The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-11-12

thought, in its dreams OF the future'
a political control which would en-
able It in the long run to dominate
the labor and the industry OF the
world. They were not content Win
success by superior achievement,
they wanted success by authority. l
suppose very few of you nave
thought much about the Berlin 10
Bagdad railway. The Berlin to Bag
dad railway was constructed In order
to run the threat Of force down the
flank of industrial undertakings or
half dozen other countries, SO that
when German competition came In IL
would not be resisted too far-be-
cause there was always the POSI-
bility Of getting German armies into
the heart of that country quicker
than any other armies could be got
there. Look at the map OF Europe
now. Germany, in thrusting upon us
again and again the discussion or
peace, talks about what? Talks about
Belgium: talks about northern
France; talks about Alsace-Lorraine
Well, those are deeply interesting
subjects to us and to them, but they
are not talking about the heart OF
the matter.
Take the map and look at 1t.
Germany has absolute control OF AUS
tria- Hungary, practical control OF the
Balkan states, control of Turkey, con-
troll of Asia Minor. I saw map IN
which the whole thing was printed
In appropriate black the other day,
but black stretched all the way from
Hamburg to Bagdad-the bulk OF
German power inserted into the
heart Of the world, If she can keep
that she has kept all that her
dreams, contemplated when the war
began. If she can keep that, her
power can disturb the world as long
as she keeps it--always provided, for
I feel bound to put this provision in,
always provided the present lnf1u-
ences that control the German gov
eminent continue to control 1t.
81 believe that the spirit of free
dom can get into the hearts OF the
Germa ans and find as fine welcome
there as it can find in any other
hearts.
But the spirit Of freedom does
not suit the plans Of the pan-Ger-
mans. Power cannot be used with
concentrated force against free
i I
you know many intimations come
TO us from one of the central powers
that it is more anxious for peace
than the chief central power; and
you know that it means that the
people in that central power know
that if the war ends as it stands,
they will in effect themselves be vas
sails of Germany, notwithstanding
Il. ,1ot, H.
ed with all the people of that part
of the world and Notwithstanding the
fact that they do not wish in their
pride and proper spirit of nationality
to be SO absorbed and dominated.
Germany is determined that the
political power of the world shall be-
long to her. There have been such
ambitions before They have been
in part realized. But never before
have those ambitions been based
upon so exact and precise and scien-
tific plan Of domination.
MAY / not say it is amazing to
me that any group of people should
be so i'll informed as to suppose, as
some groups in Russia apparently
suppose that any reforms planned In
the interest of the people can live
in the presence of Germany power
full enough to undermine or over
throw them by intrigue or force?
ANY body of free men that COM
pounds with the present German gov
eminent Is compromising for its own
destruction. But that is not the
whole of the story. Any man in
America or anywhere else who sup
poses that the free industry and en-
terprise of the world can continue If
the pan-G erman plan is achieved and
German power fastened upon the
world, is as fatuous as the dreamers
Of Russia.
What l am opposed to is not the
feeling Of the pacifists, but their stu
pidity. My heart is with them, but
my mind has contempt for them.
I want peace, but 1 know how to get
it and they do not.
"You will notice that / sent a
friend Of mine, Colonel House, to
Europe, who is as great lover Of
peace as any man in the world; but
| did not send him on a peace mis-
sion l sent him to take part in a
conference as to how the war was
to be won. And he knows as / know
that is the way to get peace, il you
want it for more than few min
utes, all of this is preface to the
conference that l referred to with
regard to what we are going to do.
If we are true friends of freedom
our own or anybody e1se's-we will
see that the power Of this country
and the productivity of this country
is raised to it's absolute maximum
and that absolutely nobody is allow
ed to stand in the way of it.
when l say that nobody is al
lowed to stand in the way, l don't
mean that they shall be prevented
by the power of the government, but
by the power of the American spirit
Our duty, if we are to do this great
thing and show America to be what
we believe her to be, the greatest
hope and energy in the world, then
we must stand together night and
day until the job is finished.
al.