The Harrison times., 1917-05-19

GfuSSldl ana ndlI uemOCrdJlr. nat
would be half working backward and
half working forward
Some Americans seem in a trance
about the issue and nature of the Eu-
rOpean war. We see the well ordered
quiet life and attractive, thrifty ways
of a neighbOr German-American citi,
zen. Naturally we would say a ma
tion Of such men must be a pretty
good thing.
But this man does not represent the
German government; he does not re
fleet it nor even resemble it. This is
the great point in the tremendous
drama. The German government does
not represent the German people.
The first great base for everything
in the democratic scheme of civiliza-
ton is the faith that the government
derives its power from the consent of
the governed.
The first great foundation stone of
the German government is that it de
rives its powers and all of them from
divine right" What follows from the
German governments theory is that
the people are so many instruments to
fulfill and uphold the will of the Deity
as expressed in the person of the
kaiser that Deity has provided to rule.
Under the operation Of this theory
there is of course and can be no such
thing as one inherent human right
Wherever the German government
goes it carries this idea for it has no
conception of any other. What the
German people have is not rights, but
privileges, allowed by the divine vice
regent (the kaiser) and to be recalled
at his pleasure
The ideas of autoCraCy and democ-
racy are absolutely opposite. One or
the other must go down, 1t is for us
to say now which it shall be, If we
do not fight the Prussian idea now we
shall be compelled to fight it later.
How would Americans like to live
all their days under the shadow of the
kaiser's mailed fist; to never feel free
for a moment from the hand of the
government; to have the superhuman
origin and divine warrant of the kaiser
dinned eternally in your ears; to walk
in hourly dread of the lurking govern
ment police agent and eayesdrOpping
spy; to be in danger Of prosecution
for the least remark offensive to the
ruler; to be seized at your cradle and
be nodded all your days for the great
er glory of the Hohenzollerns?
How could Americans live in such
an atmosphere? They would suffo-
cate in this Prussian idea.
This world is to be autocratc or
democratic just as the war turns out.
If Germany wine there will be an
Of all autoCracies against
what remains of the demOCraCies un-
til the democratic idea is permanently
down and out. Whether Germany
wins by her U.boat campaign or by
land the result is exactly the same
for democracy and for us.
The only choice is whether we shall
let the allies fight our battle and per.
haps lose it or whether we take our
place with them in this final struggle
between freedom and monarchy.
Our war upon Germany is not for
revenge nor to uphold hair.splitting
bubbles of international law,
We are compelled to make war upon
the German government because Ger.
many worships one God and ruler (the
kaiser) Of the earth and we another.
We are compelled to make war up0a
the German government Of frightful.
ness, Of arrogance, selfshness and
junkerism and not make peace until
the imperial German government is
shorn of its power
1t Is true the German government