Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-08-01
BASIS OF PAN-GERMANISM.

BASIS OF PAN-GERMANISM.
(From Des Moines Sunday Register).
If we shall put two estimates Of
Germany Of two of the shrewdest OBJ
servers of their day together we shall
have a pretty fair basis for judgment
of the controlling forces in the pam
German movement.
The first estimate is that of l.; Hung
Chang, probably the biggest world
figure of China. On his tour OF the
world, after visiting Bismarck in Ger
many, Ii Hung Chang recorded:
81 am convinced from all that have
seen in Germany that Bismarck ami
the kaiser meant what they said when
they averred that the German empire
was destined to become dominant
factor in Europe
Of this nobody can complain Ger
many was destined to become il DOM
inant factor not only in Europe but
in the world. Bismarck and the kai-
ser merely read the inevitable signs
of the times.
But what was the German estimate
of the forces behind this forward
of Germany? That is the
question that right now is of supreme
The answer to that question is to
be found in the statement of John
Hay, recorded in the Thayer Life Of
Hay, made after his return from
China, following the Boxer rebellion.
''On October 16, 1910, Mr. Hay wrote
to an intimate friend as follows:
Everything appeared to be going
we'll until this prominade OF Valdez
sees to Tao Ping. which l fear will
have very unfavorable results upon
the rest Of China. The success we
had in stopping that first preposter-
GUS German movement, when the
whole. world seemed likely to join in
it, when the entire press Of the con-
tinent and great many on this side
were in favor of it, will always be a
source of qualification. The moment
we acted, the rest of the world paused
and finally came over to our ground;
and THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT
WHICH IS GENERALLY BRUTAL
BUT SELDOM SILLY, recovered its
Senses
Again Hay observed:
"What business this has been in
g. c. hyy
being honest and NAVEL do not
clearly see where we are to come the
delayed cropper? But it will come. At
least We are spared the infamy of an
alliance with Germany. I would
rather, think, be the dupe of China
than the chum of the kaiser. Have
you noticed how the world will take
anything nowadays from German?
Buelow said yesterday in substance:
We have demanded of China every
thing we can think of. If we think Of
anything else, we will demand that
and be d to you,' and not man in
the world kicks"
This was written seventeen years
ago, by one of the strongest men who
ever held the state portfolio, who had
no reason for greater friendliness
towards any of the powers represent
ed in China than toward Germany.
Hay saw then what the whole world
sees now, that the German theory Of
becoming a dominant factor" was the
brutal heel.
1t is strange that everybody did not
see then what Hay saw, that the kali
ser's admonition to his soldiers to re-
call Atilla and to so conduct them
selves that no Chinaman for thou
sand years would dare look German
in the face, was notice to the world.
But there was so much of social re-
form in Germany in so many ways
that it was hard to believe that the
will to power" had been taken so
literally. It has been only since this
war that we have understood how
the kaiser was taking his
words.
IL pain llOuA IAO way AL "AASAA
Hay set down his own opinion that
he expected nobody to be Influenced
by it. The world has adjusted itself
to German roughness and evidently
thought nothing Of it. Nobody was
alarmed by the German method Of be-
coming dominant factor" and Hay
could not alarm anybody.
But Hay himself was not deceived,
and Hay was not a man in such mat
ters to form hasty opinion, nor an
lll-founded one He knew perfectly
we'll what the German invasion Of
China meant, and he knew that the
time would come when not even the
combined powers of the world could
keep Germany from pitting it's theory
Of might against the growing world
theory of right.
Nobody need go further than the
of the great Chinaman