Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-10-15

cotton goods, wooden goods. the build
ing Of ships. Germany lacked good
coking coal and hematite iron ore that
are necessary to good steel, and with
out steel no industrial future for Ger
many
Two courses were open to Bismarck
one was to accept an inferior spnere
Of influence for the little German
states. and the other was to foment
two wars and Vrest away. b. mill
tary force, coal treasures from Aus
tfia and later the iron mines of France
found in Alsace and Lorraine. Spread
ing out his plan before the PrJssian
King, Bismarck organized Germany in
to standing army, ana told his pf-
flcers that for the time being Ger
manys chief national industry must
be war"
No one ever accused Bismarck. the
statesman and diplomat, Of having
muddy mind He made the advant-
ages of war to be seen. lying out in
the sunshine. His argument ran thus:
Farming pays six per cent, manufact-
rring eight per cent, banking ten per
cent. but viewed as an investment,
war should pay a thousand per cent.
The war with Denmark made possible
the Kiel Canal and access 20 the North
Sea and it paid far more than Bis
marck's thousand per cent tn, war
in 1866 with Austria paid five thous-
and per cent. through conquered coal
resources
Then Bismarc'S planned his great
move--to steal the iron mines Of
France. He tells us in his Memoirs
that he forged one sentence in the
French Emperor's telegram. and thus
threw the burden Of the declaration
Of war upon France: and. returning
from his victorious campaign, he
brought back to Berlin billion dollars
in gold, and also. what was far ric:e-.
the title deeds tc Alsace and Lorraine.
In that hour. it became poSsIoi, -rr
Germany 10 produce the high sra1e
steel out Of the newly -conqu"Tr1 coal
and iron Great steel plant:: were
established. plates we're rolled for tie
North German Lloyd and the Hamburg
American Linns ard for ~" ~ cent?
meter guns within go wears. GNr.
r.any passed England, first in the
rrc duction OF ,,i' il on. sec md. Of ssccl.
I! rrd in chemical industries fourth in
toys. and fft1 i" industrial efficiency.
Plainly. tn" ,anco-Prussian War
paid German" ,tu th--., -ard per cent
on her investment,
Germany's military success went,
like wood alcohol to the head of her
people. The German officer became
the hero of men and women. The army
took control of the Fatherland In
the social world. the officer was the
leader At a banquet, who took prec-
r1I
company to the seat of honor at thr1
euest-table? Not the statesman. no
the university professor not the art
ist or author. not the banker or man
ufa cturer. but the soldier ! have my
self in Cologne seen banquet ne'u
up for an hour because the co'ohe'
had not arrived. Finally n nr,Nat
was found TO represent the army ana
walk in with the chairman 20 tfe
guests table.
Obsessed with the notion of rnftirS
superiority, Germany became one vast
military camp. The motto hecarnc.
Let Belgium produce wealth, we VIII
erah it," Let France paint pictures
carve marbles. weave silks, ana pTo-
duce Jewels Germany can steal tn'H.
let England pile up treasures we
will hoist a black flag on the SUP.
marine and spoil her of her goods.
"Anything that Germany does Is
right" At last, all the weapons We're
ready and Germany's soldiers stooo
! like a burglar. with his pistol hlN
honh-shell and his frebrand, before
the treasure house of Europe. raadS
to rrove that war is Germany
chief national industry.
Today we behold what the war mas