Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-05-03
Why We Fight
No. ;
Because Germany HsvinG Split the
World 10 Halt Is Now Trying
to Devour the Halves
BY CLARENCE l.. SPEED


Secretary OF the War Committee Of the
Union League Club Of Chicago.
We are fighting Germany. for one
thing, because Germany. having split
the world in half, Is now seeking to
devour the halves separately. She
has driven wedge straight through
the heart of Europe, and into Asia,
and is seeking TO extend it 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 it all decades ago.
She made no effort to keep the plans
secret. She told us all about it. She
had reputation for making plans
and sticking to them, from one gener-
alton to another; yet the world paid
no attentions II seemed too prepOs-
ferrous even for Germany to attempt.
As long ago as 1895 pamphlet,
"Pan-Germany and Central Europe
About 1850" was published in Berlin
and had wide circulation. 1t laid the
whole Mitteleuropa plan bare as fol-
lows:
"poland and Little Russia (the king
dom to be established at Russa's ex-
pense) will agree to have no armies
OF their own, and will receive In their
fOrtresscs German and Austrian garri'
sons. In Poland. MS well as in Little
Russia, the postal and telegraph serv-
ices as well MS the railways will be in
German hands"
In 1871 Tannenberg's book, "Greater
Germany" was published. This was
only three years before the war, but
II showed that the idea of German
Mltteeuropa had not been allowed to
languish. 1t says:
"The new kingdom Of Poland Is
made up of the former Russian por-
ton of the basin of the Vistua. 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 a
scale which would dwarf that Of an
Client Rome. IT is to embrace the orig.
inal Central Europe. inhabited by
some 73,000000 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 archaeological
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.
teleuropa plan of years ago shows that
Belgium was included in the scheme
Of conquest.
Elbow does all this affect American
one may ask. Germany was late
conner in the family Of great nations.
Most Of the uncivilzed world had been
pre-empted by other nations before
she arrived. Germany wanted col
onles. To get them she would have
to take them away from someone else.
Africa and South America offered
the best fields for German colonial
tiOn. 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 a
disposition to fight for more
There remained South America. II
was divided among weak nations. II
was protected only by the Monroe doc
trine. This Monroe doctrine was a
sacred thing TO Americans, but, not
being backed M by mighty armies and
fleets was not even n "scrap Of paper
To the Germans. Can anyone doubt
should Germany succeed In welding
into mighty empire the 73,OO00OC
Germans and the 100,000,000 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 fad this en-
Nrc would presuppose the defeat Of
England. so that no British feet would
stand between us and Germany wher
the time came for the kaiser to send
MS lcgions across the Atlantic.
"As In the East. so in the West,
Ia n motto which, Of recent weeks, has
been much heard in Germany. At O
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 Il
making the government and majority
turn away from the reichstag resolu