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6 THE FATHERLAND
years’ law, was proposing to increase her army by 50 per cent. at
a stroke; Russia was turning the flank, pushing on through the
Balkans subtly and surely.
And the Kaiser answered, “I am the servant of God; I stand
for peace. The Crown Prince is for war; I banish him from the
Court. VVhen I am dead let him be master; but while I live I
am for peace. And let him that draws the sword perish by the
sword I"
And the Triple Entente gathered closer and chuckled: Ahal
he dare not light. Let us frighten the garottel
So Servia plots and executes the crime of Sarajevo. Austria,
its aged Emperor smitten yet again and most foully, demands
imperatively the disclosure of the accomplices of the assassins.
Servia replies in terms of evasion, evasion impudently cynical.
Austria stirs. Russia-and there is no pretence possible, the
murder of the Archduke was either instigated by Panslavism or
was a threat equally to the Tsar as to any other ruler-replies by
mobilizing. Before Austria has moved a man or a gun, Russia
mobilizes.
And what was the position of the German Emperor? His
bankers had told him that Germany could no longer endure the
weight of her armor; the incident of Zabern had shown the
Junkers that they could still control the Social Democrats, but
that another year or two would see the end of their power. He
must strike now or never.
He looked about him. The weakness of the British Govern-
ment and its supposed preoccupation with the Ulster folly and
the suffragettes encouraged him to hope.
He saw France, mere rottenness, its bandages torn off by the
pistol-shot of Mme. Caillaux.
All things conspired; he would make one final effort for peace
by threatening Russia.
And then he suddenly knew that it was no good. Nothing was
any good; nothing would ever be any good again. Sir Edward
Grey spoke for peace, spoke of neutrality, in the House of Com-
mons at amoment when thousands of British troops were al-
ready in Belgian waters, and the fleet, concentrated and ready
for action, already held the North Sea.
France withdrew her troops from the frontier “so as to avoid
any possibility of incidents which might be mistaken for aggres-
sion,” while her Algerian and Senegambian troops were on the
water, half-way to Marseilles.
He knew that this time there was no hope of peace. Abdica-
tion itself would hardly have saved Germany from a long-pre-
pared, carefully-planned war, a war whose avowed object, an ob-
ject in the mouth of every man in the street, was the destruction
of Austria, the dismemberment of Germany. They had got him.
Even a worm will turn; even a Quaker will nght if he is cor-
nered.
Wilhelm struck.
I write in English for those English who count, and this is the
proper way to view the matter. Germany is a rich prize. We
can capture German trade, German manufactures, German ship-
Ping. German colonies. We can exact an indemnity sufficient to
cripple Germany for a dozen generations. VVe can split Germany
into six kingdoms or republics, and weaken her beyond repair
forever. VVe can double-cross Russia by insisting on the creation
of a new Poland. VVe can destroy the German fleet, and econ-
omize on dreadnoughts. VVe can force our proletariat to accept
conscription and stave off the social revolution. We can drown
the Irish question in Lethe; we can fight a general election on the
War. and keep the present gang of politicians in oftice.
And, best of all! we can achieve all this in the name of Honor,
and the Sanctity of Treaties, and the Cause of the Democracies,
and we can ask the blessing of God upon our arms in the n8mC
of Liberty. and Civilization, and Prosperity, and Progress.
THE GREATEST SECRET or GERMAN PROGRESS
By Frank Koester, Consulting Engineer
Author of "Modern City Planning and " ’
F ‘ ' "id " " " "‘.l"bo Price of Inemdenq," Etc.
(lit the last issiic of THE FATHERLAl‘ID‘]l[f. Frank Koerter described the ejiciency of the German, laying liarticular 317955
"P0" thif WW1“? 170” Of. the T131410" ‘fml Ptfmima 014! how this virtue has forced the German Empire into the front rank of nations-
Iii the Jhffh article of ht.('d.l‘EI’H.’.l', dealing with the development and rise of the German people, and -w];,'c[, -we h,,,nv,';;, publi;-I1, Mr.
Ixoester tantiime: his sin y of German efficiency. In the next number Mr. Kocster will discuss the responsibilities of the press.)
THE members of the Bundesrat and Reichstag serve without
pay. The bodies are, co-ordinate branches, but the unique
feature of the German government is in the Bundesrat. for the
Reichstag does not differ materially from the lower house of
other republics. It is elected by districts and the voters must
be 25 years of age, but no property qualification is demanded.
Bankrupts, incompetents, paupers and those who have forfeited
their civil rights are not permitted to vote, and as a precaution
against what we term in America “militarism” soldiers in Ger-
many cannot vote during the period of their active service. Thus
German oliicers in service have no votes and they have no power
and but little influence outside of the army.
The Great Secret of German Progress
The great secret of German progress is to be found in the
powers of the Bundesrat, in which are united the executive, the
legislative and the judicial functions.
This is in absolute contradistinction to the American system,
and it may seem surprising to an American that a republic can
be conducted under such a form of government, the American
conception being based upon the distinct division of these func.
tions. The president is the executive, the congress the legisla-
tive, and the Supreme Court the head of the judiciary in the
United States. It is called a government of checks and balances
and this division of functions was particularly devised and elab-
orated to protect the citizen from official usurpation.
While this result has been attained it has been attained at
the cost of division of responsibility, intolerable delays in le8l5'
kilo“: long periods of unsettled interpretation of the laws be-
fore they 3” 5"‘‘“Y P515584 Upon by the Supreme Court and the
gradual accretion of the power of the president until he is now
the m05t Powerful ruler in any country, with the exception of
Perhaps the Czar.
How the United States Could Increase Its
Efficiency
‘An American Bundesrat or council of the nation, would c0n'
sist of the Supreme Court enlarged to 58 members by the inclu-
sion of the most brilliant and gifted of men in all callings
thmughout the country. It would unite in itself the functions of
tl‘e.Se“3te. the President and the Supreme Court, and would be
limited by the lower house on the one hand and have its Policy
Carried out through the instrumentality of a Secretary of State:
on the other, who would have all the cabinet members under him
as head clerks and whose policy would always have to confofm
to that of the Bundesrat and lower house. There would b6 no
President: 35 We now know the ofiice but a commander-in-chief
of the “my and navy with certain appointive and formal roll‘
tine functions.
I:he re35‘3n W11)’ such a form of government is so vastl)’ 5"‘
Derior to the American system of divided functions is that ‘he
body which makes the laws Puts them into execution and P355”
“Don them judicially.
