The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-12

1t was a welcome opportunity LOF us
closing to you some of the thoughts
that have been gathering in my mind
during the last momentous months.
am introduced I'D you as thu presi-
dent of the United States, and yet 1
would be pleased if you would put the
thought CT the office into the back
ground and regard me as one of your
fellow citizens who has come here to
speak, not in words of authority, but
the words of counsel, the words which
men should speak to one another who
wish to be frank in a moment more
critical, perhaps, than the history OF
the world has ever yet known. A mo-
ment when it is every mans duty to
foreet himself, to forget his own in
terests, to fill himself with the no
bility of a great national and world
conception and act upon a new plat
form elevated above the ordinary at
fairs of life, elevated to where men
have views of the long destiny OF
mankind.
I think that in order to realize just
what this momentum of counsel is, it
is very desirable that we should re-
mind ourselves just how this war
came about and just what 1t is for
You can explain most wars very SIM
ply, but the explanation of this is not
simple its roots run deep into all the
obscure soils of history and in my
view this is the last decisive issue be-
tween the old principles of power and
the new principle of freedom.
The war was started by Germany
Her authorities deny that they started
it. But l am willing to let the state
ment I have just made the verdict of
history and the thing that needs to
be explained is why Germany started
the war Remember what the posi-
ton of Germany in the world was
sas enviable a position as any nation
has ever occupied. The whole world
stood at admiration of wonderful in
tellectual and material achievements
and all the intellectual men of the
world went to school to her. As a uni
versity man, I have been surrounded
by men trained in Germany, men who
had resorted to Germany because no
where else could they get such thoro
and searching training, particularly
in the principles of science and the
principles that underlie modern ma
teriaI achievene nts.
Her men Of science had made her
industries perhaps the most compe-
tent industries in the world, and the
label made in Germany was guar
antee of good workmanship and OF
sound material. She had access to all
the markets of the world and every
other man who traded in those mar
kets feared Germany because Of her
effective and almost irresistible, COM
petition. She had a place in the. sun.
Why was she not satisfied? what
more did she want? There was moth
ing in the world of peace that she
did not already have and have in
abundance.
We boast of traordinary pace of
American advancement. We show with
pride the statistics of the increase of
our industries and OF the population
of our cities. Well those statistics
did not match the recent statistics of
Germany. Her old cities took on
youth, grew faster than any Ameri-
can city ever grew; her old industries
opened their eyes and saw new
world and went out for its conquest;
and vet the authorities of Germany
we're not satisfied. You have one
part of the answer to the question
why she was not satisfied in her
methods of competition. There il NO
important industry in Germany upon
which the government has not laid |
its hands to direct it, and when neces-
sity arises, control it.
You have only to ask any man
whom you meet, who is familiar with
the conditions that prevailed before
the war in the matter of information
al competition to find out the meth
DDS of competition which the German
manufacturers and exporters used
under the patronage and support of
the government of Germany. You
will find that they were the same
sorts of competition that we have
tried to prevent by law within our
own borders. If they could not sell
their goods cheaper than we could sell
ours, at a profit to themselves, they
could get a subsidy from the govern
ment which made it possible to sell
them cheaper, anyhow; and the con
diiOnS of competition were thus con-
trolled in large measure by the Ger
man government itself. But that did
not satisfy the German government
ALI the while there was lying behind
its thought, in its dreams of the flu
ture, political control which would
enable it in the long run to dominate
the labor and the industry of the
world. They were not content with
success by superior achievement.
rhey wanted success by authority.
suppose very few of you have thought
much about the Berlin-to- Ba gdad rail-
way The Berlin-to- Bagdad railway
was constructed in order to run the
threat of force down the flank of the
Industrial undertakings of a half doz-
en- other countries, so that when
German competition came in it would
not be resisted too Iar-becauSe there
was always the possibility of getting
German armies into the heart OF that
country quicker than any other armies
could be got there. Look at the map
of Europe now. Germany, in thrust
ing upon us again and again the dis
tussion of peace talks about what?
Talks about Belgium, talks about
Northern France, talks about Alsace-
Lorraine. Well, those are deeply in
teresting subjects to US and to them,
out they are not talking about the
heart of the matter.
Take the map and look at it. Ger
many has absolute control of Austria
Hungary, practical control of the Bal
san states, control of Turkey, control
of Asia Minor. l saw a map in which.
the whole thing was printed in appro-
nriate black the other day and the
lack stretched all the way from Ham
burg to Bagdad-the bulk of German
power inserted into the heart of the
world If it can keep that, she has
kept all that her dreams contemplated
when the, war began. If she can keep
that. heripower can disturb the world
as long as she keeps railways pro-
yided. for I feel bound to put this pro-
1oreEapt