Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1917-06-23

These men have never regarded ma
tons as peoples, men, women, and
children Of like blood and frame as
themselves, for whom governments ex'
listed and in whom governments had
their life. They have regarded them
merely as serviceable organizations
which they could by force or intrigue
bend or corrupt to their W purpose
They have regarded the smaller states
In particular, and the peoples who
could be overwhelmed by force, al
their natural tools and instruments Of
domination. Their purpose has lOne
been avowed.
Military Masters Dominate Germany,
Their plan was to throw a broad belt
Of German military power and political
control across the very center Of Eu'
rope and beyond the Mediterranean In
to the heart Of Asia +; and Austria-Hun-
gary was to be az much their tool and
pawn as Serbia OF Bulgaria o. Turkey
or the p%onderous states Of the East.
The dream had Its heart at Berlin. II
could have had q heart nowhere else
It rejected the idea Of solidarity OF
race entirely. The choice Of peoples
played no part in 1t at all. They ar
IDENTIFY desired to direct their own at.
fairs, would be satisfied only by undis.
puted independence. They could be
kept quiet only by the presence or the
constant threat Of armed men. The
German military statesmen had reck'
oned with all that and were ready to
deal with it in their own way.
DeeeitfuI Cry for Peace.
Is 1t not easy to understand the Gag
erness for peace that has been mani
tested from Berlin ever since the snare
was set and sprung7 Peace, peace.
peace has been the talk of her foreign
Office for now a year and more; not
peace upon her own initiative, but up
on the initiative Of the nations over
which she now deems herself to hold
the advantage. Through all sorts Of
channels 1t has come to me, and In all
sorts Of guises, but never with tho
terms disclosed which the German gov
eminent would be willing to accept.
That government still holds a valuable
part Of France, though with slowly re-
Taxing grasp, and practically the whole
Of Belgium. It cannot 60 further; 1t
dare not 60 back. It wishes to close
its bargain before It is too late
The military masters under whom
Germany is bleeding see very clearly
to what point Fate has brought them.
If they fall back Or are forced back
inch, their power both abroad and
at home will fall to pieces like a
house Of cards. If they a Sc
peace now with the immense ad-
vantages still In their hands which
they have up to this point apparently
gained, they will have justified them
selves before the German people: they
will have gained by force what they
promised to gain by It: an immense
Of German power, an i'm
mense enlargement Of German indus
trial and commercial opportunities. II
they fail, their people will thrust them
a government accountable to
the people themselves will be set up
in Germany as it has been in England,
In the United States. in France, and
In ell the great countries of the mod
ern time except Germany. II they sue
coed they are safe and Germany and
the world are undone; If they fail Ger
many is saved and the world will be at
peace. II they succeed, we and all
the rest Of the world must remain
armed, as they will remain, and must
make ready for the next step Of ag-
erosion: If they fail, the world may
unite for peace, and Germany may be
the. union.
Practiced Campaign Of Deceit.
The present particular aim Of the
masters Of Germany is to deceive all
those who throughout the world stand
for the rights Of peoples and the SELF
government Of nations; for they e
what immense strength the forces Of
Justice and Of liberalism are gathering
put Of this war.
The sinister intrigue is being nc less
actively conducted in this country than
Russia and in every country in En-
:ope to which the agents and dupes Of
he imperial German government can
get access.
10 Peoples War.
The great fact that stands out above
Ill the rest Is that this is a Peoples
var. a war for freedom and justice and
eel f-government amongst all the ma
ions Of the world. a wal to make the
world safe for the peoples who live in
t and have made it their own, the
German people themselves included;
nd that with us rests the choice to
'reak through all these hypocrisies and
'atent cheats and masks of brute force
nd help set the world free, or else
tand aside and let 1t be dominated q
ong age through by sheer weight Of
rms and the arbitrary choices Of self
masters. by the nation
which can maintain the biggest armies
nd the most irresistible armaments-
mower to which the world has af.