iduals. The
adhesion of _Italy_ to the vast union would not be inconceivable, and
then the combination of the United States of Europe, founded on a
voluntary commercial union, would be approaching its realization.

Such a commercial union, embracing various peoples, could only lead to
moderation in foreign politics, and would be the best guarantee for the
peace of the universe. A brisk interchange of commodities, a fruitful
interchange of cultural ideas would result from such a union, connecting
the polar seas with the Mediterranean, and the Netherlands with the
Steppes of Southern Russia.

All States participating in this union would gain thereby. But one
European country would be the loser, _Great Britain, the land of promise
for the middleman_; that, according to German comprehension, at present
gains a living by skimming the cream from the trade industry of other
nations by facilitating the exchange of goods, and making profits by
being the banking centre of the world.

The Germans declare that there is no reason for such a middleman's
existence in our day. The banking system is now so developed in all
civilized lands that, for example Sweden can remit direct to Australia
or the Argentine for goods obtained thence, instead of making payment
via London and there rate, by raising the exchange for sovereigns to an
unnatural height, so that, as matter of fact, England levies a tax on
all international interchange of commodities.

In opposition to this glorious vision of the days to come, which the
Germans wish to realize by their victories in war, there is the alluring
prospect of the Allies that by their victory they will deal a deathblow
to _German militarism_. While the English, with their 200,000 troops,
are good enough to promise no conquest of German territory--what says
Russia to this?--at the close of the war, in the opinion of the Britons,
there would still remain 65,000,000 Germans right in the centre of
Europe, organized as a kingdom burdened with a war indemnity to a couple
of tens of milliards in marks.

This nation, however, strengthened by 15,000,000 Germans in Austria,
would be the greatest bearers of culture in the wide world--the nation
with the best technical equipment of all others, glowing with ambition,
with military training second to none, and gifted with an immense rate
of increase as regards population. This nation would be forced to lay
down her arms, lying as it does between the overbear