The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-05-21
Il Germany Wins.

shall dominate Europe and the world.
All other so-called issues were mere
pretexts. The real cause was and is
the rivalry of rival powers. For years
they have been growing at each 9th
er like bulldogs. Now they have slip
ped the leash and gone at each 9th
ers' threats. They will fight until
one of them yields, and the other
from then on will wear the crown of
undisputed mastery with all that it
implies.
The threat of Germanism provoked
the war. With Germany herself those
who are now the Allies had and
could have no quarrel. Even the rise
of that great empire as a political
and trade factor to a position of emf
nence would not have brought on this
struggle. But it was the peculiar
characteristics of Germanism evil
denced in so many ways, which not
only tended to make Germany big
but threatened to make other nations
small. that spread alarm. She has
seemed to be. obsessed with the idea
that in order to reach her place in
the sun she must crowd out others
that the sun was not big enough TO
hold all So she has built on the
foundation of a system that meant
the subordination of her neighbors
as a means of exalting herself. The
neighbors naturally resented and fin
ally resisted-henoe the war.
We in America are not and cannot
! be disinterested witnesses of what
has been and is transpiring, and the
outcome will have a most vital bear
! ing on us as nation and people
Europe is not so remote that condi-
lions there are not instantly reflect
ed here. America has understood
from the first what this war means.
Il means that II Germany wins Ger
manism win prevail there and its in
auence will extend here to the point
of directing our policy, nobody
Knows how far. If the Allies win
and Germansm mot Germany is
| put down. there will be little change
from the past-we shall pursue our
own destiny in our own way. The
cry fact that Europe has conquered
Germanism instead of being conquer
Cd by it will reassure us on this
side. We do not dread or fear the
Allies or any of them But instinc-
lively we feel that a triumphant Ger
many with her iron heel on the neck
Of Great Britain. France and Russia,
with Austria and Turkey as her al
| les and with the rest of Europe COW.
cd. means that the United States Of
America must send hostages and tri-
butte or get ready to fight in the not
distant future. u
Let US see what the situation will
he if. as seems now not impossible,
Germany wins. Admittedly neither
SIDE VIZ give in until its power of ef-
fective resistance has completely col
lapsed under the blows of the foe.
Should Tie Allies reach this stage.
they wonid ss5as incapable of prevent
ing suclr exactions as Germany
llight demand. We have seen Prus-
STA in the role of conqueror and know
that her terms TO the yanquished are
rot light With power to demand
whatever she chose OF Great Britain
rs the price of peace who doubts
that the price would be well nigh the
limit of England's power to pay now
and in future? Germany would hang
e milestone about Great Britains
neck that would keep her down in.
definitely She could do this under
the guse of handicapping formid-
able rival to prevent reprisal. She
would surely wipe England out of her
pathway for good and all Her de
mands would doubtless include a
very heavy money indemnity from all
the Allies sufficient to make Germany
rich and all-powerfu for centuries at
the expense and to the impoverish-
nent of the vanquished powers.
whose own vast debts would have TO
lie repudiated, bringing a chaos OF
ruin. With this great flow of money.
Germany would be able to repair her
own material losses in the war, to
care for the widows and orphans. to
pension her soldiers handsomely.
and to increase her armament to
any degree desired. Besides all this
She could of course add vastly to her
industrial resources as a people. be-
coming veritable Rome, to which
all roads would lead.
But her demands would not stop
with huge indemnity Safe to say.
she would effectually remove the
danger of INSTRUMENTATION in future
by limiting the military establish
ments of her conquered neighbors.
There would be no possibility of re.
newing strife and reversing the re-
suit because Germany would see to
it that never again would any of the
Allies be in condition to make a CON
test. Especially would this bear
hard on England, which would lose
her sea supremacy, for it is certain
that Germany would not only insist
on very small navy for Great Brit
ain, but would herself take the bulk
of it, becoming thereby at single
swoop sole mistress of the ocean.
How would that suit us? Would
the United States enjoy seeing Ger