The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-07-27
Why We are at War With Germany

|. Many people GO not UNDERSTAND WI,
we are at war because incendiar!
bombs haye not yet been dropped on
Chicago, st. Louis and Kansas City,
and it requires an explosion to attract
their attention; but although we are
at war we did not go to war ourselves
| it was war that came to US. People
in this country are lovers of peace and
would do almost anything to keep out
of war except having our women and
children murdered. Rather than go to
war some would prefer to be German
slaves, but they are not in the major
ity.
We are at war because in the year
1864 the Prussians and the Austrians
stole Schleswig- Holstein from Den
mark and got away with it. If Prus-
STA had not stole the site of the Kiel
Canal we would not now be at war.
When the Austrians and Prussians
had stolen Schleswig- Holstein they
quarreled over it, and in the fight
which ensued the Prussians put it all
over Austria.
We are at war because in the year
1866 Prussia gobbled Hesse-Cassel,
Nassau, Frankfurt, Hesse-Darmstadt
and Hanover, and got away with them
all. They are now all serving in the
German army.
We are at war because the Prus-
SLAMS also gave a dirty beating to Ba-
varia, to Wurtemburg, to Baden, max
ing all those countries subservient to
Prussia. and their population work
overtime for their conquerors in the
German army.
We are at war because Prussia
made mincemeat of France in 1870.
Bismarck inveigled the French into
war with a bogus telegram. With
might they could not conquer Paris,
but starvation did. The Germans COB
bled Alsace and Lorraine and bill
lion dollars. Had the Germans not
beaten France we would have been at
peace today.
Then began the new German En-
pire. The world conquercr had come.
All the German states were united.
The Prussian conquest looked as
though it was their conquest. Forty
years ago the German Empire set
about making preparations to con-
uuer the earth, and we are at war be-
cause they came near doing it. Ger
many is great upon indemnities and
staked out the United States to pay
about ten millions of dollars, and we
are at war because we prefer to pay
out the money for the Red Cross and
| Liberty Loan.
We are at war because the German
Government used the French money
to prepare for war. The war prepared
for was not against anyone in partlc-
ular but against every nation. The
United States was to be conquered the
same as Belgium. The more peace
able the nation was the more liable to
conquest. Under conquest the Ger
man nation was to dominate the world.
Forty years was necessary to pre-
pare for a war that could not fail.
Time was necessary for death to take
two Kaisers. The third, the chosen
instrument of the Almighty, and pull
ing together in blasphemous equality
is the manipulation of the scheme
The Emperor of Austria is nonenti-
ty; the King of Bulgaria pawn; the
purchased government a purchased
tool; all stand with bowed heads be-
fore the awful majesty of the Supreme
War Lord. For effect he celebrated
twenty-five years of peace which he
could not help and afterwards waited
the opportunity to strike at one weak
nation after another. He thought he
had the sword, the torch, the poison
gas, the ammunition all ready and all
at once his associates in the intended
crime threw him into. the fire of his
own making.
We are at war because for forty
years German emissaries have under
mined all nations more or less. Their
propaganda was and is everywhere
They were sent forth or allowed to GO
forth with the understanding that by
hook, by crook or by war, pestilence
or famine all nations must be German
lied. They made the cool calculation
that as all nations loved peace they
would not make full preparations for
war. The calculation was to gobble UP
a nation at a time. They knew they
had control of Austria, because Aus.
tria was full of pro-Germans and poll
teal dissensions. They also had pro-
German traitors at st. Petersburg
Athens and Bucharest. An accident
of assassination, which we heartily
condemn, was the immediate cause Of
the world conflict.
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was
assassinated in a country just pre-
viously gobbled by Austria, and the
crime then committed was supposedly
but not proven, connived at by Serviar
army officials. The Germans forced
the Austrians to make unjust demand;
on Servia with the intention of inva
sion if the demands were not accedet
to. Servia, backed by Russia, refused
the demands. Out of this Germany
found an excuse to attack France ant
Russia, and Austria started the war OF
Servia.
Thus far it was a European affaiI
which might lead in any direction
without the United States butting in
but Germany soon began aggressive
war against countries not at first in