Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-12-20
By FRANK H.. SlMONDS.
AUTHOR or THE GREAT WAR"
(The New York rrihucel

where more marked than in America.
An Berlin The German chancellor. speak
ing with The Rumanitn success in full
view. AS he spoke viii. the conquest of
Serbia in sight Just a year ago. de-
clared tina Germany was ready for
peace with s~ui;aplc guarantees. but
what those guarantees might hc re-
mains a matter 81 conjecture. OF CON
lecture not helped by the ,.eiy wide
divergence q. German views revealed
IN the German press.
As far rs ihu allied nations AZ. con
cernrt Nc knoM certain things ard are
permitted 10 suspect others. We knoW
that our own government has the best
OF Information to lead it To believe that
France and Great Britain would rcgard
AS al u~riticndlN act any proifer of
mediaiorN services now. We know
that Tn" press, the public men. the mass
of the people of France and of Great
Britain are resolved to go forward ito
carry on" MS the British phrase is. and
We know that Il recent change in min
lstfy in Russia has been recognized all
o..r The world as Il triumph of those
liberal and national forces in the duTna
which are determined to go on with
the war.
As 10 Germany ami her .,liics. largely
through German aims and wholly
through German .ene,alsiiip glcN have
just o Il considerable victory in Ru-
mania. a victory which must ,lissipate
any i"Ss II 81 tlc summer ana re-
new confidence in ultimate victory.
WEAKNESS of the war-sucll us we hear
OF Naeuei.--haS not, on any reliable
testimony available. reached a point
where the German people are ready or
w1llac to Submit 20 terms dictated by
Their foes nor 10 the German people
conceive that such an outcome of the
war IS possible.
Actually. then. wc are no nearer an
agreement between the c%ontending
forces tfis,n we We're one or two years
ago After two years OF unprecedented
waste and suffering neither of the
great alliances mas Won anything that
approaches II decisive victory. Save
Tor the tiny coriier of the continental
battlefield which is Eunania. a condi-
ton OF deadlock exists everywhere. and
neither alliance shows even the IRE
liminaTy signs OF exhaustion.
Peace could only come if one side
Were conquered. il the approach OF eX-
maj stion exercised II decisive Influence
upon one contestant ttlat is. one al
liance9s ii laIis. If both alliances were
convinced that Il clear victory was inn
possible and that no reward oommen-
kurate with the cost of continued con-
illct WIS at;alrabie- To put il an
other WHY, ,here is no Sedan. there has
been no sicis development in any of
the great powers as led Austria to WELD
to Frederick The Great in the first
SilcSian Waf. and there Is Vet no such
(. general condition as obtained in the
Closing years of the war OF the Spanish
Succession.
III "a word. all tie great nations that
are lighting are still in The mood of
Jelly. 1854. they are prepared to fight
rather thar tn surrender anything of
the essential points for which the
Were prepared Is months ago TO draw
the sword. wv snail see. as we pro-
coed in this study. that the issue re-
ms tllc the game ~ AN fttn now IJ1nctfnnc
that have arisen since The war opened
have not obscu1'ed the original queS-
ton. the peace OF the world still re-
mains locked up in the fate and indie
pendence of Serbia. and Germany and
Russia. the great rivals in the east. are !
in nowise prepared to quit the field.
Peace is Impossible because no one is
beaten. because neither alliance is sat
isfied that IL cannot win and because
each alliance can find in past and pres
emit conditions sufficient evidence to
confirm its belief that real victory is
possible and peace on present condi-
tiC1S q mere guarantees of subsequent
hostilities.
And on Whit iasis could peace be
made now? Would Germany and her
allies consent to return to the status
Quu ante. To the condition of July. 1914?
Would Germany. and her allies consent
to ".acils1e belgium. northern France
Poland. LithnaniA, Serbia? Would they
consent to. the restoration of Belgium
and Serbia: would they accep the old
Frontiers and the. old periis without a.y
return for their gigantic sacrifices?
This is untllinIable..
Conversely. would the French, the
British and h Russians consent to
peace an the basis of two years ago?
Would france put aside forever the
dream OF the Lost Provinces? 2" Would
Britain agree. to return the colonies
she has conquered? Would Italy give
over the hopes of Trieste and the Tren-
tho? Would Russia surrender her best
ha1ce to get COnstantinople, a chance
supported by Britain and France? This.
too, is inconceivable. No one can
know French Or. British sentiment at
this hour who believes that such All
accommodation is today conceivable.
yhe Germans. AS all their public and
official statements show, believe that
they nave won the war. To support
this view they point to the long list Of
their victories and to the vast extent
of he territory they have occupied.
They assert that the. last summer has
proved That their western line cannot
be pierced, While their Rumanian VIC
tory has demonstrated that the still
AVE sufficient man power to meet new
Toes and win new victories. They seem
honestly to believe that this fact is
reconized By their opponents, but that
the statement of the. opposing countries
wickedly compel their peoples to go
forward.
But the French and the British. reas-
on quite differently. They believe that
even the limited successes of this sum-
s1H1er demonstrate that the German
armies in the west can be beaten. They
reason tllatstlley are already superior in
1lulnbers, guns; and m-unitionment; they
point to tile lessons OF the wars Of
Louis XIV and 81 Napoleon. Ger
many and her allies have never won