
lard. which was Insignificant and mad
never been regarded by the Germans as
more than a resource for future bargain
ing either with Great Britain or with
France-it was offered to France at
the time of the Agadir crisis; Kane
run which had been lately increased
by 1000 square miles through French
cessions as mpensations" for ac-
duisitions in Morocco, German East
Africa the best colony Germany owned.
and German Southwest Africa. adJoin-
ing the Union OF South Africa
II had been the dream OF Germans
for long years to erect an African en-
pire which should include the konSo
valley and extend from the borders OF
the Sahara to the Cape of Good Hope
and from the Atlantic to the Indian
ocean The conquest and annexation
by the British of the two Boer repub-
lies had been the first blow to German
plans and the kaiser's telegram 10
President Kruger remains perhaps the
first authentic sign of the growing
hatred of Germany fer Great Britain,
the first outward mar hesitation of the
coming rivalry
With the annexation of the two Boer
republics Germany was deprived of all
immediate chance of including those
Tsutonic states in a German South
Africa. She still preserved the nope
that. using German West Africa as
war with Britain TO stir up revolt IN
the Boer districts and thus bring the
British colonial edifice in South Africa
down in ruins. Faithful to tins puf-
pose she began in the early days of the
present war an invasion of the Union
of South Africa. aided by local revolt
But she was decisiveiy beaten. because
the greatest of Boer leaders, Botha,
chose to fight for Britain The cam
paign ended in the conquest of German
Southwest Africa by Botha, and there
is small prospect that any peace Will
restore this lost colony to Germany
From Ocean to Ocean.
After the Boer war had, temporarily
at least, brought her to standstill in
South Africa, Germany resumed the
grandiose plan of extending German
rule from the Atlantic to the Indian
ocean and making central Africa a
German colonial empire. As far back
as the congress OF Berlin. in 1885, Ger
many had dreamed this dream. Bis
marck. ii> favoring the creation of the
Kongo Free State. which was to be
ruled by Leopold of Belgium, had mere
~ sought TO preserve intact a great
area of African territory until that
time when Germany should be strong
enough to strike for . share in the CO.
lonIai domain Of Europe.
But between German kamerun and
German East Africa there intervened
net alone the Belgian Kongo Free
State. but the French colony of the
kcngo. which occupied a long stretch
of the Atlantic coast from Spanish
Guinea to the Portuguese enclayc OF
Cabinda, al the mouth of the Kongo,
and extended north along the kongo
and CbaHghi. and thence to Lake Chad
and TO British Sudan, joining the
French Sah4raE districts of Wadai and
kanem. and giving France an inter
TuPted empire from the Mediterranean
to he banks OF the kongo.
To realize their dream il was neces-
Sary for the Germans to dispose of the
French first, and then. having carried
their kameruu colony to the western
bank OF the tbanGhi and the kongo
join hands with German East Africa
across the Belgian territory. Long con-
sidered carefully planned, this prof.
Get Was only clearly revealed TO the
world when the Agadr crisis brought
France and Great Britain 10 the edge
OF war with Germany
At that time the Germans opened the
regot 5ations in Berlin with the pro-
rOsai that they should hold a portion
of Morocco West Marokko deutscfi.. =
was the familiar aud seducing war cry
Of a large portion Of the German press
Could they OBTAIN il. naval base on
the Moroccan coast was an immediate
profit TO be taken and taken without
regard 10 the eventual possibilities to
the south. But the British opposition
successfully blocked this plan Stiu
unwilling 70 run the risks incident TO
war with Great Britain. Germany
acGulesced in French supremacy in the
Snereefian empire.