Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1918-09-12
Why We Fight
No. 3
Because Germany Having Split the
World in Halt Is Now Trying
to Deyouf the Halves
BY CLARENCE L. SPEED
.ecretary Of the War Committee Of the
IIuion League Club of Chicago

the world in half, Is now seeking TO
devour the halves separately. She
has driven a wedge straight through
the heart of Europe, and into Asia,
and Is seeking to extend 1T to the Per
sian gulf.
This is no accidental happening, due
to the downfall Of Russia and the sud-
den shifting in the fortunes of war.
Germany planned 1T all decades ago.
She made no effort to keep the plans
secret. She told us all about it. She
had a reputation for making plans
and sticking to them, from one gener-
alton to another; yet the world paid
no attention. 1t seemed too prepOs-
ferrous even for Germany to attempt.
AS long ago as 1895 a pamphlet,
'Pan-Germany and Central Europe
About 1850" was published In Berlin
and had wide circulation. 1t laid the
whole A1itteleuropa plan bare as fol-
lows:
"Poland and Little Russia (the king
dom to be established at Russia's ex-
pense) will agree to have no armies
of their own, and will receive in their
fortresses German and Austrian garri-
sons. In Poland, as well as In Little
Russia, the postal and telegraph serv-
ices as well as the railways will be In
German hands"
In 1911 Tannenberg's book, "Greater
Germany" was published. This was
only three years before the war, but
1t showed that the idea of a German
Mitteleuropa had not been allowed to
rlanguish. 1t says:
''The new kingdom Of Poland is
made up of the former Russian por-
ton of the basin of the Vistula. and of
Galicia, and forms a part.of the new
Austria"
How the plan has grown since then!
Russia's collapse dropped whole prov
inces into the lap Of the kaiser, and
now Germany plans its empire on q
scale which would dwarf that Of an
Client Rome 1t Is to embrace the orig
inal Central Europe, inhabited by
some 100000 Germans, make the
Black sea a German lake, and extend
clear to the Persian gulf through the
vassal states Of Bulgaria and Turkey.
The German government started to
put it's scheme for Mitteleuropa in.
to effect years ago when 1t began the
construction Of the Berlfn-to-Ba gdad
railway. Little Serbia stood In the
way, so Serbia was attacked and the
world was plunged into war. In the
opposite corner Of Europe Belgium
was invaded and crushed. The world
then thought that this was only be.
cause Belgium offered the easiest
route to France; but study Of the Nit
te1europa plan Of years ago shows that
Belgium was included in the scheme
of conquest.
"How does all this affect American
one may ask. Germany was late
conner in the family Of great nations.
Most of the uncivilized world had been
pre-empted by other nations before
she arrived. Germany wanted col
onies. To get them she would have
to take them away from someone else.
Africa and South America offered
the best fields for German colonial
ton. England possessed the best part
of Africa-the parts In which the
white man might hope to settle and
thrive England had mighty fleet,
and a disposition to hold what she
had, even though she did not show
disposition to fight for more.
There remained South America. It
was divided among weak nations. 1t
was protected only by the Monroe doc
trine. This Monroe doctrine was
sacred thing to Americans, but, not
being backed up by mighty armies and
fleets, was not even "scrap Of paper"
to the Germans Can anyone doubt,
should Germany succeed in welding
into a mighty empire the 100000
Germans and the 100000 inhabi-
tants Of the vassal and conquered
states Of her Mitteleuropa, that her
next step would be toward the west?
The very fact that she had this en-
pire would presuppose the defeat OF
England so that no British feet would
stand between us and Germany when
the time came for the kaiser to send
his legions across the Atlantic.
"As in the East, so in the West"
is a motto which, OF recent weeks, has
been much heard in Germany. At a
conference Of the national liberal par
ty, held in March Of this year, the fol-
lowing amazingly frank declaration
was made:
"Our policy has been directed to
making the government and majority
turn away from the reichstag resolu-
ton of July 10. peace without an
hexations and indemnities). In that
we have succeeded. Peace has just
been made in the East under condi-
tons In fiat contradiction to the pol
icy/of July 10, and has received the
support and assent of all the burgeois
parties"
In other words, all Germany Is now
planning both anDexations and fndem-
mites, such as will leave her without
a formidable opponent In the world.
Can we make peace DOW and leave
Germany, flushed with victory, In pos
session Of all she has gained and lust
ing for further conquest7 II we did,
would not the whole world live In
perpetual terror Of German aggres-
sion, each country awaiting its turn to
be gobbled up? Can any red-blooded
American talk about peace without
victroy-victory so decimVe that Ger
many will be forced to disgorge all 1t
has seized, and the German menace be
removed from the world foreyerf