nal misconception of our character could accuse us of having an
aggressive motive back of it. On earth there is no more peaceful nation
than Germany, providing she be left in peace and her room to breathe be
not lessened. Germany never has had the least thought of assuming for
herself the European hegemony, much less the rulership of the world. She
has never greedily eyed colonial possessions of other great powers. On
the contrary, in the acquisition of her colonies she was satisfied with
whatever the others had left for her. And least of all did she carry up
her sleeve a desire of extending the frontiers of the empire. The famous
word of Bismarck, that Germany was "saturated" with acquired territory,
is still accepted as fully in force to such an extent that even in case
of her victory the question as to which parts of the enemies' territory
we should claim for our own would cause us a great deal of perplexity.
The German Empire could only lose as the national State she is in
strength and unity by acquiring new and strange elements.

Otherwise would the empire, from the day of its founding until now, for
nearly half a century, actually have avoided every war, often enough
under the most difficult circumstances? Would it have quietly suffered
the open or hidden challenges, the machinations of its enemies
constantly appearing more plainly? Yes, would it have tried again and
again to improve its relations with these very same enemies by the
greatest advances? As opposed to the ill-concealed hostility of the
French, would it not have been shaken in its steadfast policy of
conciliation by the fact that this policy with them only made the
impression of weakness and fear? Would it have permitted France to
reconstruct her power which was destroyed in 1870 to a greater extent
than before, and, in addition, allowed her to conquer a new and gigantic
colonial empire? Would it have permitted prostrate Russia to recuperate
undisturbed from the almost annihilating blows of the revolution and the
Japanese war? Would it, in the countless threatening conflicts of the
last decades, have on every occasion thrown the entire weight of its
sword into the scales for the preservation of peace?

*The Kaiser's Responsibility.*

Then, too, many Americans emphasize the fact that they are making not
the German people but the Emperor alone responsible for this war. It is
hardly conceivable how serious-minded people can lend themselves to the
spr