Mexico Missouri message., 1918-11-07

but be aware with what extreme re-
luctance the United States took its
place as a "wOrld power" Our whole
instinct has been against becoming
anything of the sort. We had no de-
sire to meddle in the affairs of the
world across the Atlantic. We had
been urged by the founders of our ma
tion to avoid foreign alliances-"en-
tangling" ones were specified, but all
foreign alliances are "entangling," or
they are not alliances-and the advice
fingered in our minds. Added to this
was the fact that we were sufficient
unto ourselves. We had abundant
land, abundant food, and were able
to consume more manufactured ar
dcles than we could produce From
the first the intent of the United
States was to live quietly at home,
attending to our own affairs, and pur-
suing happiness in our own way with
out bOthering our neighbors. might
say that the United States, from the
beginning, resolved to settle down to
a quiet family life.
! am not an old man, but I can re-
member when it was first printed, with
something like awe, in our newSpa-
pers, that we were growing at such
rate commercially and in population
that we were actually becoming
world power. 1t was a new thing,
new thought. 1t was not unlike hear
Ing that Johnny had got his first long
pants when we had hardly thought of
Johnny as anything but n small boy.
The United States did not seek to
be a world power; it simply grew to
be one, as Johnny grows from boyhood
TO manhood. There was no intention,
but it was inevitable. A nation with
SO many people and such Industrious
people, shipping goods to all parts Of
the world, became world power by
the mere process Of growth. We did
not seek the status; 1t came to us.
Desired Only Peace.
When we discovered that we were a
world power in spite of ourselves we
tried to decide how we would behave
In this new state of being. We might
build ourself a great army, swagger
around and issue ultimatums, combine
with other world powers and bully the
world, If we chose. No American can
ever be made to believe we did this,
because We did not. We chose to be
q kindly giant, a benevolent world
power. We wanted nothing but peace,
here or elsewhere. We had grown to
manhood and the world knew we were
strong, but we wanted nothing but to
be permitted to stay on the old farm,
doing an honest days work each day,
attending to our own affairs in our
own way. From the world we asked
only that we be permitted q fair mar
ket in common with other nations,
md safe road to market.
In contrast with the manner in
which the United States grew to world
power 1 put Prussia. / say Prussia
Instead Of Germany, because Seer
many" outside of Prussia would never
have thought of becoming a world
power. Germany" which was Ba-
varia and the many small states that
Prussia bounded into the German en-
pire, had no dreams of world power
fulness. Prussia had, Austria had,
but the other Germanic states were
quite satisfied to exist.
Instead of Prussia ought, perhaps,
TO say Hohenzollern, and by that
mean the Hohenzollern family that
practically owned Prussia, as you own
a flock of sheep or a farm or a pock-
etknife. The Hohenzollern family had
a mania, and that mania was power
for Prussia. Prussia must be the
most powerful German state; more
powerful than Bavaria, than Baden,
more powerful than Austria. This
was the fixed idea in the back Of
every Hohenzollern head. 1t orig,
mated, no doubt, with Frederick the
Great, who left when he died the die
tum, "Every Hohenzollern king Of
Prussia should add at. least one bit
OF territory to Prussia"
The HohenzoiIsrn Dynasty.
1t Is only fair to the first emperor
of Germany (William u that If left
alone he would have been satisfied
with the addition of Schleswig- -Hol-
stein, which he grabbed from Den
mark. He was then only king of Prus-
Sia and he had done his share. He
had added his bit. There was, how
ever, Bismarck.
Bismarck, even before he came into
power in Prussia. had planned Prus-
sia's future. First, Prussia must be
fhe supreme power in Germania, then
Germany must be the supreme power
IN the world. That was his life work |;
ft was what Prussia pledged him she
wOuld do. And to Bismarck Prussia
meant the HohenzOllern dynasty.
With malice aforethought with Hes
and uiekery assisting his wonderful
Statecraft. with a war against Austria
and q war against France as part OF
his plan for making HOhenzOllernism
y world power Bfsnarck Iabored and