Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-12-06

! their act.
More and more the war is becoming
a battle for supremacy in the Bal
kans. Germany is ready to consent to
the evacuation OF Belgium. Some
months & she was demanding all
sorts Of guarantees against this en-
slavement OF Belgium by the French
and British. This set OF demands is
disappearing. Until recently Poland
was to be partitioned between Austria
and Germany on lines suggesting The
division which preceded the Napoleonic
turmoil; now Poland is to be restored,
rather roughly, to be sure, but restored,
not annexed.
Hereafter Germany can find Il way to
reconcile her demands both in The east
ana IN the west, if necessary. There
remains the south, Tie Balkans. IL she
can keep the road open to Constanti-
nople N Asia Minor. she can afford
to make some sacrifices and run some
risks. She will thus insure the exist
ence of a central European state, now
filling the press of the empire. Ger
many, Austria-Hungary. Serbia, Al
banla, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey.
with Greece as a future possibility
this is the aim. To it Poland ON the
east and Belgium on the west may be
added, or Belgium and Poland may be
temporarily sacrificed, to insure the re-
aliZation of the main dream. 1t will be
possible to add to the main structure
later, il the main structure ever gets
built and stands four square on it's
foundations.
A good deal of discussion may be
heard nowadays, much solemn dispu-
tation as to whether the war will be
decided in the east or the west. The
fact is that Germany has won the main
prize of the war in the south. She can't
surrender it without abandoning her
allies and her future: her enemies can't
permit her to hold 1t without abandon
ing their allies, importing their future
ana permitting to endure Il European
empire more menacing to European in
dependence than were those of Napo-
leon or Louis XIV.
There will be no peace until the Bal-
Kan question is settled, and l do not
believe that there will be any peace
untll the German road to CONSTANT
nople is cut by the restoration of Ser
bia or a prolongation of the war
through several more years leads to ex-
haustion. If Germany's foes are ex-
hausted first. she will then keep her
road to the east and retain the place
IN the sun which she has fought for.
But If She loses the road to the east. 1
do not believe peace will be long in
coming, because there will be nothing
lett worth fighting for, since the allies
nave Ion ago recognized that Germany
cannot be destroyed in this war.
ls looking for peace in her
Belgian proposal and for recruits in
her Polish plan. She will probably
make little progress in either venture.
but both show new conditions-the n
mental and the other physical. Like
Napoleon, the kaiser is finding the bust
ness OF conquering n ruling Europe
frightfully expensive in lives, and like
Napoleon he is looking for enlistments
wherever he can buy them. But it was
With French armies that Napoleon con-
quered Europe. armies that he inherited
from the revolution; his Saxon. Ba-
varian and Prussian regiments desert
ed in their turn and the mass of the
Polish people did not rally to him, be-
cause. like the kaiser, he Offered Poland
only a minor fraction of independence.
That portion of the German public
which is against a %prolongation of the
war for the purpose of annexation, may
be temporarily silenced by the con
cessions in Belgium and Poland, but,
however effective as a domestic soda
tive, these policies will not convince the
enemies of Germany nor much con.
tribute to peace.