Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 277, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1918 — Prussianism Cannot Be Tolerated in a World Devoted to Liberty [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Prussianism Cannot Be Tolerated in a World Devoted to Liberty

By OTTO H. KAHN,

Mm YmA s new ■w*

I was born in Germany; I served in the German army. I was closely connected with German business interests until the outbreak of this war. I know, Germany and I know the real causes of this war. Thirty years ago —hlmost to the day—Germany begah laying her plans for world conquest. The true German saw this war cqming and fought against it, but there was no chance against the system. . I know of my personal knowledge that the stage was set for it about sevenjears ago, in connection with the Agadir episode. I know that the pan-Gqrmans in 1911

meant to have a footing in South America and had prepared pians threaten this very country of ours. In 1918 Austria planned to conquer Serbia and so informed Italy, then her ally. , The spirit which brought about this war was expressed by Nietzsche, a German who wrote years before the war started, the following: “You shall love peace as a means to prepare for new war. You say that a good cause may hallow even war, but I say to you that it is a good war which hallows every cause.” And the newspaper Vorwaerts before the war started declared. Camarilla of war lords is working with absolute, unscrupulous means Io carry out their fearful designs to precipitate a world war. Americans of German blood know that it was not the old Germany--of which we are proud—that brought about war, but the German system. The world has been hurt within these past three years as it was never hurt before. In the gloomy and accusing procession of infinite sorrow and pain which was started on that thrice accursed day of July, 1914, the hurt inflicted on Americans of German descent takes its tragically rightful place. The iron has entered our souls. We have been wantonly robbed of invaluable possessions which have come down to us through the centuries; we have been rendered ashamed of that in which we took pride; we have been inade the enemies of those of our own blood;, our very names carry the sound of a challenge to the world. Surely we have all too valid a title to rank amongst those mostrbitterly aggrieved by Prussianism, and to align ourselves in the very forefront of those who in word and deed are fighting to rid the world forevei of that malignant growth.