The Dickinson press., 1917-07-28
GERMANY'S CRISIS.

The leaven of democratic unrest,
under the stress of war, economic sui
fering and impending defeat, has fin
ally made itself felt in autocratic
Germany, the worlds last stronghold
of feudalism and the doctrine of the
divine right of kings. The vague and
conflicting reports which come to US
from Berlin are unsatisfactory yet
sufficient to indicate the evolution OF
political conditions which are bound to
have a far reaching and, perhaps, de-
cisive effect upon the course of the
war and the terms Of it's settlement.
It is both fruitless and futile to
prophesy upon the basis of the care
fully censored news which is per-
mitted to filter out of the empire;
there are too many unknown factors
contributing to an amazing Intricate
political situation, nor can analys-
is'yet penetrate to the essential NOV
ing forces behind the intrigues which
have precipitated the present condl-
ton of affairs. Even German COM
mentators upon the great drama
now staging itself in Berlin appear to
be blindly cropping in the dark. lime
alone can demonstrate whether the
electoral and other reforms forced
from a reluctant dynasty are sincere
steps towards responsible government
or Bismarckian "gold bricks" OF
familiar type. There is even the sus-
picion in we'll informed circles that
the present crisis has been manlpu-
lated and precipitated in order to
forestall a graver crisis that threat
ened wreckage and disaster to the
fundamental policies of German au-
tocracy.
Be that as it may, yet n signitl-
cant fact stands out boldly amid the
maze of conflicting reports and con-
Trajectory rumors, and that is thai
the splendidly efficient solidarity. and
unity which made German imperial
ism such a terribly effective weapon
for military offense has been shat
tered. Some one has thrown a
monkey wrench into the machinery
with fatal results. Victory, transcend
ent and complete, was necessary to It's
successful operation. In the gloomy
shadow of impending defeat it Is
thrown out of gear. What the final
result will be depends upon the tenn
permanent of the German people IN
their reaction to the grim facts OF
the war. It is evident that they are
beginning to realize that the dream
of a mighty empire stretching from
the Baltic and North seas across
Middle Europe to the Persian gull
can never be made a reality. They
are beginning to understand that
years of docility and blind obedience
in building up an enormous military
machine have been years of frultless
sacrifice, for, when put to the test
this mighty army has failed to cor
quer a single one of it's great ob]ec-
|tives. It is this tragic but inevitable
failure of autocracy that has created
the present grave crisis in Germanys
internal affairs out of which may
|come-who knows what?
The fast rising tide of world de-
mocracy is dashing high upon the
Gibraltar of German autocracy, the
last sanctuary of feudalism. Within
the empire itself the demand for re-
sponsible government hourly grows
louder and more insistent. Class IN
~terests are clashing and sectional
jealousies r becoming o bitter
It is the beginning. of the disintegra-
ton of national solidarity and IN this
lit is a step toward peace.