Page:Dramatic Moments in American Diplomacy (1918).djvu/281

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DRAMATIC MOMENTS
261

veals that they date from the decision of the Kaiser to drop Bismarck, the great pilot. The Iron Chancellor developed to its deadly conclusion the brutal policy of the Great Frederick, and deserves the lion's share of the discredit for the fatal ambition for conquest and dominion that has undermined the Teutonic character. But since his designs were definitely confined to other spheres they gave the United States no cause for alarm. In fact, up to that time our experience with the German people had been the reverse of suspicious. The country had welcomed great numbers of them,whom, even in the passions of to-day, no one can accuse of being advocates of blood and iron militarism run a-muck, or aspirants for the first tier of boxes in the sun. They were revolters against regal prerogative, and came in the name of Liberty and joined the ranks of the Union forces in the Civil War for emancipation. The consequence was that our assumption was heavily in favour of the German a decade ago.