The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-05-09
WHY WE ARE
AT WAR WITH
GERMANY
BY
EPHRAiM DOUGLASS ADAMS
Executive Head, History Depart
ment
Leland Stanford Junior University


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 tie long established prac-
tees and long cherished principles Of in
ternational action ard horror; This
power is not the German people. It is
the ruthless master of the German peo-
pie. -. It is our business to see to
It that the history of the rest OF the
world is no longer left to its handling"
President Wilson, August 27, 1917,
THIS WAR is ONE OF SELF
PRESERVATION.
Here" says Eperymdn, was
kaiserdom seeking world domination
and perilously near encompassing
it unless the world united to repel
him" Thus the radical land reformer
sees the issue. Is there any one still
blind to it?
But were we in America directly
threatened? We Were. and 1ce are
threatened. A German book published
in the United States in 1914, and
called Truth About Germany sought
to inhame us against England and
France, and to persuade us that Amer
lea and Germany had common ideals.
characteristics, and methods. MAY
God save usD It argued smoothly:
Two nations united by such common
inclinations and ideals, boldness of en-.
terprise, far-sightedness, Quickness of
decision, admiration for intellectual
achievements, can not help being ex-
ceedingly congenial to each other"
Pleasant words-but lying tongue.
Would Germany, once master of Eu-
rope, remember our ''congenialty,"
and be good neighbor In the Amer
icas?
The Germans when writing for home
consumption hold a different language
about world relations and 'neighbors."
Formerly German thought was shut
up in her German corner, but now
the world shall have its coat cut &C
cording to German measure, and as
far as our swords flash and German
bloods flows, the circle of the earth
shall come under the tutelage of Ger.
man activity" "A sturdy German
egoism must characterize all political
action The first principle Of
our policy, both at home and abroad,
must be that in everything that hap.
pens the Germans should come Oft
best, and the others should have q
bad time of it." A nice, congenial
neighbor
But Germany, when honest. directly
avows her purpose, ultimately, against
America. We must wake up" or we
will be the easy next step In her
ambitions. Germany may In
less than two centuries succeed in
dominating the whole globe II
only it can in time strike out new
course, and definitely break with An
| glo-American methods of government,
and with the state-destroying ideals
Of the Revolution" She is trying out
her new course" now. "One thing
alone can profit the German people:
the acquisition of new territory,
that alone can really promote the
diffusion, the growth, and the deep,
ening of Germanism." Before seek.
ing to found Greater Germany in
other continents, we must seek to
create a Greater Germany in Central
Europe 1--WE must see to
It that the outcome of our next sue.
cessful war must be. the acquisition
of colonies" eve must make room
for an empire of Germanic race which
shall number 1O0,0O0O00 inhabitants,
IN order that we may hold our own
against masses such as those of Russia
and the United States"
Still further it is no longer a secret
that Germany, while we were still
unprepared-wer neutral-and while
Germany still ostensibly sought our
friendship, secretly planned, when vic
torious in Europe, TO pick L quarrel
with us and wiring from as part Of the
costs of her European war
If the American easy chair is
still too comfortable ? for serious
thought Of what Germany meaes to
do to us, then America deserves the
fate in store for her. .This is the
material side of our peril, but there
is another and deeper side.
This war is our war, to secure oNs
purposes in national and in interna
tional development. If Germany should
loin, her principles must triumph and
force alone must rule the world, with
the strong exploiting the earth I!
the war ends in drd10n battle, with
Germany unchanged in ideals and pur
poses all that is left of the world
will be compelled to engage in the
) race of military preparedness, and The
world will be forced to adopt Ger
many's methods-now so hateful to us
A Germany undefeated would force
) us to destroy the very basis of our
government, our policy, our social and
industrial life-to devote ourselves
capital and labor, persons and prep
erty, to one object-a mighty mill
tarism Unless we win this war the