Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-04-23
TIMELY ADDRESS BY
PROF. RICHARDSON
Outlines Prime Causes of Great
Struggle

the result Of historic causes dating
back to S43 A. ID. is the opinion OF
Professor o. H. Richardson of the
University of Washington, who lee
tured under the auspices OF the
Twentieth Century Club to the stu
dents last Thursday morning. The
present situation in Europe he lik-
ened to great cross, the Triple AL
lance forming barrier across the
territory of the Triple Entente. The
present agony is the death throe OF
the Europe of the nineteenth century.
Professor Richardson did not at
tempt to fix the blame for the war
on any nation or set of nations. The
United States, he said, is confronted
with a condition, not theory. The
question to be solved is, how can the
United States take action which will
result in the welfare Of Europe? All
the nations must suffer as a result
of the war, and all are of such Pc
culiar value to the world that all
humanity must suffer with each OF
them.
The Alsace-Lorraine question,
which is one of the great causes of
the war, is the oldest of all, dating
back to the treaty of Verdun. SAB,
when the empire OF Charlemange was
divided unnaturally into three diyis-
ions, one of which contained Alsace-
Lorraine and Luxembourg, which
have been for centuries the cockpit
of Europe. In 1862 the Alsace-Lor-
raine territory came to France, and
In 1871 to Germany. Germany's de.
sire to keep things in statu quo, her
breach with Russia, and Italy's quar-
rel with France over Tunis resulted
In the formation of the Triple ALI
ance with Austria and Italy in 1873,
and Frances fear of the Triple Alli-
ance and her need of new friends
brought the Triple Entente with Rus
sia and Great Britain in 1898. This
substitution of rigid alliances for the
balance of power has brought to a
head the conflict of the Teutonic
and Slavonic peoples in what prom
ises to be the mightiest struggle in
all history. Ever since the peace of
Westphalia, Austria has been tending
to expand to the southeast, while
servia's continued existence has been
dependent on her getting an outlet
to the sea. Austria temporarily
checkmated Servia by establishing
Albania as an independent kingdom.
but the matter was not settled. The
path of Servia, backed by Russia, and
that of Austria, with Germany at her
back, crossed each other at right
angles, and victory for both is inn
possible.
The situation in Southeast Europe
was shaken by the Balkan war of
1912, and overthrown when Austria
aud Servia disagreed over the d .ath
of Archduke Ferdinand, who was
murdered by an Austrian Serb be-
cause the policy he upheld meant the
destruction of Servia.
Germany's declaration of war, said
Professor Richardson, did not neces-
sarily make her the aggressor. Had
Germany waited until troops we're
massed on her French and Russian
frontiers, her plight would have been
bad, indeed. The only European
state responsible for the war was the
great European state-of mind. The
invasion of Belgium by Germany
gave Great Britain a reasonable
ground for entering the war, united
her people for the struggle and alien
ated the neutral nations from Ger
many.
In conclusion, Professor Richard
son said that greed, commercialism,
nationalism, and militarism mot
necessarily GERMANY, combined with
considerations of territory, economic
causes, and race hatred, are the
main causes of the war and that the
rigid craftsmanship which prevails
brought about a great collapse
through a very small cause. The
prospect for humanity he described
in these words "All questions of
culture, and of the weakening of the
white race are to be determined by
brute force. The science of the
twentieth century, raised to the NH
power, is being directed toward the
destruction of the best of tho race.
The Twentieth Century Club held
an informal reception in honor of
Professor Richardson at Van Doren
Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr.. Lashbrook has been working
in the Yakima Valley on the silo
question during the mast weak Tho