The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-07-28
GER N AN DEFEAT
J. w. T. Mason Sees Kaiserism in
Retreat and Assertion of .
Democracy
SPIRIT OF ALLIES NOT
ARMS IS RESPONSIBLE
Bavaria Looms Large as Rival of
Prussia for National Leader
j''a' - ship
BY j. w. T. MASON

! copyright, 1917, Newspaper Enter
prise Association.)
Collapse of Prussian military states
manship and the first triumphs OF
democracy over the militarists are
the dominant factors in the war stu.
alton at the close of the third yea1
Of the conflict.
Kaiserism is in retreat, almost pre-
pared to surrender to democracy in
side and outside Germany.
| 1t may be even unnecessary for the
new American citizen army to fire a
single shot before the war ends with
the collapse of .Prussian ,absolutism.~
Regrets of People ~,
The third year, of the war has seen
the colossus of dem ocracy. tower high
er and higher above the puny intlu-
ence of shot and shell upon the out
come Of the war.
Not generalship upon the field of
battle, but the, rights of the common
people, are now certain to determine
the peace terms.
Never before in its history has, the
world seen non-military influences
rise to dominate the outcome of a
great war, as has occurred during the
past third year of the European
struggle.
Neither naval operations on the
high seas, nor offensives in east and
west, nor war councils in any of the
transatlantic capitals, have exerted
a preponderant influence, during the
past year upon the war. y,
1S fI1 %LnA
operating decisively to crush militar-
ism are the democratic revolution in
Russia and the acceptance of Ger
many's submarine challenge by Amer
lea, as an attack upon the security
of democracy throughout the world.
The Russian army may make little
substantial progress from now until
the war ends; and the new American
army may not be ready for the firing
line before peace comes-neverthe-
less, the youngest and the oldest Of
already conclusively influenced the
struggle by the spiritual force of their
union with the democracies of Great
Britain and France for the freeing Of
mankind .,.., D.. gnti.u .a
Central Powers Beaten
The third year Of the war has prov
en- there is something stronger in the
world than material power
The Central Empires retain the ma
terial power of their armies in Europe
practically intact.
Nevertheless the Central Empires
are beaten.
The kaiser knows it; Won Hinden-
burg knows it; Ludendorff knows it;
and all the people of Germany are be-
ginning to know it,
The only question is whether the
Hohenzollerns can prevent yet while
longer full descent to the bottom Of
the hill where complete democratic
government awaits the German peO-
pie.
At the top of the hill absolutism
rests, toward which the militarists
have tried to climb with so appalling
an expenditure of blood and treasure
during the past three years.
The first steps downward have now
been taken, and there can be no
turning back for the kaiser.
For, each new promise and every
plausible assurance will quickly prove
untrue as the war continues, and will
engender deeper and deeper discon-
tent within the German empire.
Moderate Control
This is the reason: The third year
of the war has seen not only the in
vitations of the Russian and Ameri-
can democracies extended to the Ger
man people to free themselves; it has
seen ,as we'll, a free hand given to
the German militarists to do whatever
lay in their power to win the war
with results calamitOus for the central
empires.
During the first two years of the
conflict, the civilian statesmen in Ger
many exercised moderate control
in international affairs affecting neu-
trails.
The militarists claimed during the
third year of the conflict that the
"timidity" of the civilian statesmen
was preventing Germany from win
ming the war.
So, the direction of German states
manship, little more than six months
ago was placed in full control of the
general staffs of the army and navy.
For the first time since the out
break of the war, militarism reigned
in Germany, absolutely unhampered
by even the slightest civilian control.
And the result has been the en-
trance of America into the war, and
(Continued on mage tWo.D