Arizona republican., 1918-04-06
DEMOCRACY VERSUS AurocRAcy


 It is commonly said that this war is one in which America was forced to take part in order to make the world safe for democracy What does the phrase mean?
 The theories and acts of the German military autocracy definitely deny the right of the people of state to rule themselves. The German people, ir spite of forms of government that make pretense of popular control, have no such actual control oyer their govern ors as exists in democratically organ ized nations. In those nations the governors can be removed by a vote of the people in general election; in Germany the people have not this power.
 The aristocracy of Germany under- stand this difference, and are afraid of the spread of democracy in Ger many. The whole, h-admired efficiency" of Germany is primarily due to a desperate and constant effort by Germany's rulers to divert the Ger man people from thoughts of self-gov- ernment, by offering them material prosperity. And the rulers have suc- ceeded. One of the causes of this war was the necessity, by still further glorious acquisitions of territory" to hush the murmurings of political dis content in Germany. Victory in war, every so often, is a necessity of the 1 German system. Tt is for social as much as for national and political req | sons that we must fix our minds inc | cessantly upon war" Success is nec- 1 essary to gain influence over the masses wrote Bernhardi; and Gen. eral von Bissing, just before his death, wrote Political Testament" since 1 largely circulated in Germany, in which he argued for the retention of 1 Belgium, because unless it were an- nexed, the prestige of the military 1 autocracy would receive fatal blow.
 Are we-are the Allies then fight ing to impose upon Germany a diff | ferent system; is that the meaning of making the world safe for democ- l racy?"
 l Elihu Root says that American dem- i ocratic ideals include liberty not for | themselves alone but for all who are 1 oppressed" Lloyd George asserts that if all countries had been democratical- ly organized. this war would not have taken place; that this war will deter mine not merely interna tional rela- tions, but will affect the lives of peo- ples within their own nations, for gen. | erationS to come; that this war is to end in international democracy" i e.. in liberty, equality, and fraternity between nations, great and small. Gen. eral Smuits formerly a soldier against Great Britain in South Africa, says that the essence of this war is tho question whether governments should be founded on military might or or principles of equity, justice, fairness and equality
 Various writers have depicted thi. war as a test of democracy, to de termine whether democracy can ad just itself to an emergency so that bi sheer efficiency it shall at least equa the efficiency of military autocracy and assert that on this ground alon, the future government of all the na. tions of the world is at stake Will Crooks, the British labor leader, say, this war lis a peoples war; We are al in it, the man at the village pump ant in the fields. the blacksmith, the car. penter and joiner. the shipwright, ant the man of leisure. We are standin. together because we are fighting fo liberty"
 Yes, this war is one in which ideals or government, or 1ndlVi0ual nperty of civilization tself are in conflit Democracy is lined up against autoc racy. The war is in absolute fact { war of ideals. But we are not fight ing to impose our ideals upon any ma tion. What we are fighting for. fl making the world safe for democ racy,'' is to prevent a military autoc racy from imposing its authority an itS idaa1C nnon 1lS We arc aadv fl keep on minding our own business and to let other nations do the same A military autocracy that proposes t conquer the world must be defeated t the point where it renounces meddlin with other nations, great or small, o there is no peace in the world. Tha is the issue at stake, and in it rests ou safety and the safety of the world.
 This is the fifth of a series of te articles bv Professor Adams