Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-02-01
HE SAYS BOTH SIDES
BLAMED UNITED STATES
Belligerents Told E. 7. Fell Ameri-
ca Was Prolonging War.
THINKS NATIONS DEADLOCKED.
AnnapOlitan Defends Henry Ford, in
Whose Party He d---Just
Back From Europe.

1oNh u AoA LutOpCs
But for the United States we would
have won the war some time ago. is
what partisans on both sides OF the Eu-
ropean struggle told Edgar T. Fell, son
of DR.. Thomas Fell. president of St
Johns College, and one OF the two
Maryland members of the Ford Peace
Expedition, who returned to his home
ON College Green Sunday morning. as
ststed in last nights Capital
Germans declare" said Mr.. Fell.
that but for the expectation OF muni-
tions by America, the Allies would
have been defeated. Englishmen. on
the other hand. say that they would
have starved Germany into submission
had not the protests OF the United
States prevented them from declaring
the absolute blockade which was at
first intended
Yet neither side, as far as / was
able to learn, hold any great resent
ment against this country The Ger
mans accept our expectation OF arms
as their misfortune. They say it is
hard luck for them that they cannot
purchase munitions here. but they do
not blame us for selling them. The
English also are inclined TO be anger
ed at Americas request regarding
shipping. They accept the fact that
we are not willing 10 allow the .abso-
lutte blockade as inevitable and part of
the game. That is the feature that
impressed me most about the war 1t
is that both sides are coming TO
regard it as a sort of game TO be play
ed, instead of a war / do not mean
that they regard the terrible casualties
lightly. but that they are coming to ac-
cept all the conditions of war as phil
osophically and as resignedly as if
they We're playing a game.
This situation surprised me very
much. expected to find both sides
bitter against us. Not only We're they
extremely fair regarding Americas
policies, but their bitterness toward
each other has simmered down to
remarkable degree / was in Europe
when war broke out, and at that time
the hatred was marked, but a great
deal ofIit is gone. This is attributable,
I believe, to the fact that everyone is
coming to realize that neither side car
crush the other They feel that no de-
cisive victory is possible for the arms
OF either, but that the game must be
played TO the end, wherever and what
ever the end is
1T is a deadlock and the leaders on
both sides are beginning TO think. But
how the deadlock win be broken is not
yet in sight. That is where Mr. Ford S
plan comes in He has not been pre-
sented fairly TO the American public,
and there is great deal in his plans
Notwithstanding the storms of ridi-
cule that have come his way. Out of
the trenches by Christmas was not Mr..
Fords idea nor his caption. 1t was
formulated by some of the more rad
ical peace propagandists and hung on
/ Mr.. Ford.
/ MIR. Fords idea briefly stated, is
/ constant mediation. He does not be-
! lieve that America can bring about
4 peace or that any nation can do il
alone His plan is TO have all neutrals
meet in court of mediation at The
4 Hague right now while the war is go-
ing ON and keep plugging away for
peace with all the influence that they
/ possess. Right now is the time foI
mediation, not when the war is over on
its own accord.
Mr. Ford saw enough t. realize the
deadlock and that all that is lacking
is an acceptable ground for peace. His
plan for constant mediation by join
court seems TO me TO be founded OF
common sense, This court will at leas
estb aahsilemsa NH
establish a means of communication
between the warning nations and offel
them a common ground for discussion
of petace terms"