The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-13
'GERMAHY'S FINAL FATAL
BlOAOER IS DESCRIBED
BY ROBERT BlATcHF0RO
Provoking of War With America De-
Clarcd by English Writer to he
Tragetly's Last Act.
HAS NO PROPER ESTIMATE
OF AMERICAS POWER
Exagg Grated Idea of U-Boats' Enec-
tivcnc~s Leads Teutonic Powers to
Feel They Can Throw American
Friendship to the Winds.

impiacablc Fighting Men of
America is the last fatal biunder
of the Germans. Robert Blatch-
( ford.
( From its exclusive news sources in
1 London the International News Ser
vice has obtained the following article
( by Robert Blatchford. English writer
and socialist. which typifies the Eng
/ lish attitude toward Americas entry
into the struggle and also gives an
/ idea OF the bitterness and scorn which
, English publicists give vent at the
German policy Of unrestricted sub
marine warfare.)
I BY ROBERT BLATCHFORD.
/ Copyright 1917, by International
News Service.)
| America in a war with Germany
does not need formidable fleet OF
monster dreadnoughts. What she
needs 10 a feet of swift armed boats
and cruisers. She has the skill and
means to build such an armada before
the Germans can cause us serious In
convenience, let alone starve US.
She can raise and train and arm q
force of two or three million soldiers
in few months. She can pour mu-
nitions. money. food supplies. or
troops into Europe or Asia In de-
tiance of the German fleet. She can
tighten the grip of the blockade
against the central powers and break
the back OF Turkey across her knee.
All this and more she can do II the
Germans are such fools as to goad
her into doing IL She will, II she Is
forced to fight, do more than her
enemies dream OF or she herself
imagines
Germany's Fatal Blunder.
This wanton provocation OF Amer
lea Is the last and fatal blunder of
the Germans.
If America goes to war with Ger
many It will be because Germany has
left no other course open to her.
America has strained her patience
to the utmost limit. She has over
looked outrage. iuplicity and insult
There Is not a little OF valid reason
why Germany should force America
into war; but neither was there any
valid reason for her unprovoked as
sault on Belgium.
Not Britain, not France. not Rus
STA, would in Germany's present po-
sition have cast about to make enc
mics OF the American people. What
can be the Germans object; what do
they expect or hope from this des-
perate act OF folly?
Before we can hazard a guess we
must remember we are dealing with
the peculiarities of the Germans We
must look for a German reason from
German point OF view.
/ To begin with, we must count out
all considerations OF right and wrong;
ideas of justice, of decency, OF hui
mainly and law do not go In Ger
! n IN n t,v
which does not seem Ito them) to
promise success: they will do anything
which seems Ito them) likely to lead
! to victory.
/ In adopting the campaign of sub
marine ruthiessness, the German pa
pers tell us, the war lords of the Ger
mans had considered all possible con-
sequences. One of the possible con-
sequences was the declaration OF war
by America. That they were decided
to face as the lesson Of two evils, II
It must be faced.
Didn't Believe Britain Would Fight
Now let us seek help from recent
history When the hour struck for
Germany's attack on Europe in July
1914, Germany had all her plans ready
and she did not believe that Great
Britain would fight. When they drop
ped the mask however. and found
Great Britain resolute, they did no.
draw back. why did they not draw
back?
The answer To that question will
Why have they risked war with
America?
The Germans knew that France was
not ready and could not be ready ir
they knew that Russia was not ready;
they believed that the British colonies
would fall away. that there would he
civil war in Ireland that there were
labor troubles and Socialist troubles
in Great Britain, that we had only q
contemplate little army" and that
I our navy might fall n prey to their
! submarines.
"What Can England Do?"
Let us go on. IT Is now or never
What can England dor" was abou,
what the Germans thought at the be-
ginning OF August. 1914 II is pretty
much what they are thinking nov n
1917 with regard 10 the hostility OF
America. To put II more cr1ldely and
more plainly the Germans exaggerate
the powers OF their submarines and
despise the naval and military forces
Of America. They hone TO dupe Amer
lea as they hoped in 1914 to dupe
( Great Britain, but failing that they
( iili~dltbidit american power as tHeN
mtscalculated British power
IF we understand that the Germans
ere blinded by conceit or maddened
! by rage and are prone to commit the
! binder common TO all hullies OF mis-
taking forehearance for timiditv. then
we shall heein to understand this last
I fatal error OF their insolent and stupid
/ diplomacy
what then. is the German point of
view? In effect they say:
"TnrestrfCted submarine warfare on
he high seas is a matter OF life and
death for MS. If we cannot starve the
british We ar beaten. If America goes
/ "a war so he It. War with America
does not mean as much to us as the
crippling of our submarine activity.
What can America do?"
There 1t would appear. lies the ex-
rlanation OF an act OF apparent. mad
dness. What does America matter?
No country matters that is not arm
ed Such is the mind Of the Germans.
Suvh Ia the explanation of their last
and fatal hlunder,
All VIII Unite.
There are two Very evident facts
about the Americans which no Ger
man statesman or general can recog-
nize. The first is that the Americans
ere a virile and Implacable lighting
race; the second - that in America 8
Il II. a