New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-03
NO TIME FOR PEACE
United States Must Not Ask Allies TO Cease
Until Germany Is Crushed.

To the Editor cf The Tribune.
Sir: The German peace propaganda IS
now going strong and, as usual, let Us hore,
is defeating its own ends by its stupid dis
regard of the perspicacity OF other men.
Grant said, Let us have peace" but II was
at Appomattox, when Lee had sued for Il
and the Confederacy was an empty shell.
itself in fragments. When, at an earlier
period mis- work almost but not quite done.
the copperhcsds and pacihsts were urging
cessation Of hostilities, he said: 81 propose
to fight it out along this line il it takes all
summer and he kept on hurting his soldiers
agains, the enemy's forces in the process
Of implacablc attrition. Lincoln gave Grants
policy his ungrudgng support, and VIC honor
these men to-day for that they were No:
misled by false sentiment, for that they dill
not stop their work al time when they
would have lost all they had struggled for
up to that time. but kept straight on TO the
end, destroyed the blight of slavery and BY
saving the Union, proved that democracy
even on a large scale, is possible.
Il IS not for US Of the United States 70
suggest that the Allies cease before Germany
IS crushed, for we did not stay our hand IN
I'll the South was in ruins n Germany
gains even draw. the cause OF self-goyerr-
ment for nations, both great and small, will
have received a setback for a good part Of
TIE present century and Prussian miltsrisn
Will continue TO curse the world just az hy-
man slavery blocked our own progress until
the close OF the Civil War
Prcslden+ Williams epoocb dof,wrrcd hrfora
the Peace League IS both clever and shrcVd
1t viii strengthen him with many Americans
who have begun to feel that, past experience
to the contrary Notwithstanding, some mode
Of attaining permanent peace ought TO be-
possible If we only go about II in the right
manner To them the difficulty is one o.
form, not substance How well even the
President succeeds in mirroring the public
mind, which is strongly pro-Ally. when he
refers TO the right OF the small state %
live It's own way and decries the unseemy
speed al which the war vas launched, for
in these matters Germany has grossly o.
Tended, and the soters to-day are largely
antl-German. How popular and yet how
superficial II all is for II any member o.
the Peace League or Of any other orgsnizs-
ton has begun to outline means for meet
ing even a few OF the fundamental Difficult
ties with which their programmes brisue
and which must be met before the first s'en
toward progress can be realized, 10 bas not
been brought 10 public attention.
Take, for instance. the period between
A. D. 1920 and A. d. 1860 IN our own history,
the whole OF IL disclosing series OF patience
truces made by our greatest statesmen 50
to have IL appear that the irreconcllso'
had been reconcied But for all that tns
irrepressibe conflict burst upon us Al lass
There had been time enough for though
ana reflection. forty years or more. but ~
chasm that had 10 be bridged became on"
wider and deeper. despite the efforts OF on
ablest compromises 20 span D.. he On's.
States could not exist half slave and nat
free. and no American who has intelisen'p
studied the history Of his country VIII -us
Sest that all possible attempts a. negotia"o-
had not been exhausted before Fort su,n'sl
was attacked No peace league could ~
helped that situation. Why ignore so oo''
Gus fact? SO. here. Germany "anlca ~
compromise or time for reflection she r.
fused. for instance. 20 sign with as suen
treaty as We recently made with Great BIZ
ain 10 delay by a year after dlploina.N-
impasse the outbreak Of possible hos,iii'e,
between US. Germany wanted no period O.
delay, bu, the opportunity to strike the
slant she thought herself ready. Inc ohY
medicine for such state OF mind IS ms
arbtrament OF war
There is a time for all things. The pres
ent is the time TO do all We can 10 sec tnS,
Germany goes down in defeat aud that tno
Allies arc victorious. When that END ~,
been reached and Prussisn militarism
crushed. VIC shall be able to discuss ""
foundation Of more permanent peace upon
more Ineligible basis than at present
GUSTAV Kissing.
New York, May 81, 1916. ------AI