Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-10-19
What Germany. Means to Do
To American Business.

Some idea of how the worlds trade rights
would fare under victorious Kaiser may be in
ferred from the declaration of the German dye
stufs verein in the earlier part of the war, while
the United States still neutral, that it did not
propose TO permit the establishment OF an Amer
lean dye industry. This arrogant edict recalled
by Secretary RedfeId in his recent address to the
Southern Commercial Congress. is altogether true
to the Prussian type and the Prussian purpose. 4
powerful syndicate. enjoying a subsidy from the
Hohenzollern Government and feeling sure of its
monopoly cheap materials and profitable meth
DDS of dye making, intended and still intends to
crush by fair means or foul every effort of Ameri
cans TO build up a dye industry of their own. Its
spirit is the same that of its Government which
spent millions of dollars a campaign to blow up
American munition plants. while this country
still at peace and to destroy American commerce
with the Entente nations spirit of ruthlessness
that knows law OF honor conscience.
Germany stands for terrorism in matters of
industry and trade we'll in matters of
One of her major objects in precipitsting the pres
emit war was to establish worldwide commercial
kaiserism. 1t was not merely for glory but chiefly
for gain that she launched upon this red adventure
She not content to win fair measure of the
worlds business by merit and enterprise. She
knows nothing of the spirit of live and let live. In
satiable greed mixed with Unsuitable ambition pos
sessed her and begot her mad scheme to make the
earth her joint armory and counting house. This
is not prejudiced indictment by Germany's foes
but the avowed purpose of her own rulers and her
own interpreters. The declaration of her dye
stuffs verein that it would not permit the estab-
Iishment of an American dye industry is but one
among numerous manifestoes of the kind. Con-
slider this from the igenuous pen Of Herr Engel in
a recent issue of "Dass Grossere Deutschland
German policy also is forced to secure
for itself by all conceivable means domino
tion over the world sea. 1 deliberately use the
expression domination over the world sea-
and not the expression freedom OF the seas
which is so common today. The latter express
sion is either dishonest or stupid. The sea is
free for us only IL dominate it. II we do
not dominate it, it can one day be shut to
There We have a bold avowaI of Germany's
commercial policy. The sea is free for US only if
WE dominate it, That is to say I'VE recognize no
such thing as international law and right shall
be content with nothing less than absolute power;
other peoples mere clutter us lords of crea-
ton; they shall be swept aside for the race of
SUPERMEN." II was an officer of the I'd Uhlan
Regiment of the Guard. Baron Franz Wilhelm Leo
pold Heinrich Friedrich Edelshem, who wrote
far back as 1901:
"Of late years Germans have had cause
for political irritation with the United States,
due largely to commercial reasons. The
question for US to consider is what plans must
eventually be developed to put a stop to the
overreachings by the United States which are
detrimental to interests. IL is by armed
action that must ultimately enforce our
will upon that country.
IL by any calamitous chance Germany should
win the present war and have her will. one OF her
first procedures, after collecting the fifty billion
dollar tax which the Kaiser has mentioned as
one item in his program of punishment for the
United States, would be to destroy as far as she
could the valuable trade have built up in South
America and other oversee markets and to crush
as far as she could the Industrial enterprise and
independence with which our country is now filled
We would not be permitted to make our own
dyestufs or anything else which Germany chose to
claim her monopoly We would buy and sell
under the dietation of some verein syndicate of
the Hohenzoern favor. We would find the high
seas converted into a German lake ruled by Won
TirpitZ frightfulness. Commercial freedom is by
no means the highest stake for which we are fight
ing this war. but il is that involves the well
fare of every and every home beneath our
flag; and it is that would lose disastrously
il Germany should win.