The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-25
PLANNING ECONOMIC SUPREMACY

an empire sufficiently extensive and
equipped to employ all the talents of
her people and to make the rest of
the world merely tributary to her
wealth and greatness. From that
ideal the rulers of Germany have
never permitted their thoughts to
wander. In the course of the last
four years they have been forced To
believe that their original method Of
attaining Il would possibly have to be
modified. but the idea of economic
nomination, based upon the primitive
and absolutely false theory of self
sufficiency is still the very heart ana
core of their thought and aspirations.
Gcrmany's Ideal.
Almost from the day the war began
the supporters of this theory, and
these include the political and oui-
ness hierarchies. have conferred their
attention upon the problem of SO pre-
pairing the political, economic and
social structure of Germany as 80
make the attainment of their ideal
possible no matter what the result OF
this war The existence of such &n
ideal, however abhorrent 1t may be
to other nations, however deter
mined they may be TO thwart II, Is
OF incalculable advantage to these
who are working on reconstruction
plans. II gives an assertive cast to
the possibilities OF the future, 1t cen
trclizes schemes involving widely sep
arated and diverse phases of the same
general problem, AS an ideal or
kind which can he invested with a
patriotic eignificance in minds prop
erly prepared for any governmental
notions, however bizarre, 1t les esp@c-
tally useful TO those who expect TO
benefit most. from II, az a smother for
all individual enterprise either of
business or politics which run coun-
ter to the purposes OF the German
rulers.
Therefore these rulers and guiding
spirits In industry and finance have
estimated the succeeding changes OF
the last few years altogether IA
terms Of what opportunities they Of
fer TO create situation out OF which
German economic domination viii
grow with sylogistic ineWtahleness
But they are not trying also TO get
ready an economic organization when
will operate with equal efficiency to-
ward the attainment of their ideal
whether the situation created by milf
tary political, economic, and social
Influences is favorable 70 their hopes
or distinctly hostile They are draw
ing their arrangements with sufficient
breadth TO cover any eventualtty and
so elastic as to admit readily OF OK
pansion or contraction according 10
circumstances.
The Great Mistake,
Whatever preparations Germany
may make. or how resourcefui So
ever her people may be their cap
tains of industry. the financ!ers the
shipowners. whoever in all the en-
pire formerly drew credit and profit
from the standing OF that country IN
the commercial world. must reflect
bitterly upon the fact that all the tu-
ture has been daTkened because Their
rulers were not content with orderly,
natural processes. but must needs in
the vulgar pride Of their military
strength seek to establish economic
domination by force OF arms That
fundamental error OF Judgment VIII
stand forth forever as the turning
point in the history Of great nation.
Germany could have HAD all she
hoped for in the way OF wealth and
position had she continued for even
another decade the methods that
have characterized her policy for the
last forty years, but she chose war,
For. four years now the world has
been realizing steadily what the Ger
man purpose was. how Il was being
accomplished and what its final at
tainment would mean. 1t is that
realization that Germany must reck
on with. II is a barrier not to be
overcome hv peace treaties or cousid-
erations Of individual advantage The
world has been completely disillu
stoned Ii cannot be imposed upon
again.
Necessity"
The least that Germany hopes for
is a geographical position not worse
than she occupied at the beginning OF
the war Whatever the pTotestations
Of her statesmen regarding indemni-
ties or new territory which they de-
clare IS necessary to her re~cstahlish-
ment on a peace basis a study al the
policies followed SO far and those
mapped out for the future indicates
the probability that Germany. even
without such aids. can get back 20
normal national life just as quickly
and with more profit to herself than
any other warning European country,
providing always that her analysis OF
the feelings and purposes OF her
neighhors IL correct The word
necessity" is almost fetish with
the Teuton, and 1t has become the
basis OF his philosophy OF the future
as well as his excuse for the past.
Purposes OF Destruction.
Many OF the things done 10y Ger
many during the war which other ma
ttons have denounced AS OF insignifi-
cant military Importance disclose
themselves during a careful reading
of Germanys afterwar preparations
as merely n part OF her general plan
OF national rehabilitation. For exam
ple, there is reason to believe that
neutral ships not engaged in traffic to
or from a belligerent country have
been destroyed not only because Of
the danger of their supplanting Gey-
man ships in certain routes, but also,
and more especially. to reduce the
sum total of world tonnage and
thereby increase the proportionate
share OF 1t which Germany will have
when the war ends. II Germany can
reduce the total of world tonnage TO
point where at the conclusion OF the
war every available ship will be neces-
sary for the distribution of needed
products to and from her present enc
mics and their colonial possessions
German ships will be able to concen-
trate on neutral countries or even to
revive transportation to enemy coun-
tries whose necessities are so great
as to dull the edge or their resent
ment And other nations lack of
ships combined with Germany's geo
graphical position will be conducive
to that enormous expansion of bust
ness with Belgium, Norway. Sweden
Finland, Poland. Russia. Ukrainia,
Roumania. Serbia, Albania, Montene-
gro, and even France and Italy, upon
which the German economic prophets