Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-12-20
Why Is Peace lmpossible?-
A General Survey

the past IN IN. great coalition wars and
they are aolc TO say that these coali-
tious ultimately wore down nations
placed as Germany is placed today
after suffering initial defeats and dis
asters far surprising those that they
have suffered c. are likely 10Y te
suffer.
There is one more force that must be
r%ecioned with; il il The force of pas
sion. The invasion OF Belgium. the
atrocities and The crimes, the bonn
bardment OF Rheims and the burning
of Louvain, the submarine campaign
and the Zeppelin raids have reused in
Britain and in france an emotion that
might easily drive both peoples to con
tinue u war after the hope of victory
had departed. either i'm blind anger OF
IN the deSpairing conviction that per-
manent peace would be impossible with
the authors of these acts.
Americans must understand this
emotion to understand tho war and The
conditions of peace. II is equally true
that Russian lTiNages in East Prussia
two years az" have stirred German
passion, 1t is true that the mass of the
German people look upon The British
blockade with the same wrath that
Bfitons regard the Zeppelin and sub
marine episodes. We MAY make our
own choice between the two cases, but
! what is essential TO. recognize once for
all is that the question of peace or wal
in Europe TODAY is not a question of
provinces or colonies; before all else
it is a question of the passions the war
has unclaimed.
! We may CON rli;de that both sides
have in their wv minds conditions on
which they would make peace. But
before we turn to examine them it is
worth while 30 examine for a ome
that interesting list of conditions which
have already been eliminated from he
reckoning. For it is true that two
years and q half of war. and we are
approaching this mark. nave removed
from the minds of he comba,ants GER
tain expectations held az the outset.
sions; this is plain.
In the first place. it may be doubted
II there remain in London or Paris
today any considerable of that
program for the rescue OF the German
people from their rulers and the deliv-
elance of the small German states from
Prussia. Two years & this was Il
familiar faith. AS the soldiers of he
allied sovereisns marched against re-
publican France to restore the Bour-
bons, Britain and Franc and Russia,
with some degree of difference of con-
viction. set out to free Germany from
the H~ohenzollerns and undo the work
of Bismack.
This notion has persisted. Now it is
perceived that the German people. like
the french "A century and "a quarter
age. must decide their own fate, their
own internal boundaries. and all the
questions tina belong to a great people
to decide. Brilons and Frenchmen
may dream of d liberalization of Ger
many to come when the war is over,
and to come from Within. but they can
no longer hope for amy change made
by their hands which could survive
their withdrawal. Two wears of war
have demonstrated the unity of Ger
many. they have eliminated the possi-
rnility of Il ~remodeling of Germany
from without.
AS to Austria the case is different.
yet who shall say now that it is as
easy to believe thai the dissolution of
the ancient state is inevitable as it
was two years ago. when Lemberg was
Il recent event.? The weaknesses that
were to be expected have developed.
They have brough, defeats and disas-
tiers, but Austria has survived. The
Slavs who fought badly against the
Russians haze fought %splendidly
against the Italians The entrance of
tia revealed. enlisted the southern
Slavs; the coming of Rumania with
her aspirations IN Pennsylvania re-
moved the last question as to Hungar-
IAN perseverance TO the end. Today
Austria Hungary does not uok per-
manent i'm the same sense that Ger
many seems substantially indivisible,
put much light chatter about the pass
ing of the Hapsburss has become
silent, and il there camains a doubt it
is whether Austria and Hungary will
pass under the domination of Germany
or Hungary will assert it's control over
Austria and Buda replace Vienna as a
world capital.
Nor shall we deny to the Turk a SIM
liar vitality. After two years his en-
pire holds despite defe. is in Armenia.
Constantinople remain impregnable,
there is no outward evidence nf inter-
nal decay and German organization has
given new force to Turkish numbers.
Turkish troops are fighting in Galicia
and In the Dobrudja, and the Oriental
express still performs it's appointed
journey from Hamburg to STEAMBOAT,
from the Elbe to the Golden Horn, the
sign and symbol of that middle Eu-
rope which German arms have made q
fact.
Looking now on the other side Of the
picture. we perceive equally plain Ger
man miscalculations. bow all. the
German conceptions of France and
Great Britain strike even the Ger
mans as ridiculous today. The car
dinal doctrine Of all German patriotic
faith less tina two years and a half
ago was that France was decadent and
that She would fall to the first vigorous
blow of virile Germany. Germans OF
every rank and condition believed it,
and German military policy was based
upon this belief. France was to be
abolished as a military power in six
weeks, and now. when nearly five times
six months have passed, France remains
unbroken and the heaviest German de-
feats have come from French armies.
The German calculations of peace no
longer include the occupation of France
from Belfort to Calais.
| Not less complete has been tho ref,,.