Washington Journal., 1916-11-03
THE FOUR OEMOCRACIES
An Offer Of Alliance from the United States
to Britain, France and Germany
would assure eternal
Peace.


My friend Jones is a study. When
| point out to him hat one of the
Belgian atrocities was proved to be a
pure invention, he replies: That may
be SC in this case, but it is not so in
the others. Why does he believe
those stories? Because he likes it.
My friend Smith, an Irishman, is
also a study. He says that the war
is simply a diabolical attempt on the
part of Britain to reduce all nations
to subsection. Why does he think SO?
Because he likes it.
Such is practically the attitude of
the entire American press. Only a
small part of it is judicial and tries TO
understand the motives of the ON
batants; most of it is violently anti
German or anti-Brish, and in either
case violently intolerant of any plea
for the other side. Clearly this is the
very quality Of human nature that
leads to war. When you are unable
or unwilling to make the effort to
look at the subject from the viewpoint
Of the other fellow, there is nothing
left but to find u which of the two
is the stronger.
In his book, Secrets of German
Progress" Frank Rooster has drawn
a magnificent picture of MODERN Ger
many. To the reader impressed with
that picture, especially with the proof
of the statement (page 64) hat "the
German empire is in reality a repub-
lie, with the King of Prussia as its
hereditary President" and with the
fact that the German standing army
before the wal numbered only $40, 900,
while the combined standing armies
of Russia and France numbered
], 100000, nothing can be more dis
gushing than to find a hired scribbler,
reeking with ignorance, discoursing
on the necessity of crushing German
absolutism and militarism.
"Habit is an iron shirt" says the Ger
man proverb. Because during the 149
years between 1910 and 1889 England
was fairly free while the rest of Europe
was under despotic rule, the English
have not yet got over the habit of con-
sidering their country as the only home
of liberty. The French, having pro-
claimed liberty, equality and fraternity"
in 1889, are still under the impression
that they have a monopoly of those fine
commodities. Americans are apt to be-
1ieve that our government is the only
one that is really a government of the
people, by the people and for the pco-
pie" That all these ideals are perhaps
more fully realized in modern Germany
than anywhere else will not seem pre-
posterous to any intelligent and fair
minded man who rises from a perusal
of Koester's book.
If freedom as the prerequisite to the
unhindered pursuit Of happiness is the
highest interest of America, Britain,
France and Germany, it follows that
the highest interests of these four great
democracies are identical. If we con-
slider "1iberty and union one and in
separable," if we believe that lin union
is strength" if we are convinced that
our As States owe their liberty essen
TALLY to their union, it follows that the
union of the four great democracies is
their foremost need to assure the per-
manence of their liberty and to make
the rest of the world partake of its
blessings. If their highest interests are
identical, it follows that the four great
democracies. when once united, will be
more apt to stay united than those gov
rnment whose interests are conflicting.
If they stay united they will evidently
be able to enforce peace all over the
globe. In a word, an Anglo-Franco-
Gerinan-American alliance is the fore
most interest of humanity. And since
the other three nations evidently can
not take the lead in the matter, that
duty devolves on the United States.
The moment our nation declares its
willingness to become allied to the other
three great democracies peace will be
in sight. The British are fighting not
from sheer malice or insane jealousy"
nor because they love to waste their
blood and treasure, but from the CHASTITY
conviction that, if Germany wins,
Britain will be reduced to the rank of
a minor nation. Were the So million
white men of the British Empire re-
inforced by the 100 millions of the
United States, Britain would no longer
have any motive for fighting, since these
1856 millions, owning the richest lands
of the globe, would be forever invinci-
bic. The moment the United States