The Washington herald., 1917-08-16
subnerr.d i. he cI.aser.

SeD-~~ 80 - -
The great stumbling block in the
path Of Pope Benedict in restoring a
war-cursed world to sanity and light
Is the fact that peace today would be
moral stultification for the league
of nations which have banded together
to defend civilization.
II would be a moral failure that
might. conceivably. set mankind back
for centuries. A Germany unbroken,
unpunished, allowed a breathing spell
to make another wild iungeI at the
throat of more pacific nations, could
destroy, the whole tradition Of humane
civilization in Europe. and throw It
back into the Dark Ages. For that
reason the war, which began because
the entente resented the German at
tempt to upset the balance Of power
by asserting ascendancy In the Ball
kans. has assumed the Character of a
great crusade, semi-religious In char
acter-a crusade stripped Of any other
motive but to save mankind from a
relapse to an era when brute force
would again be the only law.
Peace talk now Is therefore regarded
as a diversion, a back-fire started for
the benefit OF Berlin and Vienna, al
though the Vatican can be acquitted
of having any selfish motive in the
move 1t has made. 1t was not made
without deiiberation. Germany would
have been glad to have the Pope move
In the direction of peace a year ago.
Her overtures failed OF response from
Rome. and consequently the German
chancellor was obliged to make the
gesture that it was originally designed
the Pontiff should make. It Is evident
that the Vatican thinks the time is
ripe for at least discussion of peace
terms among the belligerents.
The great preponderance of opinion
is that the Vatican Is mistaken. The
American government, which is in a
mood to suspect everything which
bears the shadow of German origin,
is avowedly against any peace now
on any other ground that the complete
recession by Germany from every
claim to victory, and OF every claim
to escape restoration and restitution
for the crimes she has committed
payment for manifest wrongs DONE"
in the Presidents words. The New
York Tribune daily carries this BAN
ner across its front page: When
they have learned to think and to say
restoration. then peace by negotiation
will be morally possible" Therein is
the allies standard in a nutshell In
no part of the responsible press Of
America is there any demand for
peace on any other basis than the de-
feat of the enemy. In none OF the
other nations-with the exception OF
Russia-is there any serious agitation
for a peace on any other basis.
A peace discussion at the present
time. even with the great influence
of Pope Benedict behind it, suffers
from one element which has not been
adequately appraised in RomeAthat 1t
will be drowned out, submerged. by
the clangor of the war itself and by
the vastness of war preparations in
1.-THE United States. Imagine II you can
two men engaged in death grapple.
seriously talking over peace in the
midst OF their fight. That is what
peace talk amounts to now. for moth
ing is more certain than that there
will not be an armistice during peace
discussion. The war will go on, peace
negotiations or not; and Germany may
strain every nerve, but she will not
be able to stop it.
The one tangible result that may
come from the Vatican's action will
be joint statement of war aims from
the allies. 1t becomes increasingly
apparent that this move is under con-
/ temptation. President Wilson probably
| will be selected to speak for all the
nations in arr He may decline to
do 50, since the United States has no
wish to mix in the Balkan imbrogiio,
or to undertake any commitments re-
lating to settlement of the complex
/ territorial and racial questions in
Eastern Europe. However. the PresI-
dent doubtless will make a statement
emphasizing the main aim of the war
repeating the words of his war mes
sage and his message of Russia, which
are so clear and succinct that the po-
sition Of the United States cannot be
misunderstood except by those who
desire to do so.