The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-10-21
BY WILHELM HoHENzoLLERN

BY WILHELM HoHENzoLLERN
History can show nothing to com
pare with the World war of 1914-1918.
1t also can show nothing like the per-
plexity which has arisen as to the
causes leading up to the World war.
This is all the more astounding in
that the great war befell highly cul-
tivated, enlightened, politically trained
race of men and the causes leading up
to it were plainly to be seen.
The apparent completely in the crisis
of July, 1914, should deceive nobody
The kilograms exchanged at that time
between the Cabinets of the great
powers and their rulers, the activities
of the statesmen and leading private
individuals in verbal negotiations with
important personages of the Entente
were certainly of the greatest impor-
lance on account of the decisive sig
nifance assumed by almost every word
when it came from responsible lips,
by every line that was written or tele-
graphed. The essential basis of the
causes of the war, however, is not al
tered by such things; it is firmly estab-
lished, and people must never hesitate
from freeing it, calmly and with an eye
to realities, from the bewildering out
groupings from the events accompany
ing the outbreak of war.
The general situation of the German
Empire in the period before the war
had become continually more brilliant,
and for that very reason continually
more difficult from the point of view
of foreign politics. Unprecedented
progress in industry, commerce and
world traffic had made Germany pros
porous. The curve of our development
tended steadily upward.
The concomitant of this peaceful
penetration of a considerable part of
the worlds markets, to which Ger
man diligence and our achievements
justly entitled us, was bound to be dis
agreeable to older nations of the world,
particularly to England. This is quite
natural phenomenon, having nothing
remarkable about it, Nobody is pleas
ed when a competitor suddenly ap-
pears and obliges one to look on while
the old customers desert to him. For
this reason | cannot reproach the Brit
ish Empire because of English ill hui
NOR at Germany's progress in the
worlds markets.
Had England been able, by intro
ducing better commercial methods, to
tion she would have been quite with
in her fights in doing so and no objec-
tions could have been made. 1t simply
would have been case of the better
man winning. In the life of nations
nobody can find it Objectionable if two
nations contend against each other
peacefully by the same methods. e.,
peaceful methods-yet with all their
energy, daring and organizing ability, |
each striving to benefit itself
On the other hand, it is quite anoth- |
er matter if one of these nations sees
its assets on the worlds balance sheet !
threatened by the industry, achieve
ments and super business methods of
the other, and hence, not being able to |
apply ability like that of it's young COM
petitor, resorts to force-i. e., to meth
DDS that are not those of peace but of
warm order to call a halt upon the
other nation in its peaceful campaign I
OF competition, or to annihilate it.
Navy Merely Protective
Our situation became more serious /
since we were obliged to build navy
for the protection of our welfare, /
which, in the last analysis, was not |
based on the nineteen billions yearly /
to which German exports and imports I
amounted. The supposition that we
built this navy for the purpose of at I
lacking and destroying the far strong
er English fleet is absurd, since it /
would have been impossible for us to .
win a victory on the water because of /
the discrepancy between the two
navies. Moreover, we were stridingI
forward in the world market in &C
cOrdance with our desires and had no
cause for complaint. Why, then,
should we wish to ieopardize the re-
suits of our peaceful labors?
In France the idea of revenge had /
been sedulously cultivated ever since
1870-1S71; it was fostered. with ev-
cry possible variation, in literary, pol
itical and military writings, in the of
ficer corps, in schools, associations.
political circles.
can well understand this spirit.
Looked at from the healthy national
standpoint, it is, after all, more hon
orable for a nation TO desire revenge
for blow received than to endure it
without complaint
But AlSace-borraine had been Ger
man soil for many centuries; it was
stolen by France and taken back BY
US in 1871 as our property Hence. a
war of revenge which had as its aim
the conquest of thoroughly German
territory was unjust and immoral. For
.us to have yielded on this point would
have been a slap III the face to our
sentiments of nationality and Justice.
Since Germany could never voluntarily
return Alsace-Lorraine 10 France, the
French dream could be realized only
by means Of a victorious war which
should push forward the French
boundary posts TO the left bank of the
Rhine
Germany. on the con -rary. had no
"oas on for stalking what she had won
IN tSTe-1S7l, so the course for her to
puraue was 10 maintain peace with
France all the more so because of the
fact that the combination of the pow
ers against the GermanAustrian Dual
Alliance was continually becoming
more apparent.
As 10 Russia, the mighty empire of
the Cars was clamoring for an outlet
on The sea 10 the southwark. This was
q natural ambition and not 10 be harsh
~ judged. In addition. there was the ]
Russian-Austrian conflict of influence,