New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-12
THE WRITING on THE wall
A German Invasion of the United e..
Predicted When Peace Is Made IN r..
To the Editor Of The Tribune.


Sir; "A German was arrested tn.h,.
map Of the Remington Arms and Ammp,,s
Company"
Germany refuses 10 consider the ma
Of 3 league TO enforce peace until att, -
war"
When will we realize that the day Gem.
signs a peace protocol she will bs fra ~
the possibility of invasion by any irs. 49,
power and can therefore send her -,
army and navy TO America TO pull the enis.'
chestnuts out of the fire for the yieto,,.s--
but bankrupt Allies? She cannot pay an -.
quate indemnity unless she collects 1. L..
and the Allies, knowing this, will REM,
strictly neutral, as they naturally must Il
less they consider the peace treaty -
of paper. What are the arguments ay,,,..
this
Cd Germany will BIS too sxhaustss :.
fight u.s. History unfortunately tells n.
nation is never more ready or better ahls !.
fight than Immediately after war. eve,
disastrous one such as Bulgaria's against "A.
other Balkan states. Little Serbia, altar !,
hausting wars against Turkey and BulsaI,
was able to defeat the Austrian Empirs a..
was only finally overcome by two emuin,
and a kingdom. We ourselves after a.
Civil War dictated 10 Napoleon III, and i
obeyed us, as we were the strongest n.u.
afoat and ashore. After the dsastrou, W.,
Of 1912, when 5000 British regulars dete.,s
20 900 militia and burned our Capitol (xis
the mechanization of war not nearly TN
lproportion would be needed) we cheerful,
went to war with Tripoli.
(2) Germany cannot land an army hers.
The British were able 20 make two LANDING,
on the Gallipoli Peninsula against an enen,
too strong for them 70 defeat. have see.
the photograph of the largest ship in The
world. that Germany is finishing, which will
supplement her other transports which ara
waiting at Hoboken and elsewhere.
go England would not permit the land.
ing of an army here for fear Canada min,
be invaded" With Germany helplcs. and
the Kaiser in their power the Alliss will
have sufficient guarantees that Germany Will
carry out the peace terms without making
further trouble for them.
(D Germany will have TO give up bar
fleet" The Allies will doubtlessly insist on
this, but Germany would rather have II sunk
fighting the British than hand ID over ntac.
The terms naturally would be 20 dispose o,
it, As she could not hope 10 sell Il IN 4
week or even month, she probably will Be
given a year, which is quite long enough for
her 20 defeat the American navy, overrun cur
country Judging from the speed she wen,
through Belgium and sail away with The
prosperity of this and future generation.
! 90 "Our navy would be victorious" Ii,
German navy (outside of the submarines) /,
useless, as it is only half as strong as the
British navy. Our navy is only one-third a.
strong as Germany's.
/ If any one can find flaw in this argumen.
| shall be truly grateful, as | see little hope
that America will not pay for the present
war with her blood and treasure and, worst
of all. with the honor OF many Of her women.
Germany has no reason to show US more
consideration than she did Belgium and needs
no better excuse 10 destroy Us.
What. then. can we do to be saved? Il !,
too late to build navy larger than Ger.
manys before the probable end Of the war.
see two ways:
To declare war against the country that
has been sinking our ships, destroying our
factories and numbering our citizens on land
and sea. and breaking all the laws OF The
Hague Convention, TO which We subscribed.
We would not suffer much more than japan
as troops are not put into the trenches nov
until they have had one year Of intensive
training and we might hope 70 win the var
before then by making it hopeless for Ger
many. We would release the British var
vessels watching our coasts, and by adding
our own would practically eliminate me SUD
marine peril by furnishing conveys for msi.
chant vessels, to which, b. the way, would
be added the German tonnage IN our pofS'
We could safely arm these with all but ne
largest guns from our forts, as we woud
have nothing to fear during the war and me
Allies will protect each other after II Is
over.
By universal service Of every boy dannf
/ his eighteenth year with the colors army
and navy under professional officers, WIN
small standing army to take care Of large
increase of war material, such as msenihs
guns, heavy and light artillery, motor tractors
and. above all, aeroplanes, without when ah
army is blind. With boys constantly joining
on their seventeenth birthday and gong on ,
reserve list on their eighteenth We WIN 81
WAYS have an army large enough to diseouf'
age a landing and reserve power even.
tualy that will make invasion too h'pels'
20 be tried.
have a boy who may have TO risk ms ne
in time. to afford protection TO his mona
and sister, and | ask that he be gwen Wv
best chance Of never having TO hght. VINCE
would be under system Of uniyersa, .s'"
ing. SCHUYLER SChlLf Sbi,
Major n. G. n. Y, Lieutenant u ,. ""
unteers, 1898.
New York, Jan. p, 1917.