The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-10-29
WHAT NE ARE
FIGHTING AGAINST
Roots of This War Go Back to 1860
When Bismarck Was the Out
standing Figure in Berlin.
(By Newell Dwight Hills.

Wy NthCii Nv iEhb iiiiiic'}
The roots of this war go back to 1860
At that time, Bismarck was the out
standing figure in Berlin, Germany was
then an agricultural nation, having little
manufacturing life. She had 100000
of people, 100000 100000 OF property,
and second-rate position in Europe. In
1860 England led Germany in the pro.
duction of pig-iron, steel, cotton goods,
wooden goods. the building of ships. Ger
many lacked good coking coal and hema-
tite iron ore that are necessary 10 good
steel, and without steel there was no
industrial future for Germany.
Two courses were open to Bismarck
one was to accept an inferior sphere Of
influence for the little German states,
and the other was to foment two wars
and wrest away, by military force, coal
treasures from Austria and later the
iron mines of France found in Alsace and
Lorraine. Spreading out his plan before
the Prussian king, Bismarck organized
Germany into standing army, and told
his officers that for the time being Ger
many's chief national industry must be
war"
NJ
statesman and diplomat, of having
muddy mind. He made the advantages
of war to be seen, lying out in the sun
shine. His argument ran thus: Farming
pays six per cent, manufacturing eight
per cent, banking ten per cent, but,
viewed as an investment, war should pay
a thousand per cent! The war with Den
mark made possible the KEEL canal ard
access to the North sea, and it paid far
more than Bismarck's thousand per cent
The war in 1866 with Austria paid five
thousand per cent, through conquered
coal resources.
Then Bismarck planned his great move
to steal the iron mines of France. He
tells us in his Memoirs that he forged |
one sentence in the French emperor's |
telegram, and thus throw the burden of |
the declaration of war upon France; and |
returning from his victorious campaign,
he brought back to Berlin a billion col
lars in gold, and also, what was far
richer, the title-deed to Alsace and Lor-
-aine. In that hour, it became possible
'or Germany to produce the high grade
steel out OF the newly-conquered coal and
ron. Great steel plants were estab-
ished, plates were rolled for the North
5erman Lloyd and the Hamburg -Ameri-
an lines and for the ~ centimetre guns.
Within 80 years, Germany passed Eng
and first in the production Of pig iron.
econd, of steel, third in chemical in
ustries, fourth in toys and fifth in in
ustrial efficiency. Plainly, the Franco
russian war paid Germany ten thousand
er cent ON her Investment
Germany's military success went, like
rood alcohol, to the head of her peo-
lie. The German officer became the hero
t men and women. The army took con {
rol of the Fatherland. In the social |
'orld, the officer was the leader. At
anquet, who took precedence and walked !
t the head of the company TO the seat (
honor at the guest table? Not the I
iatesman, not the university professor, :
OF the artist, or author, not the banker
r manufacturer, but the soldier. | have. y
lyself, in Cologne, seen a banquet held Y
p for an hour because the colonel had 7
OF arrived. Finally a private was found Y
, represent the army and walk in with \
ne chairman, to the guests table. \
Obsessed with the notion of military h
lperiority, Germany became one vast 4
ilitary camp. The motto became: let o
elgium produce wealth. we will grab $
let France paint pictures. carve c
arbles, weave silks. and produce Jewels. I
can steal them let England b
le up treasures. we will hoist a black c
IL on the submarine and spoil her Of n
T goods" Anything that Germany H
,es is right At last, all the weapons c
ere ready and Germany's soldiers stood 81
le a burglar. with his pistol, his bomb X
ell and his firebrand, before the treas b
e house Of Europe. ready 20 prove that n
sar is Germanyis chief national indus-i Fl
y" p