Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-10-02
JUST A BARE CHANCE.

Pope BenedlCtS progress tnus lar
as a peacemaker has served only to
emphasize the probability that the war
is far from ended. 1t is apparent that
the kaiser and the whole intricate
militaristic organization which de-
ponds on his autocracy will fight to
the last ditch to avoid revision of
the German mode of government and
the substitution of constitutional
form for the unlimited monarchy.
No less plain is the determination
Of all the active enemies of Germany
against considering any proposal for
peace which does not include just such
reform in Germanys methods of gov
eminent as a guarantee against future
upheavals.
The extreme anger displayed by the
kaiser's spokesman and the inspired
German press over President Wilson's
suggestion of internal reforms gives
reason for the belief that there is!
after all, some hope that the various
demands for political changes in Ger
many may crystalline in movement
which cannot be suppressed even by
the emperor's mailed fist.
The opinions of many observers who
have spent years in Germany is that
the people never will revolt. While
there is no reason to doubt the accur-
acy of this view there still remains
room for speculation on the possibility
that fear of an active revolt may force
the emperor to grant reforms as
measure OF safety.
The strongest argument to support
this course of reasoning lies in the
frantic efforts of the kaiser's support
ers to discredit President Wilson in
the eyes of the German public and
clinch the conviction that in suggest
ing diminution of the kaiser's auto
cratic power he is masking desire
to bring ruin to the German people.
The speech of DR.. Kaempf, presi-
dent Of the reichstag, is an instance.
In his address on the United States
government reply to the pope, he
said:
He who tries to drive wedge
between the kaiser and the people
bites on granite, owing to the COM
mon sense of the German people.
We read in President Wilson's
note to the pope the word human.
. ity.' Are we to believe the words
of man who had the power to
+ preserve hundreds of thousands of
lives by preventing the export Of
munitions and war material from
America to the. entente? e
Can that man boast Of human
ity who apart from the munition
supplies. prolonged the war by his
unneutral attitude before America
declared war and who supported
England's war of starvation
against German women and chill
dren?
If the German war lords entertained
no fears regarding the temper Of their
public 1t does not seem probable that
they would devote as much effort as
they are expanding to create hatred in
Germany against Mr. Wilson. 1t is
evident that they are considerably
alarmed over the possibility that the
presidents repeated appeals to the
German people to assert themselves
may. eventually, "drive the wedge be.
tween the kaiser and the people"
Meanwhile. America and the allies
can only wait for the awakening and
hope that it may come. They cannot
allow the hope to deter them for
moment in their preparations for in
creased military activity nor diminish
by so much as single bullet the force
of their opposition to the Teuton ar.
mics.