The St. Joseph observer. [volume] (St. Joseph, Mo.) 1906-1932, 1917-09-29
SOME SUGGESTIONS
FOR EFFECTING PEACE

A writer in the New York Evening
Post, Cyrus l.. Sulzberger, whose sug-
gestlon of peace plan is being wide
ly circulated proposes that the United
states take the Initiative. He defines
the situation in this way: Germany
Will not make. peace unless she can
be assured that she will not be crush
ed. England will not make peace un-
less Germany is either powerless or
free. America will not make peace
unless the world can be made safe for
democracy" As to his list statement,
Germany will make peace If she is
crushed. Clarence Darrow, the Chi
cago attorney who for 10 years has
represented labor In its conflict with
capital, and who has been an extreme
pacifist, has experienced the common
experience of all intelligent pacifists.
He is for crushing Prussian militar-
ism as prerequisite to the worlds
peace. When the kaiser is beaten"
declares Mr.. Darrow, then IL the
time to talk peace, and not before"
This fairly expresses American senti-
ment. Therefore, once il Is apparent
that the essential condition is salts
fled, that is, that the kaiser is beaten,
either within Germany or from with
out, Americans will be for peace, with
out delay, except those who foolishly
want to inflict punitive damages up
| on Germany. MIR. Darrow goes on to
say: II do not believe in any talk of
: peace. We should begin to fight be-
fore we talk about the terms of peace
/ It is not for Germany and Austria
either directly or indirectly-to bring
about peace on anything like their
own terms. ! They made this war, de-
| Iliberately, rhthlessly and should suf-
fer the consequences" As a matter
of fact, French, British and American
| terms are fundamentally the same,
tho In non-essential matters they are
probably far apart Britain and
France no doubt calculate on territor-
ial gains by war; The United States
will yet be at cross purposes with Its
| 9 allies on such issues, which do not
| interest either this nation or Russia,
and which fl will appear in due time
the United States and Russia do not
intend shaHsprolong the war linne6es-
sarily. Butiin essentials France, Eng
land and the United States agree:
They Will not make peace unless Ger
| many is either pbwerless or free. And
| Germany can take its choice. How
much the German people desire peace
Is the most absorbing question in the
world at this time. The demand for
peace appears to be threatening to
become a prairie fire among the Ger
man people, judging from debate in
the Reichstag. DR.. Michaelis is "up
J ldsdlllSJ H. IT LOOKS as II ne must
either yield or fall. The Reichstag g
speaks the heart OF the German peo-
pie in insisting that peace terms shall
he offered that have some clear mean
ing. If this conflict between the
relchstag and the powers that be be-
comes more acute there may come a
deadlock. 1t is possible for revolu-
tionary Reichstag to refuse war cred
its. There is this chance, therefore,
that (saFn1anU hannr,aa IN
which case America and Russia can
make peace. Peace will be made with
Germany the moment that kaiserisrn
falls and the German pc pie agree tC
abandon the Prussian system of q
government based on militarism, con-
scription OF all the people. II Ger
many refuses TO become free, then
Germany must become powerless be-
fore peace is agreed to. This will take
years of hard fighting, at the least
The peace suggestion OF Mr.. Sulzber-
ger is stated in these terms: I'VE are
preparing to spend billions OF dollars
in equipping our forces and aidins
our allies. Let MS use these billions
instead to end the war. Let America
offer to her allies and to Germany to
lay upon the table OF the peace con-
ference 10 billion dollars to be appro-
priated in accordance with the deels-
ions of that conference for compensa-
tion to the injured lands. We paid
20 million dollars to Spain for the
Philippines after we had taken them
Let us better our own instruction and
make / more supreme effort to re-
store sanity to the world" The Unit
ed states could well afford to offer
10 billion dollars TO end war and helI
restore the battered lands of the old
world. But II could not afford to pa!
a dollar for peace that did not in
clude Reputation for the future OF
Prussiansn---that is, autocracy based
on unlyersal military service.