The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-08-03
JOHN SHARP WILLIAMS SAYS
SOMETHING

in the Next War"
The object of these extracts was to
show the predominant thought run
ming through the German mind and
the hopes and aspirations of the Ger
man people.
Wilhelm himself, from his place on
the throne, f. Won Bernhard, Wolf
Won Schierbrand, Trietschke, and a
vast number of other authors, editors.
orators, statesmen and scholars are
obsessed with the idea that Germany,
being the most cultured nation on
earth and having reached the highest
standard of civilization, it is her God
given mission to spread this civiliza-
ton over the earth, and to &C
complish this purpose she must fight
for world dominion.
Mr.. Schierbrand tells Is that the
kaiser proclaimed from the throne at
a very early period in his reign that
without the cOnsen, of Germany
ruler nothing must happen in any part
OF the world" The kaiser is obsessed
with the idea that he is divinely
anointed and is the instrument in the
hands of God to Prussianize the
globe.
So, with this end in view, since his
ascension to the throne, he has been
busy piling up preparations for max
ing Germany a dominating power. He
strengthened his army, he enlarged
his navy, he manufactured bigger
guns and while the world was asleep
he had a disciplined army Of nine mil
lion men, and had largely increased
the size and efficiency of his navy.
When he thought everything was
ripe to strike the staggering blow he
seized upon the assassination of a
duke by a crazy Czolgosz in the little
principally of Servia to begin his con
quest of world dominion.
No thunderbolt from clear sky
could have taken the world by greater
surprise.
Initiating Frederick the Greats
march into Silesia the emperor OF
Germany fastened hi. troops through
neutral Belgium in OrLer to capture
Paris by surprise and overwhelm the
French army, and had it not been for
the brave resistance of the Belgians
his plans in all probability would have
been successful.
Overwhelming France he could
have brought Great Britain to terms
and with these formidable foes out Of
the way the victory over Russia would
have been an easy matter
With he combined fleets of France
and Great Britain added to his own
he could have thrown an army into
Canada, and another into Mexico, and
catching the United States wholly I'M
prepared, he could have made it ex-
tremely unpleasant for us.
Those who refuse to believe that
this was the purpose of the German
emperor are unfamiliar with the writ
ings and utterances of Germany's au'
thors. orators. editors and statesmen.
And this class. fortunately small in
number in our midst, persist in the
statement that our war with Germany
il entirely uncalled for, and sending
our troops into France is nothing
more or less than murder.
In answer to which we here quote
what Mr.. John Sharp Williams recent
Iy said in his place in the United
States senate:
THE president and the administra'
ton did do everything that human in
tellect could conceive for the purpose,
IL possible, of bringing an end to the
war. and especially of keeping US out
of II. We did everything that we had
a right to do The president came to
this chamber and made that speech
which was criticized not only abroad
but here in this chamber, as being a
'peace-at-any-price' speech. the cele-
brated speech in which he said we
must have peace without victory.
lie travelled the whole gamut up and
down. He allowed this nation 10 sui.
fer humiliation after humiliation,
shame piled upon shame, gained the
very edge of cowardice, because his
heart beat in unison with the cause
of a just and lasting peace, and in
pitying love for suffering humanity.
There never was a month or a
week or an hour or a minute" says
Ibis most level-headed of the south's
representatives in congress. when
this country could have suggested
terms for a just and lasting peace
which would not have been scorned at
the court of Berlin by the kaiser and
-,