Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-03-31
ASIA IsfTHE SPOIL.
(The Eyening Gazette.)

f..rs \ -
u Those who seek to ascertain the
true cause OF the European war must
needs 60 further back than the muir
der Of the Austrian archduke in Bos-
Mia. That was but an incident, 1t
may have been a match carelessly
thrown by the hands of Wanton
wretch who had no knowledge of
world politics and who could not
have comprehended the awful results
that were to follow. His idea was,
no doubt, that the murder would do
something to weaken the power OF
AustriaOf the Teutons, if you like
in the Balkan states, and that there
the matter would end. The matter
could not end at that point. {, It may
be believed that no nation desired
the war for which all had been pre-
pairing. It would be idle to deny
that every power of Europe has been
for. years arming against its neigh
bors. But the mine was charged, the
powder 4 train was laid, the match
thrown in Bosnia ignited the explo-
sives and the rending upheaVal fol-
lowed lis yet following as new trains
that lead to other mines are fired.
s The cause may date back to the
times when Britain established her
self in India and when Russia be-
gan to exert herself east of the
Urals, and to bear down against the
tropics with the force of an ava
lanche from the frozen north. I'm
deniably Russia and Britain, now al
lies.a then opponents--and still at
heart the bitterest and most Jealous
Of enemies-began the plans for the
present woodworking conflict. Brit
ain pushed up to Afghanistan; RUS
STA placed Turkestan under tribute !;
Russia crossed the Caucas and made
a, capital OF Tiflis; Britain sent
Younghusband to- place Thibet, a
Chinese dependency, under British
influence. The British had occupied
Hong-Kong; the Russians built a
railroad to Port Arthur and wrung
lease from China.
In the beginning Germany had no
part in this thing. The French We're
seemingly content with Cochin China
and :Tonauin, and had been given
the greatest island Of Madagascar to
still their craving for an enlarged
man of empire In northeast Africa,
Lit is true, the British and French
interests impinged upon each other
and the "Fashoda incident" now al
most forgotten by the world, came
near to supplying to match cast ny
the Serbian anarchist in Bosnia.
y Germany, one hundred years ago,
as nation in the true sense, was
in the womb of time. England had
dominated her Baltic ports and domi.
neered her commerce, until Britain
was hated from Hamburg to Memed.
as it is today. Russia had been
false through Gear Alexander, a pre-
tended friend of William Of Prussia,
when dealing with France, then the
autocrat of continental Europe, and
Napoleon had insulted the most
gentle and loyal queen--Luise-that
Prussia ever knew. That insult the
Germans never have forgotten and
never will forgive, and France paid
an installment on Napoleon's brl-
tally in the 70's. -
Gneisenau and Schornhorst inaugu-
rated political revolution in Ger
many one hundred years ago that
has had it's counterpart only In ia
pan, awakened from the slothful
sleep Of barbarian tribes In 1851 by
the guns from an American fleet,
employed as sales agents for Amer
lean goods calico and
glass beads. Recreated Germany
threw off French rule and began
then and there to prepare to even
up scores with England and Russia.
Be it known she has no grudge
against America. It. was in the
American colonies where Gne1senau'