The Washington herald., 1917-02-04

AAac AOSls tANtPllll5 fOldHu, WHICH Is
remain kingdom and to have its boun-
daries settled at the peace conference.
Germany probably will not yield Posen.
without which a complete Poland is i'm
possible. but possibly part of Galicia
might be given up. Germany will not
object to the ''reconstitution'' of Serbia,
Montenegro and Rumania, and is will
ing to compel Turkey to make some ar
rangement guaranteeing free outlet
through the Straits to Russia: possibly
naturalization of the Straits. though not
Constantinople. might be granted.
Part of Alsace, though under no cir
cumstances the iron ore fields of Lor-
raine in the district between Verdun and
Metz, might be surrendered to France;
Italy would obtain the Trentino and the
line of the Isonzo, while as a final con-
cession to end the war it is regarded
as possible that Count Andrassy's sug-
gestion might be adopted and the Aus
trisn province of the Bukowina given to
Russia as compensation for the loss of
Poland, and perhaps even Trieste to
Italy.
Germany. consenting to such terms as
these, on paper. is displaying unheard of
generosity, There is no attempt to deny
in London that the terms suggested ap-
pear to mean the remuneration of all
aggressive territorial designs; more than
that, they are such that each of the
great allied powers could claim taht it
had won the war. defeated its enemies,
secured the objects for which 1t went
to war. Germany, on paper, gains moth
ing; Austria loses a great deal.
'tWhy, then" American opinion seems
to ask, will you not accept such pro-
posaIs, or at least meet around a green
table and discuss them? If you insist
on fighting. knowing that you can OBJ
tain such terms as these, can you deny
that you are fighting for revenge and
to crush Germany? Because if You are.
our political ideals forbid us to go on
sending you the raw materials you need
to carry on your campaigns, especially
as our Industries are being starved be-
cause we need them, and our people are
going hungry because you are taking
the food from their mouths for your
armies
Diplomatic reasons prevent a straight
forward answer. but the statesmen of
the entente would like to shout the
answer so loud that every American
would hear it and remember it. The
answer is, Because If we made peace on
those terms or terms even more liberal,
the Germans would have won the war;
This statement would not have been
true II peace had been offered upon such
terms in the first winter; it would have
been partially true year ago; I believe
it Is wholly true today.
The war waged by the entente is a
war for the preservation OF the balance
of power in Europe. There was a certain
balance between the rival groups of
powers in 1914 That balance was dis
turbed by the Austrian attmept to get
control over Serbia. where Russian IN
luence was supreme. A successful war
against Serbia would give Austria. and
through Austria Germany. predominance
in the Balkans, because both Turkey and
Bulgaria already were affiliated with the
Teutonic group. Russia went to war to
prevent this. 1t is probably true that
Russia designed in the event of victory
to upset the balance of power herself
and enforce such terms as would make
her supreme on the continent, but France
and England would not consider that
danger at the time. They were compelled
to come into the war to defeat Germany
and prevent Germany from dominating
Europe and the world. If Russia won
such victories that she took Germany s
place as the danger to the balance Of
power that meance could be dealt with
later.
German plans in the West have been
foiled although the Kaiser holds much
territory. But the Germany military sue
cesses in the East have resulted in a Gen.
trail European block which will outlast
the war unless the German armies are
crushed. Austro-Hungarian defeats COM
PEELED Vienna to beg for German generals
and German troops. They came and de-
feat was turned into victory. Austria
has not won a single important battle
against Russia by herself; with German
aid, she has not lost one. Turkey saw
this process going on in 1915, and per-
nitted Germany to control ner armies
and her policy, because German help
meant success. Bulgaria came into the
war and submitted herself to the same
process for the same reason.
Germany now controls Austria-Hun-
-ary. Turkey and Bulgaria absolutely.
through the prestige won by her victories
and her organizing ability. The peoples
of those backward countries have no de-
sire to emancipate themselves from Ger
man control. because Germany will gov
ern them better than they can govern
themselves. and they know this. Some
measure of internal liberty they will de-
mand, and doubtless receive. Germany's
control of the East is based on prestige.
The behavior of Greece is an object les
son. When Serbia was attacked, the
fate of Belgium and the German victories
over Russia. combined with the King s
influence, kept Greece out of the war.
Fear kept Greece neutral, although Vent
zelos wanted war, and his partisans were
in the majority. The country wavered.
but the King had his way. Since that
time. Rumania came in and has been
destroyed. It is beyond question that
Constantine must have the bulk of his
people hack OF him now, or he could not
withstand such pressure as he has been
subjected to. His people, so great is
their terror of Germany since Rumania
fell, would rather starve under a block
sde than suffer the fate they are sure
is in store for them IL they challenge
the omnipotent legions of Hindenburg.
And so Germany loses nothing by Offer
ing today to restore Serbia and Rumania
No diplomat in Europe would deny that
nothing, not even hate, could prevent
those countries from being attracted into
the Germapic group after the conclusion
of peace. They would fall into the lap of
Central Europe like ripe plums. For, as
the prestige of Germany has scared in
the East, so has that of Russia declined
The small nations that believed before
the war in the future of Pan-Slavism
and looked to Russia to protect them
against Germany could have no such IL
lustions II peace were concluded before
the allies succeed in destroying German
prestige by routing her enemies.
Nor are the small Balkan states the
only ones that would inevitably be
drawn into the Germania eroup. II Is