Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-08-07
The KaiSer's American Friends.

W PS~~S
Wv snuff. which it does very solemnly at rather
frequent intervals for political effect at
home the Kaisers friends this side of the water
fall TO sneezing Let us cease our preparations,
they virtually say, abandon the plan of sending
formidable army to France, annul the Selective
Draft law, and while chanting that valorous song'
81 Didn't Raise My Boy to Be Soldier, join the
HohenzolIern autocracy in its move for an 1mme-
diate truce. This seems highly edifying, no doubt
to persons like Senator LaFolette and Mistress EN-
ma Goldman but to the rank and file OF Amer
leans it is fstiguing in the extreme
Anyone who is not positively Prussianized or
hppeIessIy befuddIed can see the trickery in Ger
mauv's peace suggestions at this juncture. Con-
slider their source and their circumstances. They
come from a ruthless despotism which set out TO
conquer Europe preparatory to conquering the
world and which, as the war map now stands, mas
accomplished a very considerable part OF Its pur-
pose II is worthy Of note in this connection that
on the day following Chancellor Michaelis's recent
statement denuncing what he termed frances
.lust of conquest" and piously proclaiming the
Justice" of the Kaisers DEFENSIVE war" the
German press was boasting of the great sweep of
Allied territory now under the German sword.
saThe following" said the Berlin Tageblatt, of
fers an approximate picture of the area OF occu-
MED territory which is held by the military forces
of the Central Powers. measured in square Kill
ometers:
Belgium. 2SsSs; France, 1920; Russia,
2ss4sO: Rumania. 100 900; Serbia, S5,S67;
= MONTENEGRO, 14,1SO; Albania, 10000; total,
[ss4f3T This is opposed by 900 square Kill
ometers held by the French and 25,5OO square
kiIometers of Austro-Hungarian- territory In
Russian possession. But the latter figure has
been diminished by fully sixty per cent, and is
likely to fall away entirely in the near future
There We have the present results of the Kali
ser's DEFENSIVE" war; and there we have an
explanation of Germanys eagerness to talk peace.
The attitude and the motive OF the German
monoarchy is precisely that of a band OF outlaws
who having taken a peaceful community unpre-
uared to fight, and having slain and plundereo
and outraged to their hearts content, declare as
thew see the forces Of law and justice rallying'
that they are ready for a friendly settlement
Picture the German mitarists. their hands drip
ping with the blood of slaughtered children, their
lips sneering at the anguish and shame OF women
Victims picture these savages saying to civiliza-
ton I'VE are willing to let you alone Cuntil 1t
pleases us to assail you AGAIN.. provided we may
dictate the terms of settlement and keep lions
portion of our loot" That is the gst OF the Ger
man peace talk to which newspapers of certain
streak and politicians of certain bias are lending
their voices.
The United States is not to be tricked into any
that would leave German militarism virtually tri-
umphant or at least as powerful as when it pre-
cfpftated this war would be betrayal of the high
est trust ever committed to American arms. We
have the strength to press this war to just con-
cIusion and to wrest from its hell the benson of
enduring peace. We have the unspeakably glo-
rfous chance to vindicate humanity against bar
barism and make the world forever safe for de-
mocraey. We have the occasion and the means
e
autocracy against our shores and to save
. American homes from the Prussian brutality that
left fair Belgium bleeding and broken. Who that
Is worthy of freemans birthright would fall
ter in this heroic mission?
The American people neither such fools nor
cravens as to turn back at this juncture from the
grim but glorious task that involves their liberty
and all else that gives DEAFNESS and nobility to
> ife They know that their country will never be
safe and the world never durahly peaceful until
Prussian outIawry is crushed. They entered this
war with conviction and with purpose which
they have no thought Of abandoning.
$ As with Americans in general, so with Geor
gfans particularly. This good Commonwealth has
many thousands OF her sons in the Regular Army
the National Guard, the Navy, the Marine Corps.
the Engineers and divers other branches OF the
service. According to conservative estimates, up
wards of twelve thousand volunteers from the
flower of our young manhood have Joined the col
ors and thousands more stand ready under the
Selective Draft TO reinforce those who have gone
ahead Occasionally. it is true. discordant echo
will break in upon our loyal councils, bidding our
young men follow their fears instead of their
nag and proposing to stop the we'll advanced plan
for sending aid and support to those of our boys
who already at the battlefront and those who
soon will be on the way. But such echoes count
for as little in Georgia in the coutry at large
The rank and file of our people, undeceived by
German peace talk and unimpressed by political
claptrap, are standing squarely behind the Gov
ernment sauarey behind the Georgians and
Americans who are tenting in France, squarely
Behind the principles that have made their nation
nd Eanf Z free