The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-12-04

there was the war between France
and the robber frederick of Prussia
about Theresa's Silesia, and so forth.
1t is idle to throw the blame of Ger
man militarism in 1814-1S15 on that
of France under Napoleon On that
suppositiOn we come to Prussia under
Frederick II, and his successors; yes
then we can come, via Prussia, to
Swedens militarism in 1713-171S; or
to Tilly's and Wallenstein's; or to
Poland's, under Sobiesky and Babtory !;
to the Turks under Muhammed ii, and
Soliman II; to the Holy Roman
Empire; Charlemagne, the Arabs,
the Teutonic migrations, and the
Romans, Carthaginians, Greeks, Per
SLAMS, Babylonians, Assyrians, Egypt
ians-in short, there is an endless
chain of causes, a ring in which the
learned may seek the genesis and sol
deringpoint.
In the same way England's colonial
Empire must have its cause, eXpla-
nation and excuse in the undoubtedly
far less sympathetic commercial SUI
premacy of Spain, Holland, and Ger
many of the Hanseatic League.
Every attempt at excuse or justi-
ficatiOn for William the Seconds at
tack on Belgium, France, Russia,
Serbia, and Montenegro must be
ruthless. Every claim that England
voluntarily and without a struggle
should hand over to Germany Belgi-
ums, Frances and her own colonies
is a trifle childish and exceedingly
impertinent.
We have simply to confine our
selves to facts that preceded the ten
years previous to the war. A Ger
many which nobody thought OF injur-
ing, since nobody was then sufficient
ly armed for injuring Germany. a
Germany whose hunger for colonies
was met with submissiveness and
good will A Germany whose trade
and commerce were suffered to
develop to a degree which could
neither be pleasant to her greater or
smaller neighbors; or, on the whole,
was her qualitative level of the
worlds markets advantageous. A
Germany who at least once a year
shook her mailed fist at someone she
envied or hated A Germany who
drove England's trade from England's
own colonies. A Germany who was
suffered to take the lead in the
distasteful expedition to China during
the Boxer Rebellion. A Germany
whom all cOurted, flattered, initiated,
feared, and, more or less, served. A
Germany whose place in the sun was
so wide that it was beginning to be
so narrow, not least for us in the
scandinavian North, in peace-loving
Sweden, that it began to threaten to
block out our light as if she also had
a right to our streak of sun.
Now, we have to confine ourselves
to facts at the very outbreak OF the
war An England which strOve in
cessantly for peace, and who, having
no army, was in no position to assail
any land force. France who had
just discussed, for a second time, a
bill for restricting the period of mil
itary service, and who was armed
only for defense, and that exceedingly
inadeQuately Russia who, after
her defeat by Japan, would not have
her necessary military organization
ready for years to come A Europe
swarming with German spies in 9
variety of DISCUSSES and occupying the
, highest civil and military posts A
| Germany, however, armed to the
teeth, equipped with siege guns fol
her defense (?), dominated by war
like spirit on the part of her people
and a political administration that, or
all occasions, clustered about being
prepared for war, in a way most in
sulting to her neighbors; a Germany
who. alone of all countries in Europe
opposed all schemes for disarmament