New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-14
By LOUIS TRACY


.rs that fairly large section of the
40 which takes an intelligent interest
NH sfairs-must surely have noticed
- in the ocean OF talk about peace which
!. flowed through the columns of the
n,,sners during the last month there
=. hen 2 marked absence of any tidal
rent setting in from Allied sources.
~. countries I'm arms against Germany
-, scokcn once. and with breyity Their
Nv vas obviously the outcome Of re-
- Cor we'll meaning neuvrals alone
T.,. !, no. that the United States, Swift
lend Holland and some Of the Scanol-
..L,n nations made inquiries on their
~ account. Germany's blatant protesta-
s.r, Of peaceful intent would have met
I'm the silent scorn which such clumsy
,.,,ies invited. The front rank statesmen
= Britain. France, Russia and Italy have
,bsr said nothing or contented them
.Ly,. with a few trenchant comments
,b,cb showed how far from their thoughts
r,,srv notion Of compromise. The same
,,reiple breathes through their collective
r.,,npces in the Allied note and their
;,sIdual statements of opinion. 1t is
lar and final. There can be no peace
mil Germany is beaten to her knees.s
INV. there are two schools Of well
5i,nosed critics who, standing aloof from
\. war. advance solid reasons for the
.,Hsf that the time for discussing peace
!, here and now. The first of these are
he pacifsts pure and simple. They abhor
var. They see, as they imagine, the
,,tons Of Europe bleeding TO death, and
bsy hold that any inquiry into the causes
q the war should be either ignored alto
,stber or wholly subordinated to some
hrice.blessed scheme which would silence
he guns and stop the carnage. The sec
md school is composed of close reasoning
Military observers, who are persuaded that
he antagonists have reached a stalemate
N the field, a position in which neither
t6e can win outright, but which ccnnotes
ueless maneuvring with equally useless
asses in men and material purpose
sesynv With the pacifsts first, and would
hers interpolate the somewhat daring
dam that my comments represent the
views Of 80 per cent Of the people Of
Great Britain
The Poison of War
We. then, a nation of shopkeepers, who
wanted no war. feel that rigid inquiry
into the causes Of the war is the very
essence and marrow Of the peace negotia-
tons which must come some day. WEI
believe with a passionate intensity Of con-
yicton that a coterie of Prussian Junkers
forced this tragedy on humanity to justify
half-demented dream of world domin-
iOn We believe that these jackpot phi
losophers began by poisoning the minds OF
peace loving and industrious race with
noxious mixture Of envy and ambition,
and, having inoculated the millions with !
their fantastic theories, proceeded to put
INTO dreadful practice the notions which |
zane men and women of other races had
merely heard and read of previously with
sort Of amused skepticism. We believe
nat the criminals who prepared and used
this virus on the body polite Of Germany
should be judged and punished for their
Gne. Just as any set of miscreants who
vhully and knowingly introduced the
germ Of typhoid into the milk supply of
community would he hunted with merci- .
h% severity and treated as mUrderers
When discovered, so must the authors and
PRIME agents of the Prussian military I
system be brought Ito the bar of justice
snc tried for the manifold offences they
rave committed against the laws of God
gao man, So, in a sentence, | affirm most
'0lsmnly that British public opinion will
eatlsfed with no settlement which does
'o' bring about the condign punishment
G he men who caused this war. That is
wy the pacilsts are utterly mistaken in
Trying peace which shall treat as
'glgibls the question of responsibility
''' the war. II any British statesman,
Isdng to momentary folly or craven
"~ o. further sacrifices, made such |
"sgeEtioa to his fellow countrymen he
'0uld either be thrown from Office in
soonlny OF hanged from lamp post by
"se revolutionaries.
am not giving a misleading estimate
" men and affairs at home When, early
december, Mr. Asquiths ministry
.'Oke 10 pisces, and the London CORE
'V'aoents Of all the New York newspapers
gre prophesying the defeat Of M. Lloyd
e"ges efforts to put more ginger into
y, conduct Of the war, / wrote to The
.loure on December (the letter was
.s'lShed on December o. telling the
Spe OF America that the energetic
,AhfnAn was undoubtedly the one and
j! man in whom the people Of Britain
SEQ their full and free confidence I
e mat evidence now in support Of the
'Sm That what 7 u,rita 10 dow rarvooorts |