Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-07-03
INEVITABLE" WAR

IN THE early days Of the war II wa
often said that there was an irrepress
lble conflict between German and French
ideas and ideals, which was the under
lying cause OF the struggle. This the Ger
mans have steadily denied. They have
protested a warm admiration for the
French, spiritual unity with them, and
have insisted that their war is ", defense
Of German commerce and German in
huence against England. In word, the
greatest war is an economic phenomenon
The idea is stale. Those who evolve
the materialistic Interpretation of his.
torical phenomena" are certain TO get
materialism and phenomena and almost
equally certain not to get history. It
would be a vicious fasehood to say that
the present war was not brought about.
In some degree, by economic pressure of
the most intense kind. The lesson Of
this war will be that pressure must be
removed. But economic pressure on the
part Of interested groups is a different
thing from absolute economic necessity.
Germany has insisted, through her pub.
licists, that her multitudes needed a
new outlet, that the development of a
/ Ni"NV AOuNt W lIlb last was ebbgntlAl
not only to her greatness but to her life.
and this view has been somewhat credu.
lously accepted, even by her enemies.
| The process which reduces the American
Revolution to a military extension Of the
three-cornered trade between the West
indies the American Colonies and the
mother country can easily explain the
driving necessities of Germany.
Unfortunately, there are certain facts
about Germany quite available. Some
OF them, known long ago, have recently
been put into striking order by French
man, who Is puSzlng out the wherefor
OF the war. 1t Is known that Germany's
negligible foreign commerce in the mid.
die Of the last century grew to S5, 200, ,00O,-
600 year, second to that Of England.
At the same time her population in.
creased from 100000 in 1871 to nearly
7o000,oo0 Between 1895 and 1918 the
income from her fortunes rose from $4.-
ooo,ooooOo to $4,000, 100000. The whole
process of expansion was on magnifi-
cent scale.
Yet Germany faced neither overpopu-
lation nor unavoidable poverty. The
emigration. which in 1880 came to 100000 |
year, fell in the first years of this |
century to one.tenth that number, and |
actually Germany was becoming q coun |
try of immigration. for every year hun |
dreds of thousands OF Savs came to |
work on her great estates. The real
change in population Is the change which
occurred many years ago In England, the
change from field to workshop, from
agriculture to industry.
Essentially Germany was pledged to
peace by this very change. for, as her
leading men have grown weary with
pointing out, her manufacturers were
gro dually becoming more and more de.
pendent upon imported raw materials.
Fr snchmen who visited Germany on tours
OF inspection in 1913 reported the almost
violent adhesion OF the manufacturing
and commercial interests, with certain
to the cause OF European
peace. Against them were the jingoes
the intellectuals from the universities
and the makers OF armament-an array
Of peculiarly uneconomlc forces.
Just as Germany was pledged TO peace,
she was destined to prosperity by one of
the most colossal systems of colonization
known in human history-a system which
for returns. for solidlty, for its wide.
spread ramifications and for it's subtlety
the empires of ancient Rome
md OF modern Britain. 1t was in es.
3ence, control to German advantage of
he commerce and finance of other coun- .
ries, without the shadow of political
Italy has recently acknowl-
'dged the generosity OF German finan-
'!ers who supplied gold when Italy most
needed 1t, with only the slight reserva.
Ion that the profits go to German, not =
Italian, industry. France was a more
'rohtable dependence of Germany before :
he war broke out than the Kameruns :,
ould ever be. In France, Switzerland,
tally, Argentine, Brazil. Chill. Turkey
nd Belgium, Germany had established
hose banks which ministered to her
wn prosperity. When the Minister OF
declared in the Prussan Diet y
hat 'our commerce and our industry
'ill not be able 10 do without the world ~
iarket in the future" he was saying an | :,
ndisputed thing in very solemn way.
Germany held the world market in her
and. II is her fault II she loses it. n,
There are deep causes behind this war.
nd there are very obvious ones which ~
Jay have had more to do with It. The
iuses which cannot be recognized, the
lea which must be rejected, is that Of a.,
le pressure OF pure hunger. The part
'served for hunger seems to be that
ending not beginning, the catastrophe
III