The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-02-10


our subscribers.-The Editor. |
At the beginning of this war, the
English wholly underestimate Ger
many's strength and endurance and
resources They also overrated their
own capacity.
1.-THE Big Spring drive will end it,"
they said in the Fall of 1915. I'VE will
muddle through till Kitchener's new
army Is ready. Then it will soon be
over
You know what happened. And all
the world knows that II France had
not sacrificed herself so magnificently
and Russia had not squandered mil
lions OF lives, England would have
been whipped to finish by Germany
before the war was six months old.
Two Errors Of England.
Now, we ought, above all things, to
avoid these two errors that England
made.
We must not overrate our capacity
and we must not underrate the Ger
man war machine.
The sensible, patriotic thing to do is
to look at facts as they are, to weigh
all the probabilities and to prepare for
the future situation as 1t may be and
not as we think it ought to be.
The man who goes about boasting
that we can whip the universe off
hand and crying that Germany Is ex-
hausted and ready to fall on her knees
is not only fool, but he is nuisance
and a menace to his own country's in
terests.
Play Into Germans Hand.
It ought to be thoroughly under
stood at once that If we go to war
with Germany we play right into the
hands of the German military caste
and make the allies defeat as nearly
certain as anything can be that is
yet in the future.
Mark you, we do not say our defeat,
but the allies defeat.
Let us look at this matter sensibly
and dispassionately, for it is a matter
of vital importance to us to thorough
ly understand what problems war has
In store for us If We go to war.
Can We Do 1t.
In the first place, Germany will
either whip the allies this year or not
at all. II she is strong enough to
whip the allies, the only way we could
save them would be to bring an over.
balancing financial, military and moral
pressure to bear on Germany within
the next eight months.
Can we do that?
Undoubtedly we can finance the
allies with billions, If we are fools
enough to waste our wealth on those
bankrupts But the time has gone
when finances would have any decisive
weight in this conflict, but the
finances HAVE ALREADY been found
and used in the preparation Of all the
means that will be used in this final
decisive campaign.
If we gave our whole accumulation
Of cash to England and France and
Russia tomorrow. that gigantic wealth
would not alter the naval and military
preparation of the combatants for the
coming struggle by so much as a gun
battery.
Continue Preparation.
For the whole available man power
and factory power of all these nations
has been and now is engaged In the
work of preparation; and money,
whose power is to outsay an adversary
in long warfare is no longer factor
that can alter the result Of the fright
full struggle that is approaching.
Mr.. Georges assertion that the last
$500 600 900 would win the war had
truth in it two years ago. Now 1t is
a mere catch phrase.
Remember that we are speaking
solely Of the European situation, be-
cause. so far as WE are concerned, If
we are unfortunate enough to get en-
tangled in this war. our sole and our
strong hope is indeed in our vast
wealth by which we can outlast ma
tons already greatly exhausted and
financially bankrupt.
The Dream of Fool.
But that we can at this time affect
Germany's powerfully prepared on
slaught on the allies on land and on
sea hv holsterirg up England's treas
urv with our cash is fools dream.
There remains to be considered,
then. what military and naval assist
ance we can give the allies during the
next eight months. Five words will
answer that question:
WE CAN I'VE THEM NONE.
We ought never. under any circum-
tances. ser" single American sol
!, err to he slaughtered in Europe. But
eS,,n If such folly should be decided
90, we CANNOT POSSIBLY send an
American army anywhere this year.
Because II is going to take all this
year and another year besides to re-
cruit and to equip the very smallest
army that is needed. FOR OUR OWN
DEFENSE against probable attack.
So far as our navy is concerned. it
"a now highly efficient weapon of
defense, but it is not equipped for
offensive action at distance from
home. It's strength consists almost
wholly in dreadnaughts.
German Fleet Safe.
But the British and French navies
BOW outnumbcr the German navy