Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-06-14


The declarations erianatng from
Berlin indicate the belief Of the Kaiser
that Ills conqnests; have already been
such Dis to- WtsIsrrarit the laying down
of terms of%peace to the nations allied
against the Germanic league. This
view Of the case the four great pow
ers arrayed in arms against the COM
bination of which Germany is the
backbone concur in repudiating. They
eiaim that the reyerses they have sus-
'tained in various quarters have had
no bearing on the final result, that
Germany is relatively weaker in
every respect than when the hos
tilities began, that neither of the vi
tai objects she has undertaken has
been accomplished, that her resources
have been seriously impaired, while
those of her enemies are comparative
ly untouched, that her grand projects
in Russia have ben baked, that the
Balkan campaign has been rendered
absolutely fruitless by the counter
stroke at Salonikd, that Turkey is
crying for, instead of giving assis-
ttance, that Austria is hard beset to
defend her own territories from Rus
sian invasion and is drawing off her
troops from the Italian frontier to
meet the Russian hosts laundering
at her own gateways, and that, in
fact, Germany has delivered her bolt
and from now on must adopt policy
of concentration on defensive lines,
which will involve withdrawal from
the distant fields into which a mis-
taken estimate of her own strength
and that of her foes has led her.
The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot say the;
situation is not unlike that which
confronted France little more than
century ago. Under Napoleon the
legions of the Empire had achieved
triumphs to which those of Germany
within the past two years are moth
ing. They had swept over every
country in Europe and had hoisted
the Tricolor over every capital. The
reign of every dynasty had been con-
ditioned on subsection to conditions
imposed by the conquerors and the
monarchs who refused were deposed
and their crowns transferred to the
brows of Frenchmen. In 1912 Napo-
lean was sovereign by virtue of the
sword of all continental Europe and
his will was law at Vienna, Berlin,
Dresden, Rome, Madrid, Munich, ev-
erywhere except at London, and st.
Petersburg. In 1872 he marched
against Russia with soldiers under his
banners from every power enumer-
ated above.
This torrent of invasion broke and
was dissipatcd on the plains of Rus
STA. A year later France paid the
price for her lust for world dominion.
The wide diffusion of her foes which
was at once the proof of and neces-
sity for maintaining her conquests,
became the prime cause of her ruin.
With every foot of retirement foes
sprung up in Napoleon's rear. France
was isolated. She fell from a zenith
of triumph which Germany, in the
present conflict, has not even approx
mated, and she succumbed to the
grim coercion of pact in which Rus
sra and Great Britain were the es-
sential factors, pact identical with
that to which Russia, GreatBritain
and France are now parties-one for
all, all for one, neither to sheathe
the sword except by common agree
ment and after victory over the COM
mon enemy.
The parallel is not exact, but it is
close enough to give pause to Ger
many's sanguine confidence that she
has "the war won." While ENGLAND
holds the sea and Russia is unconquer-
ed" said Napoleon, "all that l have
lone is builded on the sand" Refec-
ton on this saying may well serve
to shake the Emperor Wilhclm's con-
,idence in the starof his destiny.
-U--