New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-18
20 Editor OF The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The proposals Of peace made by the
German Chancellor will be studied, as they
should be. with great care. Some people,
especially those who are oppressed by the
dreadful daily slaughter Of young lives, VINO
perhaps visualize peace more wildly than
they visualize justice, will be eager for a
definite formulation Of terms, for an inter
change Of views, for the assembling OF peace
congress Others, who feel that the real
Germany is possessed by an evil spirit,
and that no lasting peace IS possible unti
that evil spirit shall be utterly cast out, VIII
approach the Chancellor's peace proposals
with suspicion. These last may reason some
what in this way: There are three possible
interpretations Of the Chancellor's proposals:
ID He may actually hope to persuade the
Allies to enter into negotiations OF peace
while Germany occupies her present sdvan-
tageous situation.
% lie may hope to influence neutral
powers. especially the United States, as well
as individual citizens in neutral countries
90 Or, he may hope to improve the POSI-
ton OF the German government at nome
by appearing before the Socialists and all
other Germans who long to have the war
end as trying to do all he can for peace, ana
so to put the blame for carrying on the war
as he has sought to put the blame Tor De-
ginning it, upon Serbia, Russia or England.
We Americans are a simple people. We
like TO take the speech Of statesman al
its face value, to assume that he means what
he SAYS. and that he says the truth as best
he can, and the whole truth. We forget
Fr,N
ightforwardness of our own government
that European statesmen have received a
special training in statecraft, and nave
learned ideas and theories quite Incompatible
with maxims which We are taught to believe
should govern our conduct in private life.
What these theories, ideas and maKims OF
Old World statecrsft are, has been expressed
once for all BIZ Mschiavelli in Chapter XVIII
Of The Prince"
Frederick the Great in his youth, as every
BODY knows, had read this famous book
quote from Carlyle "Thc crown prince
reading this bad book Of MachisvePs years
ago. had been struck, as all honest souls, es-
pocially governors or apprentices to govern
ing must be-, II they thought of reading such
a thing. with its badness. its falsity, detesta-
biity; and came by degrees. on the
notion OF refuting Mschiavel' Tie wrote ana
unfinished "Anti-Machisvel." ! quote Carlyle
again: "The printing Of Anti-MachiayeI was
not intrnsicaly momentous IN Friedrich
history; yet IL might as well have been DIS
pensed with He had here drawn p fine pro-
gramme. and necdlessly placarded 1t for the
street populations; and sftcrward there arose
g. could not fail on their part, comparison be
tween programme and performance; scornfui
cry, chiefly from men OF weak judgment. is
this King an Anti Mschisyel, then? Ptui.
Whether Frederick the Great was an anti
Machiayel or not IS Of only historic I'M
portance. The question of what the present
German Chancellor is is of momentous I'M
portance. He has just said in his speech
10 the Reichstag: "Our strength has not
made our cars deaf TO our responsibility be-
fore God. before our own nation, and be-
fore humanity. In deep moral and
religious sense Of duty toward his nation
and beyond it. toward humanity, the En-
neror now considers that the moment has
come for official action toward peace The
Austrian statement adds that Austra-Hun-
gary found itself in the summer OF 1914 com
pelled to draw the sword solely by the DIt-
ter necessity of self-defence TO defend It's
existence and safeguard itself for the future
AGAINST similar treacherous plots OF hostile
neighbors."
But what does Machiavelli say:
"Hov praiseworthy it is in a prince to
maintain faith, to practise fair dealing and
not cunning, everybody knows Nevertheless
experience in these days teaches US that
those princes have done great things VINO
have made little account of keeping faltn, and
have had cunning TO turn mems minds ana
that they in the end have got the best OF
those who have based their conduct on 10y
slty. So you must know that there are two
wavs to assert ones rights: One according
70 the rules of reason the other by force.
The first method is proper for men, the
second for beasts but because the first way