The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1918-01-09

t. a
Prussia In 1885, at tie deatl, Of Frederick
the: Great: silesia has been 0orcibly
wres sef,, from IL AYst t;d. and the first
- =: accomplished. -
further conquest. His son and sue
cessor dfsliked military pursuits, pre-
ferring the company of music and
books. But he, too, realized on ascend
Ing the throne that the Prussian ideal
OF government could not endure apart
from a policy of aggressive militarism,
and skillfully employing the military
machine painstaking perfected by; his
thrifty father, be became the all-pow-
erfu1 Frederick the Great, one: of the
most renowned military geuiuses of
history. Silesia was brutally wrench:
ed from the helpless young Empress
of Austria without the pretense of an
excuse, and the shameful partition of
Poland was successfully begun. Mill
tarism approximately doubled the size
Of Prussia in the lifetime of this one
man (see Figures 2 and 81. ...~>..
The time soon came when the
normal growth Of. the Prussian ideal
Of government demanded the extern
sion of Prussian influence on an en-.
ormous scale. Thus far the Hohen.
zollern dominion had risen by success
sive acquisitions from a small pro.
vince surrounding Berlin to q Euro
pean power (Figure ~. It must next
ascend to the position of a world DOW
or. To accomplish this two things
were essential. Austria had long
been q powerful rival of Prussia in the
struggle for dominant influence among
the smaller German states. Since the
absorption Of Austria was not yet DOS
sible, her influence must be destroyed
BY military defeat. With Austria
eliminated, .Prussian. domination over
the remaining German states must be
consolidated, to the end that a great
Germanic power, pledged to the sup
port OF Hohenzollernism and the Prus-
sian ideal Of government, should arise
In the: world. Two remarkable men
undertook this colossal task. William
L. of Prussia, grandfather of the pres
:ent Kaiser, bent all his energies to
developing the military. resources of
his kingdom, while Bismarck proceed
ed to apply his policy of blood and
iron. In defiance of the Prussian par.
lament which refused to vote taxes
for "a great army, in defiance Of the
constitution which guaranteed. to the
parliament control over taxes, and in
defiance Of the voice Of the people az
expressed in the public press, the mil
ftary machine was enormously
strengthened: william I. and the
Iron Chancellor knew that all crimes
against the peoples liberty would be
forgotten when a war Of conquest had
been successfully concluded. 49,.
n the; course Of a few months, the
Danish provinces OF Schleswig and
Holstein were conquered and annexed
to Prussia, Austria was overwhelming
~, defeated and her influence des-.
stroyed, and q number Of the indepen-
dent north German states which sided
with Austria we're brought under Prus-
sian control Soon after, the south,
German states were brought into the;
Prussfan union for q new war of con-
quest Asace-L lorraine and huge In
demnity were extracted from PROSTATE
France, and the IFohenzollern king OF
Prussia became the autocratic ruler
OF q. great world power, the modern
Herman Empire (Mgure 81 Tho
Prussian ideal Of government was now
firmly established among . great PEG.
pie pledged TO 3 policy Of aggressive
milftarism. d s5:' ..5S. $s$s5
Il Is well for 10 TO review these.
salient facts OF Prussian history, lest
We forget that from the earliest time
the house eof Hohan5ollefn has IN.
zcienty and consistently pursued -
single policy which Inevitably In
Wolves the intenance=of srsats
military aohine ara the periodic sn,.,
ploymsnt of that mac chine 81 sversu-,,
rim .eonaa 81 naikh borink terri:
lcs.tIass1 =. -