The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-04-09

5s
AN end, when the diplomatic in-
|trigues, when the pan-German plot
are revealed in their naked and hid-
ieous horror 1t will be clear, even to
the blindest and duliest German mind.
that this war was waged neither in
defense OF national existence nor In
defense of national interests
Was a War Against Russia.
1t began primarily as a war against
Russia. which for a hundred and fifty
years was the close ally of Prussia.
1t began as war against the Russian
| people, who were by far the best
customers for German industries. It
developed into war against Eng-
| land, which, likes Russia, was for
$50 years the ally of Germany. whose
! troops fought on r:any battlefelds
with the Germans and who never on
any single battlefield fought against
Germans.
Neither can this war be described
as a national war for the German
people. nor has ii resulted in Ger
man victory. Here also, when the
conspiracy of silence Is broken, the
net result of the war will prove to
he universal ruin, bankruptcy, the
Gripping of millions who will walk
the streets of every German city and
the loss OF the good will of the world.
In so far, therefore, as Prussian
reaction was hitherto based upon tho
glamor OF victory, that gamor is dis
PEELED The Hohenzollerns were sup
posed TO be the unsurpassed prac-
t!tioncrs of "Rnalpnlitik." They have
only proved reckless and romantic
Missionaries
Efficient In Destruction.
| The Prussian government was sup
posed to be marvelously efficient
! instrument Its efficiency has main
~ shown itself in wanton destruction.
| The Prussian was supposed to ba
a perfect type of stable govern
ment. Its work of five hundred years
has been destroyed in .hree years.
The Germans have sold their birth
right to the Hohenzollern for a mess
birthright, but they have not secured
the pottage.
The German people had entered
into a tacit contract. The rulers have
| broken that contract.
The German peoples were ready 10
surrender their personal liberty for
the advantages which the contract
gave them. They preferred the
security of despotism to the risks OF
liberty. But the German people have
discovered that the security was il
lusory. that the advantages wero
negative and that tho risks of despot-
| ism are infinitely greater than the
perils OF liberty.
But even granting that the prestige
and eleanor of the Hohenzollern
| monarchy are dispeled, we shall be
told that 1t does not necessarily fol-
low that a revolution would have any
chance of success.
For it may still be objected that a
| revolution is impossible under mod
ern conditions of warfare, that under
those conditions all the advantages aro
with the government and are not with
the people, that 1t has become very
much easier today than in the pre-
vious generation to stamp out rebel
lion and that the risks are very much
greater.
| believe that argument to be en-
tirely fallaclous. | do not believe
that the chances are with the govern
ment. / believe that they are all the
other way.
Modern conditions are more favor
able to the prospects of popular
rising than they were in, say in 1889,
in 1s4S or in 1871.
! The instruction OF the people of
Berlin in 1S4S nearly succeeded in
tablishing a German democracy
The proudest of the Prussian kings.
the most Intoxicated with dreams or
Ideusion of absolute power. was
hum bled to the dust. In an agony
of terror. bare-headed. Frederick
William w, of Hohenzoliern, had to
salute "a funeral procession of tho
heroes of liberty.
And the rising of the German peo-
pie today will have a much better
chance than in IS4S.
If 1t be true that n few machine
guns decide the issue, IL will be by
no means difficult for the insurgent
people to secure possession Of those
machine guns,
If it be true that military training
- essential to success. millions OF
Germans have received that train
ing.
Let only the merest fraction of the
people raise the standard OF rebel
lion and let the spirit OF rebellion BIO
rife and that spirit will spread like
wildfire and the Hohenzoilern mon
archy, after this war, should be
brought to the ground as decaying
tree in November gale.