Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-10
NO PREMATURE PEACE


WE 10 not bel eve h,t tne"e is a real
menace of peace. It is however, i'm.
portant that the world he prepared
against iusdious conspi acies and machi.
nations to deprive civilization Of the re.
wards Of suffering aud to rescue mill.
tarism from its grave by Diplomacy.
!, appea"s that the highwayman, seeing
the ap. about to he sprung and realiz
ing his own increasing weakness. is
desi"ous of restoring the stolen goods in
return for guarantees of futWe liberty
OF action. The enormous re1tou ma.
chinery Of war has been matched and
overmatched by the miraculous achieve
ments of civilization. England at last
Is rounding into the fun measure Of her
strength France. net yet bled white,
stil stands as an invmchle barrier.
The enormous resources of the United
States have already I've gun Z" he effective.
The neutral grausiies a"e no lon2er able
W meet 'tei llldll htlildi nus ''''''''' wv
American embargo is now in fun force.
lnexhaustible supplies of money and ma
terial from the Uuited States are supple
mented 10y the transport .of great num-
bers Of troops our shipblildn program
Is well under way. The subuu tfe peril
has reached It's mdh!mum ana is steadily
on The decline. As l.. proved oy the re-
ducuon of Insurance rates fo" vessels
! passing thru IL the war zor". Slowly
hut surely the Republics Of So tin Amer.
lea are joining with the Uuitei States
lin defense of the institutions which are
the new world. The moral thought OF
the nations has become steadily con
vinced Of the iniqdity Of German designs
The hy6Ggates of oppositiuu are beng
opened aud the Hun finds himself sur
rounded on all sides 10y united detsrmi
nation to put him in his place before
anything else is considered. lr these
circumstances. stl arrogant and proud
German leadership undertakes TO barter
aud trade, to get peace by bribery an,
propaganda 1t wants to pay no penalt!
for its crimes and be subjected 10 NJ
restrictions 1t appealed to the swor
aud lost 1t would appeal now to tn
sentiment of humanity. to the world
love Of peace, hoping to delude publ
opinion and wrest from approaching rui
its former power aud might
More than once the world was foole
by similar tactics in the time Of NJ
poleon. When he needed rest to n
cuperate he made peace, but for him
was never more than truce. Away
AIilitarism is a state of mind. 1t repr
sents Prusssn worship of a tradition
frightfuness. II coutemplates catchir
the world Off its guard and striking
down. The only kind Of peace Pre-,
dent Wilson favors is a lasting pcac
and he knows. as every other stude
knows. that there can be no lasting pea
until the whole system of thought Al
philosophy which characterzes Prr
sianism is beaten down and extlrpat
from the face OF the earth. We cam
y barter with these men, We must be
s1llem so decisively in military WI
that never again will Germany or al
other nation deliberately plan an assal
on the whole world. We must so tn,
oughly convince them Of the futnity
their program that never again will a
considerable population of the ear
subscribe to it,
A peace at the Hampton Roads q,
ference with the Confederacy wor
have meant that all who had died
the Union had died in vain. Not 10
Hereafter a decisive peace was possiI
peace that crowned with glory
sacrifices made. There must be the sa
Kind Of peace with Germany and no OF
hInd We cannot make the world $
for democracy, and therefore safe
fhe TINTED States. by subscribing
t,cates that assure the perpetuatlon
prussisnism. Il is not return Of la
that We seek; it is return TO SAINT
me greatest calamity that could
pen 10 the world would be premal
taee = speaee by compromise.
r--e----