The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-18


 rope, even while consenting to the heavy sacrifices entailed, Is deter mined to free Itself from German tutelage and to order it's own life without looking to Berlin for guid- ance, then, unhesitating and unswerv- Ing, she will. with cold calculation, complete her preparations and at her own hour hurl herself-leaders and people of a single heart--into the fresh and joyous" war!
 While Russia Is Busy
 The plan unfolds In 1904, when Russia, at war with Japan, Is con demned to inaction in Europe. The surrender of Port Arthur on Janu- ary l. 1905, deals the first blow to Russian power in the far east; on February Il. Herr won Kuhlmann, the | German charge daffaires in Morocco, presents his French colleague with formal protest against the Anglo 1 French agreement of April s, 1904, l though Prince yon Bulow, the inn perial chancellor. had twice declared l tho year before that Inc had no ob- i iection to make to 1t as far as Ger man interests were concerned" | On March 10, 1905, the Russian ar mics sustain a bloody defeat at l Moukden; on the twelfth of the same month, the Kaiser announces his wis., 1 1t to Tangiers which marks the open | ing of the Moroccan controversy with | France becomes so acute that the venskPs fleet is annihilated at Tsou- | sima: oh June 12 the menace to | France becomess acute that the French government, by accepting the | resignation of M. Delcasse, It's min ister of foreign affairs. acknowledges l that Germany has won the first round For nearly 10 years. under varying aspects, we shall see the | same thing.
 In 1906 Germany drags us to Al geciras Because of her Moroccan interests? No, but to furnish a strik- | ing demonstration that. the moment | she opposes It. the Anglo French agreement becomes imperative and | sterile. Again in 1908 she tries to pick @ quarrel with us in Morocco, this time over three deserters from the Foreign Legion. This same year she threatens Russia in order to de- tach her from Serbia and obliges her l to accept, without more ado, the Aus l tro- Hungarian annexation of Bosnia Herzegovina. In 1911 she dispatches a warship to the Moroccan coast and forces upon us a settlement which, If l it increases our freedom of action In l the Cherifian empire, costs us part or the French Congo. It Is the policy of | continuous tension and of chronic provocation.
 Bring Little Cain
 These succeeding outbursts bring Germany little or no gain. Neither in 1905, nor In 1906. nor in 1908, nor | Tn 1911. does she manage to secure | m Mnrncrn. more than she succeeds In 1908 and 1909 in eliminating Russian influence from the Balkans despite concessions wrung from St. Petersburg. Like | wise, and on such occasion more sig naIly, she fails in her master de- sign of destroying the agreements entered into without her.
 1 Neither the Franco Russian alli- ance, nor the understandings of Franco with Great Britain and Italy are dissolved. They survive Alge- ciras as well as Agadir. Moreover beneath the German menace certain of the understandings grow and change their character. They are, not yet alliances, but they are already much more than mere settlements Of controversies.
 During the crisis of 1911, one Of MT. | Lloyd Georges speeches quite plainly
 
 common action which the aggression of 1914 is to bring into being three l years later and which had been rem dered mora possible by the approach ment between Great Britain and Rus sia after 1907. Italy does not with draw from the triple alliance. but constantly abused and overridden on the strength of treaty which had | brought neither guarantees nor l to har xrttal ipfAreStS In thA Mediterranean, she cherishes plans for the future which the war. in 1915. Is to bring to a head. Even the United States itself Is brought face to face at tho conference of Algeci- ras with Germany's insidious efforts toward political domination and sides with France against the proposals of Berlin which President Roosevelt de- clares to be '1naccentable.'
 Germany Disappointed
 In 1911, the general failure of Ger man diplomacy Is as obvious as her local rebuff in Morocco. The Imper- ial Minister of Colonies resigns. as a protest, but he Is not the only one l who is dissatisfied. Germany, the scope and rapidity of whose econo- mic development has been marvellous, is the prey of political disappoint- ment She has kept Alsace- -Lorralne.
 
 garian and the Italian alliances. She Is sure of Turkey where her Am bassador is the real ruler; sure of Rumania where Hohenzollern is on the throne; sure of Bulgaria whose Czar believes only in might.
 Yet despite these formidable assets she perceiyes, In the Franco-Anglo- Russian alignment which she has strengthened with her own hand, the | NriS n on three or four occasions when she has raised her voice-and raised it loudly--this group has answered her answered her in moderate and con- ciliatory tones. In 1905, 1906. 1908 1909, 1911, these answers had been in variably pacific and composing. But !. on the one hand. France is no longer alone; on tn other, Europe Is divided into two camps which, however for midable the German power, might fl necessary measure their strength.
 William the firsts monument which the Kaiser had sworn to main- tain, is thus threatened with ruin
 On all sides and by all means, the latter has sought to shore it up and restore it by diplomacy; everywhere he finds the road to hegemony
 blocked.
 Die Cast for War.
 ? Henceforth the die is cast, and cas, for war. Three years are needed tc
 bring to a point of absolute perfec
 tion the military machine so care fully built up and trained since the ] victory of 1871; three years to bring in and convince the "junior part ners." whose support is indispensable for such an enterprise; three years as in 1s67--to find favorable op . portunity which will make possible
 the overthrow in a few weeks. by few stunning blows of adversaries less we'll prepared and less wei