Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-07-20
AMERICA STARTED GREAT WAR
ASSERTS NOTED BOER GENERAL

rope. 1t gave Britain her democracy.
AS a matter Of fact the influence of
that wonderful stirring Of h souls of
men which made you free started this
world business; it has had its vast eff
feet even upon details, for nothing
other than your war Of 1916 lies at the
basis Of the Russian overturn.
Now, however, your influence will
be far more han psychological. 1t
will be important also in the military
victory which is to come to the allies;
but if America is to help to victory the
great new forces of which she is the
exponent she must take her proper
place.
If America had not come in there
would have been the gravest danger
hat the combat might have lost it's
real perspective and true setting, to
degenerate into a mere old world
struggle, certainly for liberty and for
democracy, but sure to terminate in an
old world settlement.
Now, with you in the actual fight
ing, it will have a world wide meaning
and an epoch making ending.
For the first time the new world
actually will redress the balance of
the old Canning used hat phrase
with regard to the Monroe Doctrine
when the autocrats Of Europe wished
to interfere with the independence of
South America. One hundred years
later, not too o after he foretold it.
1t is coming true.
The war must end in the triumph
of democracy, but that will not mean
the universal characterization Of the
which will be affected. HUI
inanity doe not work SO fast. The
French revolution required Il century
OF time in which to find fruition, for
its influence is evident in many very
modern things. The unification of
Italy is one of them; the union of that
so bad a use is n of them. This war
is a greater one and it's effects will be
still more mOmentOus.
What they will De no man may VEN
ture to predict. Something will hap
pen which will be greater than the
cracking up of the holy Roman
pire and medieval Europe. 1t will
bring humanity together. 1t will mean
a step toward the coordination Of free
nations, and hat will mean the fur
Their spread of freedom beyond the
boundaries even Of nations which at
present live in liberty.
Napoleon and the Kaiser.
international cooperation will be
to a new extent for that in
ternational competition which has
brought all wars, including this one.
Already has been born a concert of
military and diplomatic action among
the allies, indicated by continual con-
in the common cause, which
are tending to impress alike upon The
peoples and their leaders that interna-
tionally as well as in the case of indi-
viduals, group thought is better than
one man or one nation thought.
The world is beginning to piece a
new machine together for it's future
In England, France and
italy his is plain enough: in Russia.
as to be epoch making.
autonomy has not been interfered
with. Each state retains it's sover-
eighty. But each tremendous indi-
vidual machine works smoothly in
close harmony with all the others to-
ward a common md. And now into
cooperation the greatest of the
century ago all this would have been
This fine. significant and fruitful
will not cease with the
of the war. Free democracies
the world will be in close
touch with other free democracies.
The absolute governments must go.
In h a will lie a guarantee of peace,
the first the world has known. In
other words. this war will be a peace
although it may seem like an
of far vision to predict that now.
o course this could not be if de-
mocracy should be defeated. II Ger
should win all would be lost for
The great task would be
left for toilsome and laborious redoing.
Centuries ago there was a time
when here in Europe there was far
more unity than since has been the
That was in the days Of papal
primacy and that holy Roman empire,
which finally dissolved. : France was
the worst sinner against this meas
urably good condition. Her policy Of
conquest finally became incarnated in
Napoleon and his dream Of empire.
disastrous Frenchman
Which ts principally responsible for the
grim fact that coincident with the
growth Of democracy's fine vision has
q growth OF military monarchy.
The kaiser's sinister career has been
on Napoleon's. But. unlike
his has not been a mod
ern dream n so must fade. It has
lacked reality.
Like two thunderclouds approach
Ing one another these influences. that
OF the kaiser with his mad reversion
to The days Of m~ediaevalism. and Of
democracy, with it's prophecies Of free.
dom for the future of mankind, are
now in opposition. in roaring. lightning
conflict. and democracy
must win.
THE world required the shock to
wake Il UP. England. herself. was
slipping from the track. Under Dis.
raelt, she thought that she must be
military nation bent upon imperial-
ism.. She went In for 1t and the trial
came hnally In South Africa.