Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-04-05
THIS WAR is ONE OF SELF
PRESERVATION.

Here" says clergyman. was a
Kaiserdom seeking world domination
and perilously near encompassing
him." Thus the radical land reformer
sees the issue. Is there any one still
blind to It?
But we're we in America directly
threatened? We acre, and We r
threatened. A German book published
in the United States in 1914, and
called Truth About Germany" sought
to infame us against England and
France, and to persuade us that Amer.
lea and Germany had common ideals,
characteristics, and methods. MAY
God save us!) 1t argued smoothly:
1.-Two nations united by such common
i~nclinations and ideals, boldness of en-
terprise, far-sightedness, quickness Of
decision, admiration for intellectual
achievements, can not help being ex-
ceedingly congenial to each other"
Pleasant words-but a lying tongue.
Would Germany, once master Of Eu-
rope, remember our "c~ongeniality,"
anu NC d gOOU H6tyftOOT LII LA0 Amer
icas?
The Germans when writing for homo
consumption hold a different language
about world relations and "neighbors."
Formerly German thought was shut
up in her German corner, but now
the world shall have its coat cut ac-
cording to German measure, and as
far as our swords fash and German
bloods flows, the circle of the earth
shall come under the tutelage Of Ger
man activity" "A sturdy German
egoism must characterize all political
action. The first principle of
our policy, both at home and abroad,
must be that in everything that hap
pens the Germans should come off
best, and the others should have a
bad time of it." A nice, congenial
neighbor!
But Germany, when honest, directly
avows her purpose, ultimately, against
America. We must wake up" OF we
will be the easy next STEP in her
ambitions. Germany may in
less than two centuries succeed In
dominating the whole globe If
only it can in time strike out a new
course and definitely break with An
glo-American methods of government,
and with the state-destroying ideals
Of the Revolution" She is trying out
her new course" now. "One thing
alone can profit the German people:
the acquisition of new territory,
that alone can really promote the
diffusion, the growth. and the deep
ening of Germanism." Before seek.
ing to found a Greater Germany in
other continents, we must seek to
create a Greater Germany in Central
Europe" I'VE must see to
1t that the outcome of our next sue
cessful war must be the acquisition
of colonies" "We must make room
for an empire of Germanic race which
shall number 100, 900, 900 Inhabitants,
in order that we may hold our own
against masses such as those Of Russia
and the United States"
Still further, 1t is no longer a secret
that Germany, while we were still
unprepared-were neutral-and while
Germany still '~ostensibly sought our
friendship, SECRETLY planned, when vic
~torious in Europe, to pick u quarrel
with us and wiring from as part Of the
costs of her European war.
If the American easy chair" is
still too comfortable for serious
thought Of what Germany to
do to as, then America deserves the
fate in store for her. This is the
material side of our peril, but there
is another and deeper side.
This war Is u war, to secure our
purposes in national and in interna.
tional development. If Germany should
iCia. her principles must triumph and
force alone must rule the world, with
the strong exploiting the earth. l!
the war ends in a drdt0n battle. with
Germany unchanged in ideals and pur
poses, all that is left Of the world
viii be compelled to engage in the
race Of military preparedness, and The
world will be forced to adopt Ger
many's methods-n6w 30 hateful to US,
A Germany indicated would force
US to destroy the very basis Of ouI
government, our policy. our social and
industrial life-to devote ourselves
! capital and labor, persons and prop
erty. to one object-a mighty mill
tarism. Unless we win this war the
highest, most upsetting, most far
reaching change this nation has ever
known is upon us. We are fighting
for liberty to continue in our accus
TONED line of progress.