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Show Chancellor Hertling Reviews Establishment of German Coalition of States. p SAW DANGERS AHEAD Germans Had to Prepare to Stand Off Imperialism of France and Great Britain. "The establishment of the German empire in 1S71 made an end of dismemberment. dis-memberment. By tho union of its tribes the German empire in Europe acquired a position corresponding to its economic and culture achievements achieve-ments and the claims founded thereon. there-on. Bismarck crowded his work bv the alliance with Austria -Hungary, It ,was purely a defensive alliance," so conceived and willed by the exalted allies from the first. Not even the slightest thought of its misuse for aggressive ag-gressive aims ever occurred in the course of decades. The defensive alliance alli-ance between Germany and, the Danube Dan-ube monarchy, closely connecteu by old traditions and allied countries by common interest, was to serve especially espe-cially for maintenance of peace. "But Bismarck had even them, as he was often reproached for having., an obsession in regard to coalitions, and events of subsequent time have shown it was no vision of terror. The danger ofhostile coalitions which menaced the allied central powers often made its appearance. By King Edward's Isolation Iso-lation policy, the dream of coalitions became a reality. The German empire, em-pire, progressing and growing in strength, stood in the way of uritish Imperialism. In France hist of revenge re-venge and Russia aspirations of expansion, ex-pansion, this British imperialism found only loo ready aid. Thus future plans, dangerous for us, were formed. Geographical Situation. "The geographical situation of Germany Ger-many in itself has always brought near to us the danger of war on two fronts and now it became increasingly visible. jBetwecn Russia and France an amance was concluded whose participants par-ticipants were twice as numerous as the population of the German empire and Austria -Hungary. Republican France lent the Russia of the czar billions to construct strategical railways rail-ways in the kingdom of Poland, in order or-der to facilitate an advance against us. ine French republic drew on its last man for three years of service. Thus France, with Russia, built up armaments extending to the limit of the capabilities of both, thereby pursuing pur-suing aims which our enemies ngw term imperialistic. "It would have been a neglect of duty had Germany remained a calm spectator of this game and had we not also endeavored to create an armament arma-ment which would protect us against future enemies. I may, perhaps, recall re-call that I, as a member of the reichs-tag, reichs-tag, very frequently spoke on these ' 0 matters and on the occasion of new expenditure on armament, pointed out that the German people, in consenting to these solely desired to pursue a . policy of peace and such armaments were only imposed upon us toward off thn H.iTifrir f hrpsitpnincr frnm n nnssi- blc enemy. It doesn't appear that any. regard was paid to these words abroad. "And Alsace-Lorraine qf which Lloyd 'George speaks again? He speaks of the wrong Germany did in 1S71 to France. Alsace-Lorraine you need not be told but abroad they appear still to be ignorant of things flsace-Lorraino flsace-Lorraino composes as is known 'for the most part, purely German regions which by a century long of violence and illegality were severed from the German empire and until finally in 1779 the French revolution swallowed up the last remnant. Alsace and Lorraine Lor-raine then became French provinces. "When the war of 1870 came we demanded de-manded bnck the districts which had been criminally wrested from us, that was not a conqugst of foreign territory terri-tory but rightly and properly speak- ' ing what today is called dis-annexa-tion and this- dis-annexation was then expressly recognized by-tho French national assembly, the constitutional representative of the French peoplo at that time, March 29, 1871, by a large majority of votes." |