Mexico Missouri message., 1918-09-05
Why We Fight
No. 8
Because Germany Having Split the
World in Half Is Now Trying
to Deyour the Halves

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 i'm 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 a reputation for making plans
and sticking to them, from one gener-
alton to another; yet the world paid
no attention. It seemed too prepos-
terous even for Germany to attempt.
As long ago as 1895 n pamphlet,
/ "pau-Gormany 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 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 Tannenbcrg's book, "Greater
Germany" was published. This was
only three years before the war, but
it showed that the idea of a German
Mtteleuropa had not been allowed to
languish. It says:
"The new kingdom of Poland is
made up of the former Russian por-
tion of the basin OF the Vistula, and of
Gaiicia, and forms q 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
cient Rome. It is to embrace the orig
lnal Central Europe, inhabited by
some 73,O00,O00 GGrnans, 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 its scheme for a MitteleurOpa in
to effect years ago when it began the |
construction of the Berlin-tO-Bagdad |
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 inclnded in the scheme |
OF conquest.
''How does all this affect American
bne may ask. Germany was a 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 cOlOniza- |
tion. England possessed the best part |
Of Africa-the parts in which the
white man might hope to settle and |
thrive. England had a mighty fleet |
and q disposition to hold what she |
had, even though she did not show a |
disposition to fight for more.
There remained South America. 1t
was divided among weak nations. 1t
was protected only by the Monroe doc
trine. This Monroe doctrine was O |
coorol tT,fro. fo AD,orin1pc b1If NOT |
being backed up by mighty armies and
fleets, was not even "scrap of paper
TO thA Germans. Can anyone doubt, |
Should Germany succeed in welding |
into a mighty empire the 73,O00OOO |
Germans and the 1O0,000O00 inhabi-
tants OF the vassal and conquered |
states OF her Mitteleuropa, that her
next step would be toward the westf
The very fact that she had this en-
pire would presuppose the defeat of
England, so that no British fleet 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 |
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-
tlon OF July 10. (Peace without an
neXatiOns and indemnities). In that
we haze succeeded. Peace has just
been made in the East under condi |
tiOns 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 annexations and indem- |
mites, such as will leave her without
a formidable opponent in the world.
Can we make peace now and leave |