The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-04-18

ieeilAS, VI luteTHdIlOHdl TlSnt, OF QU'
man decency and chivalry.
The German historian, Treitschke
at whose feet princes and rulers sat
eagerly absorbing his teachings, de
voted his life to spreading this gospel
of Pol0er. 1t Is true, he said sneel
lngly that "a stock of inherited cor
ceptions of integrity and morality is
necessity for government (tsefM
that subjects of the state be Obedien0
but "the end all and be all of a
state is Power" "The state is the
sole judge of the morality of its own
actions. 1t is, in fact, above morality
or, in other words, whatever is nee.
essary is moral"
From this it follows, in international
relations, that there is no rule OF
guide to conduct except self-interest
In this present war a follower OF
Treitschke, one of the leading com
mon-school educators of Germany
Kirschensteiner of Munich, drives
home the theory. The great lesson
which the German people has had tc
learn is to think in terms of power
Let no one here say that
small states, too, can have national
life of their own. True, so long as
the great states around them allow
them to exist. But any day may see
the end of their existence, in spite
Of all treaties to the contrary
Neither alliances nor treaties prouide
the least security. There are
no ethical friendships betoeen states
in our dav. There are onls
friendships of convenience. And friend
ships Of convenience last just as long
as the convenience itself"
Professor Gutenberg of Leipzig sums
it up, "All ethical considerations arr
completely alien to the state and thu
state must therefore resolutely keel
them at arms length
Can We wonder that the German
Foreign Secretary spoke Of the broker
treaty with Belgium as scrap o
paper?" or that the school childreI
of Germany celebrated the sinking o
the Lusitanid! or that German agent
in America, smoothly friendly in ap
pearance, secretly plotted, before w
we're in the war, to destroy our in
dustries our railways, even our lives
Is there no such thing any NOR
as a common humanity-no "decen
respect to the opinion of mankind,
as Thomas jefferson stated it in tn
Declaration of Independence? Is ou
ideal of righteousness, yes, even o
unselfishness, impossible in interpa
tional politics? This lUdr, if German
is defeated, may decide these que,
tons. ont If Germany UinS, the struG
gle has but just begun.
This American democracy of ou
denies, and has always denied, tn
German theory; it asserts that tn
| laws which formulate the duties G
men toward each other are bindin
upon nations equally with individuals
| For centuries civilization has bee
| slowly advancing from ignoranc,
prejudice, and selfishness toward syn
pathy, understanding, and a desire t
see justice done, whether between il
| dividuals or nations. The "be all an
end all of a state Is not Power
is Justice.
And the German government ha
left us In no doubt as to the result
of her theory, in application. Tht
government has broken solem
treaty with Belgium ordered the mu
der of innocent hostages, bombarde
unfortifed towns, torpedoed unarme
passenger ships, destroyed works {
art where they could not be carrie
to Germany, plotted secret war againl
neutral nations--dH of them actor
she once pledged herself to forego-
has lost in short, all sense, appa
emily, that she Is dragging the formf
good name of the German peop
through a mire Of dishonor, the stat
of which will not be removed Il
generations. Against this mad yh
losophy and mad government the ";
must be waged, until they are
feated, or there is no safety for noe
or nations.
This is the third of a series of Il
articles by Professor Adams.