Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-07-29

care what the terms of peace are so
long us they can be arranged in COM
mon. The loss OF prestige resulting
to Russia from an unsatisfactory
peace in the east and the abandon
ment of Russian influence in the Bal
kans can be blamed by the Russian
democrats, eager to start their gigan-
tic work OF internal social reconstruc-
ton, upon the old regime
Accordingly Germany counts upon
satisfying the aims of the western
powers. and expects Russia to say to
England, France and America: I'VE
care nothing about the imperialist
aims of our old masters. whom we
have put in Jail. II you are satisfied,
SO are we. Let us have peace" The
result would be, in German opinion
and in the opinion of most allied
statesmen, n peace not without VIC
tory, but with victory-and that VIC
tory would be German.
When Germany makes her supreme
diplomatic effort along the lines indi-
Gated above. the western allies and
America will he confronted with the
following three supreme issues, which
will swallow up all the others. None
Of them have been solved or even
fairly faced by allied statesmen, SO
lar as lS hllbNll, bul VEL many N'Il-
ing Vancouver will force the allies to
decide them.
Three Issues.
!. Is 1t possible to make peace, on
any terms. with the Prussisan autoc-
racy. and should not the allied an
swer be that. no settlement can he
considered excepting with fully chosen
representatives of the German peo-
Pile?
2. Must the Austrian empire bc
broken up into a group of independ
ent states, and the Hapsburg dynasty
abolished, or confined to small Ger
manic Austria shorn of Hungary
and OF her own Slav nationalities?
3. May not the establishment of
a federalized United States of Austria
be possible, based upon justice and
equal rights for all nationalities, with
n common parliament at Vienna un-
der a constitutionalized Ilapsbura
emperor; Il country where majority
rule would automatically end tnc
sway of the minority Germanic and
Magyar ascendencies, and which
would live in peace and friendship
with free Poland, free Russia and the
Balkan nations?
To suggest answers to these three
questions is impossible, for it is pre-
cisely because they bristle with such
difficulties that they have not neer
dealt with by the allies. The writer
simply suggests that solutions mus
be found, and very soon. since the
whole question of the continuance OF
the war will depend upon them when
the German proposals outlined above
are put forward in the near future.
The speeches of President Wilson
are generally interpreted in Europ,
to mean that he faVors the pepositior
of the kaiser and the formation of 6
German republic, or at least a con
stitutional monarchy under which the
present ruling caste shall give way tC
representatives of the people. All tn,
allies long for this to come about. Tn,
continuance of the sway of the Prus
sian militarist caste, IL Is recognized
means an armed Europe and prob
able future wars unless a German
revolution comes along.
But there is n strong wing of opin
ion in all the allied countries tina
deprecates any attempt to impos'
from without democratic govern
ment upon Germany. Were such al
aim proclaimed by the allies. the!
say, the result would be immensely Il
enhance the popularity of the Eaise
with his people. No country fails t.
resist foreign attempts to determine
its institutions, and the semi-insan'
hatred and suspicion now enterthine,
by the Germans for their encmie
would make such an attempt at pres
ent doubly disastrous. Revolution
during the war is impossible and no
to be looked for; peace. then, must b'
made with the kaiser and his junkers
and, if these are not prosecuted" b!
the allies, the German people may h'
expected to revolt in the early day
of peace and sweep the whole system
into oblivion.
According as this argument Il
judged good or bad by the allies. the,
will reply to the first serious German
peace overtures by declining to ne
gotiate with the kaiser's government
as the allies refused in 1915 to ne
gotiate with Napoleon, or they will
decide to abandon the war aim o
mo peace with the Hohenzollerns."
The other two questions given abov
suggest the two solutions of the Aus
trian problem which different school
of thot amonp tho allies are wlllinl