The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-01-25

any doubt OF II. 1t is the preposterous
but undeniable truth that there exists
a large and powerful group of Ger
mans-prosperous people and Of high
attainment In certain specialties-who
decided to have great numbers of SIM
ple-minded men under their orders go
out and kill their fellow men, and con-
tinue to kill them In order to increase
the power of the plotters. The great
majority of the men who did the actual
killing would obtain no benefit what
ever for themselves, and many of these
German soldiers might have brought
little enthusiasm to their task If they
had understood it, 80 they were told
that they were fighting for the "exist-
ence" Of the "Fatherland" and that
Russia began it" and England be-
gan it."
or course, government which be-
lieves In violating Oaths-that is, vio-
lating the honor of the nation which
1t represents or controls-such a gov
eminent would lie to it's own people.
ct made Germany a perjurer, for the
German government stands before the
world as Germany and acts as and for
Germany-until the German people re-
move 1t, and only by removing 1t can
Germans regain for Germany some
thing of lost honor.) This govern
ment deceived it's own people first
about the immediate causes of the
war, then about the historical causes
of the war, and then most vehemently
about the character and intentions Of
the allies opposed to Germany.
Germany's Lies.
Is there a doubt anywhere that the
German rulers will lie, in any manner
whatsoever, If they believe the lie will
result 70 their own advantage? Then
take one lie with which they have
filled Germany: That the president of
the United States and the American
congress, with the American people
behind them, declared the United
States to be in state of war with the
German empire because the American
munitiOn makers wanted to make
was afraid Of the depreciation of his
loans to England!
There are two significant things
about this lie. One Is the state of
mind of the German politician who
puts II forth, and the other is the state
of mind Of the unfortunate German
subject who believes it. The politician
must necessarily count on an abysmal
ignorance as well as d loyal credulity
In the subject; and the politician who
uses such lies is of type we know
in our own country, in certain lower
forms Of slum-precinct manipulation.
But in Germany this type-better ed
ucated, .incomparably more powerful,
but nevertheless the moral twin Of one
Of our corrupt precinct committeeman
of the slums-is in actual high control
of the German destiny and has as it's
obedient machine, not ward heelerS
from the barrel houses, but the most
| terrible army known in history. And
! if the German spirit truly manifests
| itself through such an agency, 1t is a
spirit so sinister and Of such mighty
i'll omen to us that we must either ex-
orcise ii by high explosives or be its
slaves.
Voice From Germany.
For this is the voice that we hear
from Germany:
"We Germans" it trumpets, 1--WE
are Gods chosen people. His special
favorites, and God is German himself.
God rules over us In the person Of our
kaiser, whom he appointed for that
purpose. We are better than all other
people of the earth; we are wiser and
purer and nobler and more industrious
and more learned and stronger and
cleverer and kinder and Drawer and
more spiritual and more warlike than
all others.
1--WE are so much greater than they
that whatever we do to advance our
own interests, at the cost of theirs, Is
right and praiseworthy. If we kill
great many Of them, those who survive
will in the end be improved, because
they will work for us and learn some
thing by observing us. Any deceit Is
Proper and morally correct II 1t bene-
fits us; and when we practice policy
of terror upon those who oppose us 1t
Is really philanthropy and shows how
gentle we are, because the survivors
learn through our cruelty that 1t Is
useless to oppose us, therefore they the
sooner submit their wills to ours. We
cannot do wrong, no matter what we
do, so long as all that we do Is for our
own benefit. And, since our nature is
warlike, war is beautiful and neces-
sary. We study in peace times how to
use every man of us In time Of war,
and that is our great glory. BY our
bright swords we will take possession
of the earth, which ought to belong
to US, because we are Germans. We
believe in the heaviest possible breed
In Of hahfaS thot thau NOV GROW nm