Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-11-07
COUNTRY GREW TO
Be WORLD POWER
CHOSE TO BE KINDLY GIANT
Wanted Only Peaee end b % peRI
mtttsd 4 Fair Markst-hehsnset.
lernt Greed has Proved
Their Undeine.
tion. Washington. d. CO.
Nv ELLIS PARKER BUTLER.

ton. washington. ID. CD
BY ELLIS PARKER BUTLER.
Every person Of middle age. ant
those who have studied the matter
even slightly Of whatever age. cannot
but be aware with what extreme re
luctance the United States took 1t,
place as q '<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
tfOn to avoid foreign alliances zen.
tangling" ones were specified. but all
foreign alliances are '~entangling," OF
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 consum more manufactured ar
ticles 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 u %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 l can re-
member when 1t was first printed, with
something like awe, In our newspa-
pers. that We were growing at such a
rate commercially and in population
that we were actually becoming a
world power. 1t was q new thing, a
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 q small boy.
The United States did not seek to
Ibe a world power; 1t 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 a 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, swagyer
around and issue %ultimatums, combine
with other world powers and bully the
world, If we chose. No American eau
ever be made to believe we did this,
because we did not. We chose to be
n kindly giant. a benevolent world
power. We wanted nothing but peace,
here or elsewhere. We had grown to
manhood and the world knew we we're
strong, but we wanted nothing but to
be permitted to stay on the old farm,
doing an honest days work each day,
attending TO u own affairs in our
own way. From the world we asked
only that We be permitted a fair mar
ket in onmon with other nations,
and q safe road to market.
In contrast with the manner In
which the United States grew to world
power l put Prussia. l say Prussia
Instead OF Germany, because Seer
many outside Of Prussia would never
nave 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 l ought, perhaps.
to say Hohenzollern, aud by that /
mean the Hohcnzollern family that
practically owned Prussia, rs you own
a flock of sheep or a farm or a pock.
etknife. The I~iohenzollern 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. It orig.
mated, no doubt. with Frederick the
Great, who left when he died the die.
tum, "Every Hohcnzollern king Of
Prussia should add at least one bit
OF territory to Prussia"
The HohenzoIiern Dynasty.
1t is only fair to the first emperor
OF Germany (William y that II 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.
sla and he had done his share. He
mad added his bit. There was, how.
ever, Bismarck.
Bismarck, even before he came into
power In Prussia, had planned prus.
Ata's future. First. Prussia must be
the supreme power In Germania, then
0erinany must be the supreme power
u the werld. That was his life work:
1t was wtaat Prussia pledged him she
would do. And to Bismarck Prussia
meAnt the HohenSollern dynasty.
With mallAe aforethought, with lies
ana tsickery assisting his wonderful
Statscrafk with Z war against Austria
end Q war against France ~ part of
n's plan for making Hohensolisrulsm,
q world power, Bismart. labored and