New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-29
WHAT ARE THEY FIGHTING FOR,
A Reader in Doubt Guesses Empirs To Be
the Aim on Both Sides

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The trouble with The Tribune-as il
is tho trouble with other newspapers that SIM
ccrcly believe the Allies are lighting for tn.
rights that it can't bear TO hear the other
side unless it il presented b. fanatcsl
German-American. It is not conceivable 70
The Tribune or your correspondents that sr
American, who has never seen Germany and
has nothing but English blood in his veins,
should view the war dispassionstely and ar
rive al the same conclusion ss the President
namely. that IL is impossible 10 say dean-
tely what the nations arc fighting for.
The President has probably made a guess,
as many other Americans have done. Ny orn
personal guess--if you will allow me 70 stat.
10 is that 10 is 2 fight for empire. advise
some Of your rabidy pro-Ally correspondents
70 read Shuster's book on "The Strangling Of
Persia" There they will get peep At Euro
pean diplomacy that will nauseate them.
England and Russia and Germany were all
pulling strings to grab Persia, and not one o,
them cared a boot about the rights Of that
small nation. Italy struck across the Medi-
terranean and grabbed Tripoli with the sans
disregard for the small country.
Russia to-day has set before her the goal
rights OF Turkey. Germany has set before
her the goal Of empire building along the line
Of the Bagdad Railway and cares nothing for
the rights Of the people IN the country the
railroad taps Germany gobbied up land in
Africa, which England promptly added to her
own possessions when the war began, and
neither nation consults the natives or holds
out to them any such hope OF sef-goyer-
ment as we have promised the Filipino,.
France is out TO grab Alsace-Lorraine, which
was annexed by France from the old German
Empire between 1913 and 1897, and restored
70 Germany in 1871" (See Whitaker's Alma
mack. London. 1879 Belgium has her colo
nies-the scandal Of the world when King
Leopold was alive. Portugal has her colo
mics: Japan her colonies 20 on?
This is the picture the thoughtful Ameri-
can sees lie looks with a certain pardona-
bic pride on the spirit in his own land-ihe
spirit Of altruism. which nc European nation
mas exhibited. He remembers the Spanish
American war, the conquest Of Cuba and the
immediate return Of that country TO the
Cubans; the conques, Of the Philippines and
the promise OF eventual self-government made
10 the Filipnos when they should be trained
to think for themselves He looks at our
patient dealings with the Mexicans In their
upward struggle, and knows that II any Euro
pean nation were in our position j, would
have been Good night, Mexico" long ago
When the Allies or the Central Powers
begin to get something Of this real spirit OF
liberty. this forbearancc for the crimes Of
unruly ncighbors, this passionate desire TO
make all the peoples of the earth love US,
then they will find Americans in full SYM
pathy with them. In the present war all We
can see is scrap for empire. and most Of Us
say. LET them 60 TO 81 so long as they don't
hurt US" May the spirit of brotherhood soon
cover the planet. WILL Fl. JOHNSTON
Melrose, ~ Y, Dec. q, 1916.