The Washington herald., 1917-02-20
German Reaction.

days. Grim-visaged war broods over
the White House one day like
dread specter; the next luminous
rainbow breaks through the black
clouds, and Mars ceases to thunder.
1t is growing to be regular per-
Torrance. If it were not based on
something beyond the public ele-
mentS involved in the equation it
would seem quite silly and grotesque.
The fact is, it is based on one of
the most significant phases of the
war. The reaction of Berlin against
its own "frightfulness" has already
set in. The sacrifice of American
friendship has been dccreed by Hin
denburg, Ludendorf and the military
caste dominating German policy at
the present hour, but it does not fol-
low that the nation at large approves
of such a program. The German
people may acquiesce in it, believing
in the assurances of Hindenburg that
submarine ruthlessness will bring
the war to a victorious end. What
if it becomes apparent that the u
boat campaign is doomed to failure?
What if it already is on the brink of
failure? Will not the Hindenburg
grip on Germany be to certain ex
tent broken2
The administration is in possession
of information showing that the
British navy will soon attain a large
degree of control over the submarine
menace. The problem confronting
it is: Is it better to adopt a drastic
policy with Germany now, or to
await events" not inviting the bitter
antagonism OF the peoples of the
Central Empires, but to deal patient
ly with them, to gain their conf
dencc, and to further the interests
OF democracy among them when the
time for peace negotiations arrives?
1t is a problem calling not for mere
technical diplomacy, but for inspired
craftsmanship.
1t is true that this element in the
situation is vague and entirely un-
developed so far. With the coming
of spring the submarines may do
their deadliest work. 1t is not con-
ceivable that their showing to date
is full revelation of their capacity;
if it is, the failure OF the whole bar
barrie scheme is abjcct. But should
the campaign show no other tangi-
Bile results than to align the whole
neutral world against Germany the
Teutonic peoples will have some
thing to say, and it will be well if the
American people can then speak to
the Germans not as an avowcd enc
my, but as restrained and patient
friend who was compelled to break
relations because of an arrogant
autocracy that did not rightly repre-
sent the people it ruled.
The more obvious side Of the sit
uation will be strongly played up to
the public in the next few days. It
is that the administration will eager
ly seize upon a diminution Of the
submarine evil to postpone action
The President on the theory outlined
above is justified in such a policy,
ignoble as it seems. In the long run,
perhaps, it would be better to bring
home to Germany the bitter truth
that it can hope for nothing from the
United States as long as it persists
in its present misguided outIawry
But that is not the administration
view, apparently, and the influence OF
pacifsm with the President will in
crease as it becomes clear that the
submarine snake is in a fair way of
being scotched, if not killed. The
muchdreaded covert act" seems
farther off than ever at the present
time
This is the situation which causes
the President to remain undecided
whether American ships are to be
armed, and whether the American
navy is to be called into action in de-
fense OF our "undoubted rights"
The present week will tell an inter-
esting story as regards the subma-
rine, and the ferment in Vienna will
also bear watching from now on.