Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-21
MICHAELIS EMPHASIZES
THE ISSUE


W Michaelis of the war aims of his i'm
perial master this country is not particu-
larly concerned, for the reason that Ger
man purposes were revealed long ago and
Il was apparent some days since that
K Michaelis would merely voice the senti-
ments Of the militarists. His attitude in
this respect simply emphasizes the view
stated three months ago by President
Wilson, namely, that for democracy there
IL no hope in the situation so long as the
Hohenzollerns and the Hohenzolern doc.
trine of government survive and have
prevalence in Germany.
That, indeed. is the task the Allies have
Get themselves, to uproot militarism,
which trusts only in God and German
might" The God worshiped by junkers
Is God the Christian Allies do not know
and German might as a final tribunal of
Justice is a contamination to prevent
which millions in lives and gold are being
poured out by the nations that refuse to
worship force and insist on the inviola.
bility of the processes of law.
This country, however, is interested in
the pronouncement of the Chancellor
relative to electoral reform.
/ approve OF the imperial rescript of
fra rpf fnrD I dor
advantageous and necessary to establish
closer relations between the great par
ties and the Government and am willing
as far as possible without impairing the
federal character and the constitutional
basis of the empire, 10 do my uttermost
to impart more life and efficiency to this
cooperation.
What he means by federal char.
acter and the constitutional basis of the
empire" is that system of government
which permits the Kaiser to be the sole
arbiter of peace and war and endows the
so-called higher orders of society with
virtually complete power over the essen.
tials of policy and administration 1t is
this medievalism in government which
the new Chancellor is determined to pre-.
serve at all cost. He. therefore, is the
exponent of exactly the thing this nation
Is determined to destroy. He would make
Germany unsafe for democracy; we have
set out to make the world, including Ger
many, safe for democracy. Between the
two opposing purposes there is no room
for, reconciliation. They are as far apart
rs the poles.
Let uc. then, dedicate ourselves anew tc
the great task before us. Let us realize
that junkerism still rides wild in Ger
many. still dominates German thought
and purpose, and that we must consecrate
every ounce of our power to the one aim
Of extirpating this whole school of philos.
ophy from the face of the earth. Since
might, not reason, must decide the course
of history, we shall face the issue in that
form, measuring our might against the
Kaiser's might, and putting to the test,
tion of whether democracy or autoeracy
Is the master of efficiency II Freedom is
In truth the mother Of invention and
autocracy is using Freedoms implements
to wage the war, surely It is Freedom
which will give birth to new ideas that
will decide the conflict, or will be able to
utilize her own inventions to better ad.
vantage than mere adopters of them.
We trust that the speech If the Chan.
cellor will convince the American public
once and for all of the absolute neces.
sity of fight TO the finish, of the hope
lessness of peace until the German sys.
tenn is utterly wiped out. and that 1t will
intensity, the efforts of our Government
to make available in this war the full
resources and power of the whole nation.