Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-11-22
KAISER HAS RUSSIANS
where HE WANTS THEM

WtIeIleI NC w AIN y 0cW
Paris (by mailD.-The kaiser and his
fellow conspirators are at this moment
preparing to launch against the allies
the subtlest. bat at the same time most
powerful blow since the original one
struck in the summer of 1914.
The fall of Riga marked the begin
ming of the downward swing. The coll
lapse OF Russia leaves the way clear.
Only by the cleverest work on the part
OF the remainder of the allies can the
blow be parted, for it is now practical
ly certain that what Wilhelm ii and his
junkers aim at is nothing less than en-
listing, by a crafty stroke. the public
opinion In allied nations to bring about
what they desire.
And what they desire, in one word, is
peace.
Such is the meaning of the Russian
debacle.
On its face the proposition appears
not only supremely impudent. BUT i'm
possible. In reality 1t may be very sim
pile. The intellectuale in Russia feared
this thing before the Car Nicolas alb
dictated his throne. For a moment it
seemed that the new democracy might
ward off the danger. Then chaos came
and opened wide the door, leaving the
great emperor repulbiic-absolutely
~ NAN ~ VI IiSk ~ oIiA lIlt
dentally brought to the allies as a
whole the greatest danger they have
had to face since the start of the war.
Before Christmas the kaiser is al
most sure to pose again as the ono
great apostle of peace. He will try to
expense of Russia, and the Balkans
OF that l am convinced after l
heard in Russia and amongst Scan
dinavian neutrals. His offer of peace
will be the most velvety thing ever
seen, the c%unningest piece of Machiav-
elism that was ever put forth to trap
less wary souls.
The next few weeks will see Prussia
reaping in Russia the harvest for which
She has been preparing intensively fo1
years and more especially since 1914.
This country OF 100000 people is
now threatened with complete oper
subjugation to her southern neighbof
of az, 900, 900 who has had her in more
or less secret ~subjugation for scores
of years. When the kaiser has Russis
just where he wants her, his peace bid
will come.
The bid to be expected will fall upon
the world about like this:
"What an awful. awful thing this
war" the kaiser will say. Il have
never wanted it. From the very first.
1t has made my heart bleed to see the
flower of the worlds youth march
away to battle. to become mere can
non fodder. Why. oil why, can't we get
together and stop all this slaughter?
l grieve for the French II the British
and the Italians. who have die in this
horrible war. And Door Belgium and
Serbia and Rumania! How deeply l
pity them.
Some figure, strength
ened by Almighty God. and armed with
q sense of righteous duty. must offer
himself as a sacrifice. 1 am that man.
Speaking for my noble people. 1 am
willing to give up ~conQuests, Won by
the steel-hard will to victory of my
brave soldiers to pave the road tc
peace. / will even give i~ndemnities.'
In short. the kaiser is Likely to offel
to Weldon paper and apparently
practically everything England. France
Italy. America and the rest are fight
ing for in order to put an end to 6
war which slowly but surely, is stran'
Cling the life out of the central empires
He is likely to put his peace proposal!
in such a pious and sanctimonious ligh'
that the great public of the world may
be. for a time. absolutely taken in.
He is counting on the public failin:
to recognize that Germany has Bull
garia and Turkey absolutely under he
thumb; that Austria has become a vas
sal state; that Germany will deman,
all her colonies bac in return for get
ting out Of france and Belgium.
Such a peace would mean that Ser
bia n Rumania would come out of tn
war entirely at the mercy of the cen
trail powers. Any treaties signed by tn
present German government would no
be worth the paper upon which the.
were written and "a world made SAT
for democracy" and all UGH phrases
would still be as sounding brass. AM
last of all, Russia is under the Ger
man thumb. Summed up. German,
would come u of the wal mightie
than yer, her prestige higher. Whel
she threatened the world would trem
BILE. Her navy would be intact and
new merchant fleet added to what i
left Of the old would place her far an,
away ahead of all other countries il
the sea borne trade.
The kaiser is counting on the presen
Russian situation to pave the way 70
him to yield on the western front We
make a big coup in the east. Thi
subtle blow must be watched for an
countered. The peace-at-any-pricer
and war-wearies i'm allied countrie
have given him his cue. 1t is up to tn
public rather more than the govern
ment to Illustrate him.