Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1917-12-19
''Why We Are at Wa" Contest Won By Corp. RuddeI
HOHENzEOLLERN CURSE
MUST Be REMOVED
By Private Leo L. Carroll,
Company D, 10th Infantry.
WINNER OF ssEcoNp PRIzE.

The United States is at war today to
crush an organization which was slow
y, but nevertheless, surely winding
its tentacles around all the nations in
the world. The brutal dominancy be-
hind the clever German intrigue was
already beginning to be felt by not only
the lesser nations of the civilized world,
but by America itself.
Concealed behind a widely advertis-
ed veneer Of culture, Prussian autocra-
cy the governing factor of the (Cen-
trail powers) has for the past forty
years been assembling it's might, that
the dreams of the Hohenzollerns would
ultimately become thing of perma-
hence. And those dreams have been Of
world empire" wherein every man,
woman and child would bow to the
shall do if Germany wins this war
The majority of the people do not UNI
derstand the strangIe-h hold which Ger
many had upon this country at the
time of our declaration of war. Few
people could understand it, for it was
too intricate and subtly concealed by
them, to be readily observed. How
ever, it was fact for which we on
our government were not to blame, for
we have always been a free and peace
loving people and our shores have al
W
trodden of Europe.
Had England and France been de-
feated in this war, America would
have been forced to bear the financial
burden imposed upon it by the German
empire. For it is a fact that Germany
intended that America, being a noun
tain of wealth, should pay her war ex-
penses.
We all know, or at least have an
az x,P4
mites which Germany would have de-
manded from this country And, though
we are a great and strong nation, she
would have collected these indemnities,
for we were unprepared and being
unprepared, what choice could we
have? Only one of two Either sub
nit to their demands or have our coun-
try drenched with our own blood by
the Prussian military machine And
if there is any American today who
doubts whether Germany would have
slaughtered our men, women and chill
dren, in order to force her viii upon
us, just picture the sinking of the
Lusitania and the War-swept fields and
villages of Belgium.
At the outbreak of this great war we
We're living in q Fools Paradise" Be
lieving ourselves secure because we
were separated from the conflict on
both sides by vast bodies of water, we
continued to shout our disapproval OF
among the nation.
Soap box orators and German in
triguers, backed by unlimited amounts
of the Hohenzollern's gold, scattered
propa ganda from coast to coast, for the
purpose of defeating all efforts of those
who would strengthen our defenses.
How long would these same soap
box specialists retain a section on the
American front in France today?
Would their flowery language and wild
gesticulations avail them security if
they shouted across mo Mans Land"
German intrigue of this sort.
Yet we cannot forget that the peace
at any price opponents are two of the
means and perhaps the best, which the
Prussian government used to more
firmly wrap its tentacles of dominancy
around us.
We all know how near she came to
succeeding, for our declaration of war
found us confronted with the enor-
nous task of building mighty army
and navy capable of overpowering a
war machine which has forty years
of concentrated effort behind it. A war
machine that has been built with the
hope of making the world bow to the
believers of divine right"
We do not believe in the divine right
of the kaiser to rule the world Neither
do we believe in his ruthless submarine
warfare nor the atrocities of his troops
in Belgium and France.
Therefore we are at war with Ger
many and at war to stay until the
Hohenzollerns,- the curse of peace
loving people-have been removed from
the German throne.