Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-12-29


public Means Peace and Freedom, ]"
has been circulated by Germans from
Switzerland. 1t is work of German
republicans who are working for the
overthrow Of Hohenzollernism and the
establishment of a German republic. A
copy has just been received in this
country and has been translated for
The use of the press by the committee
on public information at Washington.
Three Years of War.
Comrades in War:
Three years have passed since the
German emperor plunged the world and
his people into this most groundless,
senseless and impious of all wars into
a sea of blooa and tears.
Trained from childhood to be a sol
dier, brought up amid the perverted
views Of the Junker and Officer caste,
dreaming Of the laurels Of the con
queror as the highest ideal, counseled
by generals, befriended by war con-
tractors, and even with financial
interest in their profiteering he has
since 1905, systematically paved the
way for war He desired this war, he
permitted the systematic cult Of war
in Germany by the Pan-Germanists,
and he has encouraged it, He sup
ported and fomented the almost daily
quarrels of the other powers through
the Pan-German press by his inflams
matory speeches, last Of all he af-
fixed his signature to the various
declarations Of war; he is fully and
entirely responsible for them.
For nine years the diplomacy of
our neighbors, consistently anxious
for peace, succeeded in ayerting the
disaster from the world. This was the
policy which was falsely presented to
your ignorance as the Isolation
policy" in reality a peace policy in
which Germany was always most hear
tily invited to participate. Germany
was not isolated, but the German gov
ernment, and in it's wake the Austrian
government, deliberately and mahei-
ously withdrew from the circle of
civilized nations, as criminals from
human social circles.
But not only the diplomatic circles
of foreign states, but also German men
of insight and lofty ideals have placed
themselves firmly in opposition to the
emperor s senseless and eXtravagant
lust for war, in spite of his wrath, and
have sacrificed their positions rather
than their convictions This was true
in the case of the president of Reichs-
bank, DIR. Koch, and even of the en-
peror' 5 brother, Prince Henry of Prus-
sia. On fhe 3lst of July, 1914, he
urged the emperor to desist from war,
and when he failed in his attempt he
h. = fp
mission as grand admiral and com
mander-in-chief Of the German navy.
Up to the last moment-England
even held until noon of the 4th of
August, 1914, when the German army
had already swept like a torrent over
the boundaries of the neighboring
countries on every side-the rulers,
ministers, and diplomats of England,
Russia, France, and Serbia, did all
that lay within human power, even
to the utmost sclf.abnegation, in order
TO preserve peace for the world. This
fact is clearly manifest; the documents
concerning il set forth in black and
white TO the gaze of the world. They
are acknowledged as authentic by the
German government, but they are nat
urally withheld from the German peo-
pie No one wished TO attack us, either
then or at amy later time. All that
Austria could ask of Serbia with even
The slightest semblanee of justice was
freely granted.
Thus from the very beginning of the
war the sympathy of the entire world
belonged properly 10 our noighhors
who had been wautonly attacked. But
ii did not stop at sympathy; the scoup-
drels who govern You and control you,
by the colossal atrocity Of their meth
ods of warfare, by such brutality as
;n itself to be a menace TO the whole
neutral world, by disregard of All
established treaties, managed step by
step to tnrage all civilized humanity
against us.
If a bloodthirsty maniac should be
let loose on the streets those whom
he attacked would defend themselves.
All peaceioving men would hasten to
fheir rescue; only towards would
slink timidly away. This is today the
attitude Of the world toward Germany.
There viii be no peace, and justly 50,