The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1918-07-04
Why We Fight
No. 3
Because Germany Having Split the
World in Half Is Now Trying
TO Devour the Halves
Rv CLARENCE L. SPEED
e.o-a+ary of the War Committee OF the
SecreIHf@ ni0n League Club of Chicago

hos driven a wedge straight through
+ho beart of Europe, and into ASIA
ond &c seeking to extend it to the Per
sian gulf.
This 10 no accidental happening, due
70 the downfall of Russia and the SUI
don shifting in the fortunes OF war.
Germany planned it all decades ago.
She made no effort to keep the plans
socrat she told us all about 1t. She
had a reputation for making plans
and sticking to them, from one gener.
otion TO another; yet the world paio
No attention. It seemed too prepos-
torous even for Germany to attempt.
AS long ago as 1895 a pamphlet
"Pan- Germany and Central Europe
About 1850" was published in Berlin
and had wide circulation. 1t laid the
whole Mitteleuropa plan bare as fol-
lows.
"poland and Little Russia (the king
dom TO be established at Russia's ex-
nensel will agree to have no armies
Of their own, and will receive In their
fortrpsses German and Austrian garrl-
sons In Poland, as we'll as In Little
Russia. the postal and telegraph serv-
fees as well as the railways VIII De III
German hands"
Tn 1911 Tannenberg's book, "Greater
Germany" was published. This was
on,v three years before the war, but
q showed that the idea of German
1f;++oIouropa had not been allowed to
languish. 1t says:
oThe new kingdom of Poland Is
made I'D of the former Russian por-
tion Of the basin of the Vistula, ana OF
Colicia. and forms a part.o the new
Austria" :.
How the plan has grown since then!
Rnssia's collapse dropped whole prov
inces into the lap of the kaiser, anu
now Germany plans it's empire on
scale which would dwarf that Of an
/. cient Rome. 1t is to embrace the orig
inal Central Europe, inhabited by
some 100000 Germans, make the
BIack sea a German lake, and extend
clear to the Persian gulf through the
vassal states of Bulgaria and turkey.
The German government started TO
n1t its scheme for a Mitteleuropa IN
ia effect years ago when 1t began the
construction of the Berlin-to-Bagdau
railway. Little Serbia stood In the
way so Serbia was attacked and the
world was plunged into war. In the
onposite corner Of Europe Belgium
was invaded and crushed. The world
then thought that this was only De-
oause Belgium offered the easiest
route to France; but study OF the MIL
+e,europa plan of years ago shows that
Belgium was included in the scheme
of conquest. a.,
"How does all this affect American
one may ask. Germany was late
conner in the family Of great nations
Most of the uncivillzed world had peen
nre-empted by other nations before
she arrived. Germany wanted COZ
onies. To get them she would nave
RI take them away from someone else.
Africa and South America offered
tho hest fields for German colonial
tion. England possessed the pest par'
IF Africa-the parts In which the
white man might hope to settle ana
thrive. England had a mighty meet
and q disposition to hold what she
had. even though she did not snow
disposition to fight for more. :,
There remained South America. l,
was divided among weak nations. II
was protected only by the Monroe uoc
trine. This Monroe doctrine was
sacred thing to Americans, but, no,
being hacked up by mighty armies anc
feets was not even 'scrap of paper
to tbe Germans. Can anyone doubt
should Germany succeed in weldlnt
snto n mighty empire the 73,oOo,uo'
Germans and the 1OO,OOO'ooo lnfapi
tants of the vassai and conquered
states of her Mitteleuropa, that hel
naxt step would be toward the west
Tho very fact that she had this EN-
nire would presuppose the defeat o
Enc,ond so that no British fleet wouit
stand between US and Germany wheI
the time came for the kaiser TO SEM
his legions across the Atlantic.
"As in the East, so in the west,
, Is motto which, Of recent weeks, ma
heen much heard in Germany. AT
con ference of the national liberal par
~ held in March of this year, the fol
lowing amazingly frank declaration
was made:
sour policy has been directed t
making the government and majorit'
tnr,, away from the reichstag resolu
ton Of July 10. (Peace without an
nexatioas and indemnities). In tina
ave have succeeded. Peace has jus
been made in the East under condi
tiGns in fiat contradiction to the pol
lev of July 10. and has received tn
SUPPORT and assent Of all the burgeoi
parties"
In other words, all Germany is nov
planni ug both annexations and indem
mites, such as will leave her withou
a formi dable opponent in the world.
Can we make peace now and leav
Germany, flushed with victory, In pos
cecsion oiylall she has gained and lust