Evening journal., 1917-10-05
THE ONLY WAY
lFrom De New York Trlbunel.

The retirement OF the German sug-
gestion Of a willingness TO evacuate
Belgium. even with guarantees" Of
their own making, should serve as a
final demonstration TO the people Of
the nations at war OF what Germany
is trying 10 do. German chances Of
winning the war by her armies have
gone forever. German victory procured
by the submarine has been postponed
indefinitely. There is left to Germany
now only the possibility Of manipu-
latng peace propaganda through the
world before the next campaign, II she
is TO avoid decisive defeat.
The German purpose is 10 use peace
sentiment, which exists In all the civil
llzed countries Of the world-a senti-
ment growing out OF the natural hor-
ror OF the brutallties and the waste of
war-as a means Of breaking down the
will OF the nations in arms against her
and leaving her in possession Of con-
siderable portion OF the booty she has
acquired by the foulest means ever
employed by a modern nation.
The truth is that those who control
Germany cannot make peace without
victory. Any other peace would seal
their doom. They would have to con-
front people four million OF whose
manhood had been either killed or per-
manently crippled whose future at
home had been burdened BY colossal
debts and whose future abroad had
been destroyed by crimes like those
which have reused the United States,
Argentina, the people OF North and
South America, Of Australia and the
Far East.
A peace based on the status quo
ante, a peace without indemnity or an
nexation, would mean the death of that
military and autocratic party which
controls Germany. Therefore the Ger
man rulers Will not under any circum-
stances make peace on such terms
they will, however, use all peace dis
cussions all over the world TO forward
their own aims and their own ends
by Offering and Withdrawing one sug-
gestion after another, as in the case
OF Belgium recently.
The American people, like those Of
the Allied countries, should recognize
the fact that until the German army is
defeated the German government will
make no peace which does not carry
with IL a present German victory and
a future German peril. Until the mill
tary prestige and power Of the army
are broken all talk Of peace will sim
ply serve TO strengthen the German
army and to perpetuate its control in
Germany by weakening the forces ar
rayed against It on the battlefield
Terrible as is the prospect. there is
no chance Of peace in this world which
can be permanent, which can be toler-
able, which does not carry with it the
absolute and unmlstakable defeat OF
German armies, with the consequent
shattering Of the legend OF German
military invincibility, already broken
in fact on all the battlenelds of West
ern Europe. Another year of war, with
two million more casualties inflicted
upon the Germans, with those defeats
which are inevitable next year in view
Of German numbers, morale and ma
teral, is the cheapest possible price
by which civilization can win its vic
tory over barbarism and the world
put a term to the German threat.
The good people, the well-inten-
toned people, all who are now talking
about peace in America serve German
ends. Thousands Of them do It will
no thought Of rendering such service
other thousands do IL because their al
legiance Is TO the Kaiser rather thar
20 the country In which they live; bu
I the effect Of the actions Of both is tn
same. Could those honest people II
| America who are talking about peac
| know what the German thing is in fac
/ they would he silancpd forever Ger
many's greatest advantage lies in the