The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-11-12
WILHELM DIDN'T BRING HOME
THE "BACON.'

council we shall hear vociferou
whining that the German people were
driven unwil1inely into the war of rapin'
and conquest by their military masters
and the victorious allies should be gen
erous and forgiving President Viii
sons frequent and unfortunate efforts
in his diplomatic notes to draw a dis
tinction between the German people and
their leaders will then rise up to plague
and embarrass the allied statesmen.
~ These protestations should be weighed
: relentlessly for what they are worth
Here in America, in particular, we
should keep our eyes ON the truth and
not be swept off our balance by maudlin
sentimentalism.
The truth is that the German people
were equal and eager partners with the
kaiser and his military and junker CO.
horts. If the war had gone to their
liking they would be parading, singing,
hoching and bel-ringing in these No
venber days of 1918, just as they were
shouting themselves hoarse over seeming
victory in the autumn of 1914.
Forgetful people who think that the
German people were driven unwillingly
into this war will do we'll to refresh their
memories with the petition sent to the
imperial chancellor May TO- 1915, by six
great industrial associations-the League
of Agriculturists, the German Peasant
league, the Christian German Peasant
union, the Central Association of Ger
man Industrialists and the League of
the Industrialist and the Conservative
Middle Class association. In that petit
ton these six great associations said:
with regard to the east, the follow
ing consideration must guide us: For
the great increase in industrial power
which we expect in the west we must
secure a counterpoise by the annexation
of an agricultural territory of equal value
in the east. It is necessary to strengthen
the agricultural basis of our national
economy; to secure room for the ex-
pansion. of great German agricultural
settlement to restore to our empire the
German peasants living in foreign land,
particularly in Russia; finally, we must
increase considerably the number of orr
fellow countrymen able to bear arms.
'All these matters require an impor-
tant extension of the frontier of the en-
pire and of Prussia toward the east
through the annexation of at least some
parts of the Baltic provinces and of ter
ritories to the south of them. while keep |
ing in view the necessity of military
defense of the eastern German frontier.
"As to what political rights to give
the inhabitants of the new territories
and as to what guarantees are necessary
to further German influence and indus
trial life, we will merely refer to what
we have said about France. The war
tt be exacted from Russia
should, to large extent, consist in the
of territory gasMxA
Conquest in the west and conquest i'll
the east and the north Conquest TO
restore to our empire the German
PEASANTS living in foreign land'-per-
feet harmony in words and music with
he kaiser's declaration in his notable
Berlin speech 20 years ago.
ct is my dearest wish that, standing
n closest union. you help me to do ny
only to my countrymen I'M a
narrower sense, but also to many thou
sands of countrymen in foreign lands.
This means that I may be able to pro-
ect them if must /
At the. conclusion of these menacing
md meaningful words the kaiser lifted
us glass and proposed the following {
cast: "What you have inherited from |
our fathers, conquer it in order that {
'ou may possess it. S
To lift the sword for their country i
nen in foreign lands Where can be
ound these countrymen i'll greater num-
ers than in the United States' Or than S
i South America? Five hundred, thou a
and colonized in Brazil alone. Il
The German masses were as hot and g
ungry for the bacon" back III 1914 as T
yer was the kaiser, the crown prince
nd all their imperial retinue of saber-
Ianking world conquerors. If William c
ad brought home the bacon" their ac- 2
aiming hochs would have assembled 10 \
1e skies. Nothing succeeds like sue a
ess, nothing fails like failure.
The German masses are not giving
istory an exhibition of dignity and p
oble bearing in their hour of defeat v