Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-25
BY MAJOR HALpANE MACFALL.

by MAJOR HALDANE MACFALL.
International News Bureau.]
What arc The German war aims!
Ask the average man in the
street and he cannot tell you. He
doesn't know. In his ignorance
lies our present chief danger.
II only our people could be
brought to see how and why Ger
many has been scheming and plot
ting for many years. and how she
deliberately forced tho war on civ
iliZation because her aims were too
slow in their accomplishment. we
should have fewcr labor troubles
and less carping at government re-
strictions and the working Of the
ubiquitous D. o. r. A.
They do not know that II Ger
many is permitted to retain Nit
teieuropa" Gas described by Ma
jor MacfalD. and which she now
holds. our existence in Egypt and
the Eastern Mediterranean will be
In constant and most extreme peril.
They do not know that Germany
devised this cunning "Mitteleu-
ropa" plot for the avowed purpose
OF ultimately taking the Suez
Canal. which they openly describe
as the nerve center OF the British
empire.
struction OF the British empire is
merely the first step in obtaining
Germanys longed-for domination
OF the world. and that no peace
by negotiation" would ever make
her consent TO abandon this Nit
tcieuropa" for which she went to
war.
AS an example OF German meth
DDS. how few people know about
that attempt Of the boches in 1906
to obtain footing in Madeira by
threatening to send their fleet to
Lisbon If their demands were not
acccded to!
A British feet promptly respond
ed to an appeal from Portugal by
moving TO the mouth OF the TaEus.
and news OF this maneuvcr was
allowed to leak through unofficial
channels TO Germany.
The German Minister at Lisbon
thereupon discovered that he had
misunderstood and exceeded his
instructions. and the British feet
returned 10 Gibraltar.
Could We have thus prevented
Madeira from being turned into an
Atlantic Heligoland on our main
able to threaten Egypt by land.
while our only route for re-en-
forcements lay through n sea made
stiff with submarines
Supposing that Germany was
thus able TO squeeze England and
establish herself in Madeira. what
about the Azores. another Portu-
guese island possession strategy
cally placed for dominating the
Atlantic!
Well armed with heavy guns and
f,tr ich
sions. munitions and mines prior
TO another war. a nice thorn these
islands would be as submarine
bases on the Atlantic trade route!
No wonder the United States, and
now Brazil. are in this war:
No. our people don't know all
these things, for our so-called
rulers for years past have consid-
cred the miserable game OF party
politics OF more Importance than
the plots for our undoinE that were
being Matched in 'furrin parts"
Can any man calling himself a
Briton or a friend OF the allies
know all these things and still be
in favor of opening negotiations
for peace" with an underfeated
Can he not see the futility Of ex-
pecting any lasting peace until
the German people have learnt. by
bitter experience. that war is not
paying business?
And what of German teaching
and character. OF German faith
lessness and callous brutality?
How can peace by negotiation"
be made with such a nation un-
less II be rendered incapable or
further evil?
To my mind. any man knowing
all these things and still willing
to advocate a peace by negotia-
ton" Ia either a new form of dan
gerous lunatic or a secret enemy
agent
Whatever happens, we must hold
out until America comes in with
all her strength to take the place
of Russia.
Failing this. we shall infallibly
go down. and go down for good.
What is the world war about?
II is no use listening to scandal, c
more than to the sweet reasonable
ness of the gentle pacifst, or the pass
ing gossip OF the street. about &c,
many. We have to go to Germany an
And out from the German what h
made his war about. and why, and ho'
he intends to carry it through. 1t
not of the slightest value to conside
what anybody else thinks the Germa
ought to do. or is going to do. To Sc
Germany's aims is what W
soldier-folk call piercing the enemy
strategy"
Defeat OF German People.
From the day the Prussian stoo
in Paris the whole Germa
people went under his heel; the wa
Of 1870 only defeated and humiliat e
France-it conquered Germany. Hence
forth the Germans became a differer
people. Day and night, from the cradl
to the grave, every German since 1S7
has been nurtured In the moral ,
and on the dream
world dominion.
From 1880 there was not Germa