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PAGE TWO
Senator Bankhead, of Alabanw,
Also Abolishes the Constitu
tion
To “Make the World Safe for
Democracy ”
(continued from page one.)
leaving the Germans to mind their own busi
ness ?
If the Senator was so shortsighted, six
months ago, after more than two years of the
war, perhaps he is not seeing things more
clearly, even now.
But the Alabama Coal and Iron Com
panies, the Steel Trust, and the Kailroads are
immensely interested in the continuance of
the war. Possibly Bankhead doesn't see this,
and doesn't think that we do.
Upon what evidence does Senator Bank
head base his statement, that autocratic Ger
many "would destroy us' 1 in order to per
petuate its own autocracy?
Give us the evidence! Name the facts.
Come down to direct and clear assertions,
without rhetorical nourishes, and vague gen
eralities !
U’At’/z and ho a: did Bankhead discover that
Germany meant to “destroy us"? What
motive actuates her? No Senator, no Cabinet
officer. and no foreign minister hinted such
a thing in 1914, or 1915, or 1916.
Ambassador Gerard had been living for
years in Berlin, and he knew nothing of it.
On January 7, 1917, he was banqueting with
German high officials, and telling them of the
President's olive branch message to the
Kaiser. January, 1917!
What's happened since, to harrow up the
soul of the noble Bankhead? What is it that
has tilled this patriot with fears of German
designs to “destroy us"? Who scared him,
and how ?
Poor little United States! not safe from
a German autocracy, 3000 miles away, and
with deep water in between!
Poor little United States! Our Navy is
no dependence! We don't know’ how to lay
mines to protect our coasts, as other nations
do! We don't know how r to meet the enemy,
on this side, with the tAvelve or fifteen million
men who would instantly spring to arms in
defense of our soil!
Poor spineless cowards that we are! We
are afraid to risk a fight with the Germans,
unless we have the English and French to
help us!
Did any set of Americans ever before place
American power and pluck in so abject and
pitiable a ’posture?
Did, the United States Government ever be
fore confess publicly its craven fear of a for
eign nation?
Whore was all this dread of German “au
tocracy" in 1911, 1915, and 1916, and up to
Aprils, 1917?
If German autocracy had harbored any de
signs against our Republic, s/te would hare
made the attach before she arrayed all Eu
rope against her.
Excepting Austria—ahvays a treacherous
ally—the Germans find themselves hemmed
in by bitterly hostile nations.
No matter how the war ends, none of the
big nations will be “crushed.”
Even I'rance was not destroyed in 1870;
and, instead of Germany forcing autocracy
upon her, France was allowed, to peaceably
establish a republic, in place of the Catholic
autocracy wliich the Germans had smashed
in the war.
The French Republic, then peaceably es
tablished, is the same that now exists; and
fluring the long interval between 1870 and
1914, the German autocracy had not inter-
TME JEFFERSONIAN
sered with the democracy of France, although
the t\yo countries lie side by side.
When you reflect upon this unquestioned
historic fact, how does it affect the war-craze
argument, that German autocracy means to
“destroy us"?
Isn't the peaceful existence of the French
Republic, for 41 years, an overwhelming re
ply to the war-craze argument?
But let me give you another fact wliich
refutes the war-profit maniacs:
The Swiss Confederation was formed long
before the Prussian system was created by
the father of Frederick the Great, and the
Swiss democracy is a neighbor to the Prus
sian autocracy.
Has the German autocracy ever meddled
with the Swiss democracy? Not in the least.
On the contrary, the neighbors have ahvays
been good friends, and are so at this day.
When the Ambassador of the German au
tocracy was at last sent home, after Presi
dent Wilson's sudden reversal of s his position,
it was the Minister of the Sw’iss democracy
who took over the German interests in Wash
ington; and his first efforts were for peace.
This gave offense to the Administration, and
the Swiss Minister was snubbed.
The case of Holland is likewise in point.
She is another neighbor to German autoc
racy. Iler democratic institutions have not
been molested, in all the long years since Hol
land became as much of a self-ruling country
as England.
Belgium also has been Germany's neighbor,
and lias steadily become more' democratic in
her domestic government.
Even Austro-Ilungary—more slowly —did
the same thing.
In short, the indisputable historical fact
is, that the neighbors of Germany, whose
frontiers touch hers, have all changed their
internal systems, away from autocracy, and
towards democracy, since 1870, when the Ger
man Empire stood forth as “the dominant au
tocracy of Europe.' 1
In that very year, 1870, the Italians rose
against the rottenest and cruellest autocracy
in the Avorld —that of Pope Pius IX. —and
W’hen this Avicked despot appealed to the Prus
sian autocrat (King William, then), and
made written application for Prussian troops
to shoot dow’ii Italian patriots (as the Aus
trian soldiers of Franz Joseph had often done,
most atrociously), Bismarck pigeon-holed the
Pope's letter, until after the Italian patriots
had captured papal Rome, and set up their
own government.
The constitutional monarchy thus set up,
has existed ever since, and was Germany's ally
at the beginning of the war.
And this constitutional italy has not
DECLARED WAR UPON GERMANY!
Let me ask you whether you can have faith
V V
in the sincerity of the men who contend, that
Germany's triumph over England and France
W’ould mean an attempt on her part to change
our form of government ?
Do you believe that they believe it?
IV hat would be Germany's motive?
No man hates German militarism more in
tensely than I do, but candor compels me to
say that it has not endeavored to dictate sys
tems of government to other nations.
Bless your eyes! Didn't Portugal throw
oil' a Roman Catholic royal autocracy, a few
years ago, and establish a democracy?
Germany didn't say or do a thing to pre
vent it. The American foot-kissers made more
noise over the downfall of Portugal's autoc
racy, than was made anywhere else in the
world. These American foot-kissers are the
foes that American democracy needs most *o
dread !
There is no law of German autocracy which
dedicates it to deadly warfare against civil
and religious liberty, throughout the world;
but the law of the Roman church, and the ter-*
rible oaths of the Roman priesthood and se-f
cret societies, devotes them to eternal, im-*
placable Avarfare against democratic Repub-*
lies, like ours.
This being self-evidently true, how can
rational and honest Senator say, that German
autocracy means to overthrow our demos
cratic institutions?
What would Germany gain by it, if she
could do it ?
And how’ can she do it, when our available
man-power is two to her one, and the ocean
rolls betw’een us?
Such talk is not sincere. The ignorant
might be deceived by it, but such Senators
as Bankhead know better.
Another fact to remember is this: When
the American Colonies set up their independ
ent Republic, Prussian autocracy was first
to make a friendly treaty of commerce with
it. This was in 1798; and the arch-autocrat,
Frederick the Great, was King of Prussia at
the time.
That treaty existed for more than 100
years; and the last request the Berlin auto
crats made of our Ambassador, Avas that he
W’ould renew it.
Quite properly, Mr. Gerard declined to act
without authority, but it is right that our,
people should know the fact.
(I will also remind you, parenthetically,
that many a German fought for American
Independence in the Revolutionary War; and
that Washington oAved perhaps as much to
the faithful services of Baron DeKalb, whd
scientifically drilled the volunteers, as he did
to any other European officer.
Von Steuben was another of these German
volunteers.)
For us to undertake the forcible change
of the domestic government of 65,000,000
Germans, living on the other side of the
world, seems to me an enterprise, compared
to which the Crusade of One Hundred thou
sand children, against the Mohammedans, (0
capture an empty grave near Jerusalem,
a project full of common sense, and extremely
apt to succeed —although it didn't.
But for 65,000,000 Germans to cross over
to our side of the world, and undertake a
forcible change in our government —we who
number 110,000,000! —seems to me similar to
nothing I ever heard of, or read of, outside
of Thomas DeQuincey’s “Confessions of an
English Opium Eater.”
England couldn't coerce us, when we num
bered only three millions; and it took fount
years for the Eastern States, the Northern
States, and the Western States, together with
2f(),0(>0 Southern mountaineers, and the im
migrants from all parts of Europe, to coerce
the Southern States back into a Union which
their own fathers had helped to make.
What folly, or impudence, it is, to say that
if Germany can win the Avar, she will next
attack us!
Is there no cowardice, in saying that we, by
ourselves, cannot resist a German invasion?
Is there nothing ignominious and pusillani
mous. in saying that we must double-team on
Germany, or get licked?
If we have to depend for salvation on Eng
land and France, what becomes of our inde
pendence?
A bull, half-way across a fence, can’t put
up much of a fight: he can't rush his antag
onist, nor side-wipe him with any force.
If Ave put half our troops on one side of
the ocean, with the other half on this side,
we will be like the bull. We will be strad
dling the Atlantic Ocean!
Japan can horn us, in the Philippines, Avhile
the intrenched Germans are goring us, in
Belgium and France.
Our line of communication, across 3000
Thursday, August 16,
