The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-15

believes he has an inherent right to
murder you. dishonor your wife and
cripple your children whenever he
can serve his own interests by such
course and has the power to do
these things.
ne German has asserted the right
10 MURDER to MAIN, to abuse, to de-
stroy' to attack the weak and the I'm.
armed, the innocent and the helpIess
TO destroy the beautiful and defle
the sacred, whenever his interests
seem to be served thereby. He has
applied this doctrine to his neighbors
Tor three years. He is still apply
ing 1t. He has built up a whole bodv
or doctrine founded on the essential
detail that physical force makes
moral right and that the strong man
is entitled to use his strength TO
serve his own ambitions, appetites
material interests.
AS result the whole world has
gone to war with the Germans. It
mas not conquered him, but he has
not conquered it, nor is there left
any real belief in his mind that he
can now and at this time conouer
the world. But can the world afford
70 leave the issue at this point? The
Iripune believes not. We must have
settlement, we must have a de-
cision. We must have it on the
battlefield if it cannot be had else
where. And 1t can only be had else
where II the German people lay aside
this idea and in advance of military
decision consent to make that repara-
ton which must be made.
Abraham Lincoln in 1864 per.
celVed with utmost clarity that there
must be decision in the dispute be-
tween the North and the South. be-
cause of the two ideas only one could
possibly prevail. One may not COM
pare the Civil War with the present
war, because both sides remained
loyal to their common ideal of hu-
manity and Of civilization, but it is
still plain that two ideas were in con-
fiict and there had to be decision,
that there might be peace thereafter
for those who were to come.
We must have a decision in the
present war, clear. unmistakable
and immutable decision. Our civili-
zation will have to be vindicated or
abolished. The German idea and the
idea of the rest Of mankind cannot
live side by side, because the Ger
man idea is at bottom founded upon
the arrogated right to destroy all
else in the world when it pleases and
as 1t pleases. The man who lives in
the vicinity of tiger may have no
animosity in his heart toward the
tiger. but he will, nevertheless, have
no choice Of procedure. and the Ger
mans have left us no choice.
When one speaks Of peace
founded upon the doctrine of no an
nexation and no indemnity, we can
all subscribe to it IL it means no
application to Germany or German
methods. no seizure Of German prov
inces, no effort to do in the Palati-
nate what Germany did in the case
OF Alsace-L Lorraine, no attempt to
carry off the visible wealth Of the
country by punitive indemnity, by
an indemnity collected as war booty,
as sheer plunder, as Germany exac.ed
an indemnity in 1871. But who can
subscribe to it If it means that Ger-
many shall not make reparation for
what Germans have done in Belgium,
Serbia and France. SO far as repara-
tion can be made? Who can sub
scribe to it if it means the perpetua-
ton of the German wrong of 1871.
the wrong that survives in Italia
Irredenta?
If the German people think as we
think now. they will themselves rec
ogniZe what must be done in the case
OF Belgium, as the Russian democ-
racy recognized that the imperialistic
ambitions of the Romanoffs must be
laid aside and tho policy Of anslavins
other peoples abandoned. But if the
German people do not recognize this
we have no choice but to fight until
they do, until the power to apply this
doctrine is taken from them, or until
we can fight no more and must our
selves surrender to the German idea
we are nearer to victory than ever
In this war, but because we arc
nearer we must keep on: we have