Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1916-12-26
WE AMERICANS SHOULD NOW
THROW ALI OUR INFLUENCE
IN FAVOR OF SPEEDY AND
PERMANENT PEACE.

(From the New York American OF
December %
1t seems to us that it ought to be
plain to intelligent Americans that
the surest guarantee Of long peace in
Europe is a reasonable peace treaty,
consummated this winter, just as the
surest guarantee of renewed wars
breaking out in Europe would be the
prosecution Of this conflict to a de-
cisivc victory by eithor alliance, or
to more probable exhaustion OF
both alliances.
Let us sec If we cannot talk these
matters over with calmness and good
sense
In the first place, it is well to CON
slider the objects which led to this
war. If we dismiss the sentimental
aspects without discussion, we shall
get along much faster, because there
is very little sentimentalism in
world-poitics, and we know of no
government except our own which
diverts and amuses, as well as puz-
zles, European statecraftsmen with
copybook maxims and hornbook
moralities.
Put your finger on the map Of
Europe at Constantinople and then
run it down southeasterly by way
of Ismid, Konia, across the Taurus
range, thence to the Euphrates and
! Bagdad and stop at Basra, on the
Persian Gulf
Your moving finger has touched
the springs Of this world-war. and
traversed the bridge between Europe
and Asia which is the prize Germany
has been fighting to win and Eng
land has been fighting to prevent
Germany winning.
The popular instinct which speaks
always of this as a war between Eng
land and Germany is exactly right,
without knowing why.
The seed OF this war was sown in
the month of March, 1903, when
German capitalists, backed by Gov
ernment influences, obtained from
the Turkish Government the conces-
sion to extend the German-owned
Anatolian Railway from It's then ter
! minus at Konia to the Persian Gulf,
| along the route of which you have
run your finger
The present route between Europe
and India and the Far East is the
| Suez Canal route, which is Great
/ Britain's. That route is the artery
| Of her world empire Who strikes
at it strikes at her commercial SUI
premacy, her dominion over the seas
and her empire in Asia.
The completion Of the railroad
from the Bosporus to the Persian
| Gulf would open a shorter CONNER
cial route to the Far East and mil
itary road to India, which would be
fatal menace to England in any
war with strong Power which con-
trOlled that road
The object of Germany is to cx-
tend German control over tho Bag
I dad railway and to colonize Mesopo-
tamia. The German hivo is fertile
and is crowded. II feels the neces-
sity of throwing off swarms, just as
the English hive has swarmed into
Africa, North America. New Zealand
and Australia. And with the Amer.
icas closed to German swarms by
the Monroe Doctrine and Africa
tions and alliance. German states.
manship turned to Asia and th'
Near East.
The object of Great Britain is
to prevent German control of th'
Bagdad railway and Persian Gull
route to the Far East. with its com
mercial and military menace to Brit
ain.
The object or Russia is to gair
COnstantinople and water route
over with her trade with the worlt
can go on the year around.
The object Of France IS to limi
the growth of Germany's commercial
and military power before it becomes
so great as to compel France to sinl
TO the rank OF a secondhand Powe'
in comparison. Incidentally, o
course, there is Alsace-Lorraine
Put 1t is both her future safety anC
her ancient place in the sun" 70
which France fights first
The ambitions Of Italy, Bulgaria
Rumania, Serbia and Greece arr
frankly territorial gains, and the OBJ
iect of Turkey is to preserve th'
existence OF Turkey in Europe
The occupation Of Belgium is not
and never was, the cause OF war o
the cause Of any nations enterinl
the war.
The war would have begun am
gone on and been participated in b.
all the combatants whether German
had violated Beigium's neutral terri
tory to strike at France or not w
may all have our opinion Of Ger
mauy's treatment of Belgium. whicl
we do not hesitate to brand as one 0
those blunders that are even wors
than crimes. But the war was no
fought over that crime by Englan,
or any other Power.
4 With this outline of the causes o
the war and the objects of the com
batants, we ought to be able to con
lecture whether peace can or canno
be made now with more profit to al
than any can hope to get by pro
longing the war
We think that Germany has th
moral right TO construct land an
water route between her empire an
the Far East and to nnd room 70