Evening journal., 1916-05-23
From the New York Tribune)

Britain and Russia are to keep all that
they had before. save in the case Of
Poland. BY way OF restoring the bal
ance, Poland is to be erected into a
free state. But this means that s..
100000 Poles will be subtracted from
Austria TO balance 100000 taken
from Russia, and the 100000 Poles
in Eastern Germany. who will not be
liberated. will look TO Russia for aid
to complete the restoration Of Poland,
as Sardinia looked to France.
In the Balkans il is possible that
the Allies might abandon Serbia, just
as it is possible that they might aban-
don Belgium. but il Is unthinkable.
Suppose they did Serbia would be-
come a vassal to Austria, but Bulgaria
would be expanded. and when Russia
did similar service to Bulgaria a
generation ago Bulgarian statesmen
promptly turned their backs on Petro-
grad. II Bulgaria broke with Ger
many the keystone Of the whole Bag
dad-Berli arch would crumble.
Turkey, too. at the end Of the war.
| will resume her freedom. She Will
need money. and only i'm Paris and
London can she get money. II Rus
sia will renounce the dream Of Byzan-
tium then Turkey can afford to make
terms with the sea powers as opposed
| to the Central Powers. Turkey was
yesterday the ally OF Britain. Britain
| the protector Of Turkey. and the
change of alignment in Europe may
restore the situation OF the BeaCons-
| field era But this would destroy all
hope OF a German empire in Asia
! Minor.
The day that peace came the battle
Of intrigue would be resumed at Sofia.
at Constantinople. The battle between
the Slav and the Magyars and Ger
mans IN Austria would be resumed.
The rivalry between the Italian and
the Austrian in the Adriatic would
begin. Would such an estate. depend
ont upon the will or whim OF other
races, counterbalance in the German
MIND the French colonies in North
Africa or Asia, the British possessions
the world over. the Russian dominion
in Asia? Certainly not. Would Ger
many have materially improved heI
position in the face OF the world as e
result of her great and, from a mill
tary point OF view, magnificent effort
Patiently not.
These are the reasons why it must
be plain TO all observers that Ger
many. on ner own statement of condi-
tions. has lost the war. But she has
not lost the desire for her place In
the sun. and she has not lost conf
dence in that tremendous military ma
chine which almost brought her vic.
tory in September. 1914 She stands
in precisely the position that Louis
XIV stood after his first encounter
with the coalition OF Europe in which
his armies had overrun the Low Coun.
tries and Southern Germany. but had
missed supreme success because oi
the fact that Europe had risen against
him.
Louis XIV made peace; he mad,
peace on terms quite as reasonable al
D those Of Germany today. But a few
years later he resumed his effort. anC
- and it was not until the Peace o
b Utrecht almost at the end OF his life
b that he gave over the effort to asser
the supremacy OF France in Europe
b II the terms Of peace that German,
now offers mean anything they meal
! that Germany. recognizing that shl
! has lost this war. seeks to close out
! bad investment before her militar!
) power is shaken or her army has los
, its reputation for something like in
: vincibility. After Waterloo there wal
no Napoleonic legend in France for
generation, but before Waterloo tn,
Z defeats of the Empire were insignifi
cant when compared to the victories
+ and France was willing to try onc'
{ more.
b Europe, Paris. London and Petro
/ grad believe that peace now would bl
! but a truce. They accept as true wha
. the Germans have been asserting fo
! a generation, namely. that the Ger
I man people are determined to upse
D the balance in world affairs. whicl
! they believe is inequitable TO them
They believe that the German army
- really wonderful successes in thu
4 field, despite the fact that these hav,
- not quite availed to bring a decisiv
/ termination to the conflict and i'm
e pose German will on Europe. will en-
+ able German statesmen to enlist tn
Nti man people III new cIuSdue ono
e the propitiOus moment arrives.
+ There is no difference between tn
81 French, British. Russian and German
10 points Of view as to the present war
{ Germany has lost IT, She confesse
e she has lost it by offering peace oi
r such terms as give her nothing rea
D to show for her tremendous sacri
p. fees. But the purpose OF the Allie
i is to persist until the legend OF Ger
4 man invincibility. like the Napoleani
d legend. is so completely shattered tina
the peril for the future OF a Germa
= resumption OF the assault upon tn
e world organization that exists, vii
70 be abolished.
+ Germany is not beaten in any sens
{ that Napolean was beaten at Water