Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-04-20

Of all. But Il a ruling class is the foun-
tain of power, then it ought first OF all
to be guarded. And this, to the auto
cratic mind. necessitates frightfulness.
The ethics OF absolutism is just as true
to absolutism's point of view as the
ethics Of democracy is to democracy's
point OF view. The ruling class in Ger
many today is very different, in time Of
peace, from the bureaucracy Of Francs
in the 18th century or that of Tudor
England. Those minor German officials.
honest, frugal, poor. intellectual, kindly.
living for the state, and, like their royal
master of a few years since, having
no time to be tired" are something new
in the history of absOlutism. But the
excellencies of individuals cannot
change the essential natures of institu-
tons, and, in the hour of war, Prussian-
lied Germany is t~orpedoing merchant
ships full of women and children, exc
cutting women who helped wretched
prisoners to escape from captured
towns, invading neutral and friendly
nations. levying vast sums of money
and ruthlessly destroying buildings
sacred to every lover OF religion, art.
and scholarship. ecause, just as the
salvation OF the people at n cost is
the first law OF democracy, so the sal
walton of the ruling class at any cost
~ tle llESl law Ol dDSOlutlSln.
Germany today, in the hour of SUI
preme triumph of Frederick Williams
economic policies, the hour that demon
strates that the military economic
craftsmanship of Prussia in 1913 was
200 years ahead of the rest of the world,
is struggling with the dreadful harvest
OF an ethical system 100 years behind
the rest of the world. She is paying the
price of those years when Bismarck
governed without Il majority, without
u budget, without a program, gagged
the press, degraded unfriendly officials,
stifled public discussion, and intimi-
dated the national legislature itself by
the power of the police, until absolutism
had been made to pay again in power.
prestige, territory, m thalers so Law
lshly thai the people became docile once
more. as they a been under Fred
erick William. who once wrote to an
official, salvation belongs to the Lord,
and everything else rs my affair."" and
who wrote in his great ~"Instruction,"
Which established the system of admin
Fistration which recreated Prussia; I'VE
are Lord and King and can do what
we will"
This anticipation of the economic
wisdom OF 200 years. with the pride and
the blindness which was certain to re-
suit in other portions of the national
life from such superiority to surround
ing nations in the matters OF getting
rich and Of fighting, explains the two
Germanys of today. No nation has
ever learned the lesson of democracy
theoretically. 1t has never been
learned-in England, Switzerland.
France. the United States-except by
the failure of absOlutism. 1t will be
learned in Germany only by the fail
ure OF absolutism. In Switzerland, in
England, in France, in the American
coionie absolutism broke down in do
nestle affairs; the autocratic ruler was
OF his power by the rising OF
his W subjects. In Prussia-and in
the German empire-absolutism has not
broken down in domestic affairs.
Thanks to the strength of Frederick
William 1 and his great son, thanks to
the bullying tactics of Bismarck which
coWed the people, and the success OF
ms wars which enriched them, absolu-
.tlsm has strengthened the nation in
stead of weakening it. The breakdown
OF Prussian absolutism is coming in
the realm OF foreign affairs. It's very
success is Turing it to ruin, for the con-
the sword against half a world. Fright
ful are the current practices resulting
from that ethical creed which has be-
longed to absOlntism in every land and
every age. The German people-kind-
~, orderly. dOcile, Industrious, thrifty
are paying h price exacted by the
mercllessness OF fate from a nation
which, anticipating the conomic ad-
vance of the world by 200 years. has
lallen a century behind the interna-
tionai ethical standards of nations
which have learned through povertv
weakness. revolution, and defeat les.
sons Which fullness of bread and.
of work and wealth cnn
never teach. S~