The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-02-05
GERMANY COULD BECOME
REPUBLIC.

The time has probably arrived when
Germany and "The Kaiser" are two
separate IDEAS in the minds of a great
many Americans. The Kaiser's con-
tinuance in the violation of a recogniz-
ed international law appears to use as
an act to warrant our considering him
Il Napoleon among rulers, and our re-
iusing to recognize his right to rule
The people Of the United States in
Guiding those of German descent can
surely feel no further kindly consid-
GRAFTON for him, and yet they retain a
hope for the continuation of German
nation.
If German militarism and its advo-
Gates could be eliminated from the
German nation, and if some way, could
be found to make Germany a Republic
instead of an Empire. or even il the
United States could support that idea,
peace negotiations would have more
hope of success.
The world will have naught of mill
tarism and Germany as an Empire ian
not be trusted by the nations because
Of her militarisln, neither can she be
confident of her own security without
militarism. But as a Republic, she
could be welcomed into the family OF
nations and given every chance for
her future welfare, security and pros
perity that could be given to the Re-
public of France, or England, or the
United States Or any other nation.
The large number of German people
in this country have no fault to find
with liberty, democracy and power by
the consent of the governed, and we
have no reason to suppose that this
same attitude is not found in the
hearts of the common people of Ger
many though perhaps it has little or
no opportunity to find expression. Our
sympathy goes out to that part of Ger
many-the masses Of the common
people who are now helpless in the
bands of real enemy, their own
ruler, who has pursued course that
is crushing out their liberties and
their national existence. AS conditions
are now they are compelled to fit
for aritocracy which it is the genius
Of the common people to hate.
In the present situation, their very
life and their right to exist are tied
up in the same bundle with the AFRO
eance of the Kaiser and his military
men. Can we see this and fail to
raise our voice in protest. we to whom
liberty and democracy are as the
breath of life, and without which we
would feel ourselves most miserable
indeed?
The United States stands for the
wv Of ~ IN
the oppression of any nation by the
rulers thereof. 1t is our destiny to
bring to the nations of the world a
greater liberty, and to oppose auto
crazy by democracy. Such an oppor
tunity has come to the United Staes in
this crisis. We have come into the
family of nations with a destiny, and
an important epoch in the fulfilling of
this destiny has arrived.
AS a nation we have always stood
for the rights of humanity everywhere,
whether in Poland, Cuba, Mexico, or
the Philippines and we still stand for
the rights of our own people and also
those of the other nations of the world,
Germany included.
The rights of the common people IS
an idea that seems to have diminished
to the smallest point possible in the
present day affairs of the rulers of the
German Empire, but this idea is large
in the life of the United States and
can be made to play an effective part
in the present European situation. 1t
will then remain to be seen whether
the German people will prefer the
Kaiser to democracy or militarism to a
league of nations. We would recog-
nize the existence Of Christ idea,
which is to save. the German people
from its real oppressor.
MRS. M. B. NJ