The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-04-04

menace and the actual power of vast
military establishment controlled by an
irresponsible government, which, having
secretly planned to dominate the world
proceeded TO carry out the plan without
regard either to the sacred obligations
Of treaty or the long established prac-
tices and long cherished principles Of In
ternatlonal action ard honor; This
power Is net the German people. II Is
the ruthless master of the German peo-
1t that the history Of the rest OF the
world Is no longer left to its handling"
President Wilson, August 27, 1917.
THE GERMANS AS A CHOSEN
PEOPLE.
The foundation cause of this war Is
Gerihany's firm belief that she alone
has the right to direct the progress of
the world and to exploit it's resources.
For the last thirty years the military
autocracy of Germany has seen to it
that this belief was taught in the
schools, and today that autocracy is
raapiDg the benefits of a blind obe-
dience to it's will. German political
writing of recent years is full of the
idea that the German people is God S
chosen people, destined to impose its
'Kultur' upon all other peoples
1.-THE German soul is the worlds
soul, God and Germany belong to one
another Germany is the center of
Gods plans for the world" "We hope
that a great mission will be allotted
to us Germans and this Ger
man mission is: to look after the
world Germany is chosen, for her
own good and that of other nations,
to undertake their guidance. Provi-
dence has placed the appointed people,
at the appointed moment, ready for
the appointed task
"The German people is always right,
because ii is the German people, and
numbers S7000,000 souls" 'Kultur is
best promoted when the strongest in
divdual kultur that of given ma
tion, enlarges its field of activity at
the expense of the other national Kul-
turs." THE attempt Of Napoleon to
graft the Kultur Of Western Europe
upon the empire of the Muscovite
ended in failure. Today history has
made us Germans the inheritors of the
| Napoeonic idea" THE further we
carry our Kultur into the East, the
more and the more profitable outlets
shall we find for our wares Economic
| profit Is of course not the main motive
of our Kultur activity, but it is no un.
welcome by-product." Our belief is
that the salvation of the whole Kultur
of Europe depends upon the victory
which German 'Mlitarism' is about to
achieve
These quotations are but a few OF
hundreds of like expression, and the
last one cited is from manifesto
signed by thirtyfUe hundred German
professors and lecturers. Reduced tc
simple terms the German belief at the
beginning of this war was: God di
reCts Germany. Civilization advances
only by cOmbdts between Kulturs in
which the stronger and God.drected
one has the right to prevail and must
prevail. The immediate and present
object is to make cur kultur prevail
In the East Gin 'MuscovyD and in ac
complishing this we shall also gain
economic advantages. This is the first
step in our world domination"
Where does America stand in this
theory of a chosen people? America
denies that theory she denies that
God has chosen any one people as
His own; she asserts rather that there
are many civilizations, each with its
own merits and defects and that tC
each must be left the working ont Of
Its own problems.
We Americans are unabla to under
stand, or sympathize with, a people
who conceive of themselves as a choser
people, chosen of Coda people tc
whom all things and actions, however
inhuman or brutal, are regarded as
permissible. even holy, because Of q
faith in their superior mission anC
civilization. To us such belief i,
direct eridence, not of a leading, bu
OF a tagging ciuifsation.
This German ideal, when expressed
merely in theory, even though taught
In Germany for the last thirty years
stirred but Indifferent interest in othe,
European nations. In this war Ger
many has revealed in the dpplicatio,
Of her theory lust for world power
at the expense Of other peoples, a lacl
OF good faith, brutality that have
stamped her theory as involving re
turn to barbarism.
BY the application Of German theory
We were forced, unwillingly, to 60 tt
war. But today we know that there
was no escape from a war between two
contradictory ideals. Germany's eco
nomic objects are many and large
(they will be pointed out), but the basi'
cause Of this war was the German idea
OF dominant nation. That ideal
by Germany's own challenge, is on tria
IN arms. Against it we must prevail
or we shall perish.