Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-16
YEAR AND A HALF MORE OF WAR
WITH GERMANY'S FINAL
DESPERATE DRIVE LYING AHEAD

has been won then alone VIII II be
time TO debate frontiers and territorial
claims on the basis of facts as they
then are. Moreover. IL has seemed and
seems to me that a large portion of
the demand for a statement OF peace
aims by the allies Is either due to
ignorance or induced by German
campaign to divide the allies. II seems
TO me perfectly clear that the war
aims OF the allies are known and un-
derstood by all allied publics. This war
is exactly like the war that Europe
Fought against Napoleon. Tt is a war
10 prevent the domination first of Eu-
rope and then of the world by a single
nation. which has deliberately and con-
seiously sought world supremacy. Eu-
rope In arms against Napoleon after
many years of combat recognized that
there could be no permanent peace
until France was restored. not to the
limits of 1907 or 1871. but to the limits
OF iiSs-the year which preceded the
French rush out beyond the boundaries
or the old monarchy. 1t was the just
and accurate recognition OF the coun-
tries In arms against France, that
while France controlled Holland. Bel
GUM. Italy and Spain she had an al
most inexhaustibie reservoir for her
threatened the independence of the
world.
The settled purpose of the allies
against Napoleon in the closing phase
was TO restore the boundaries of France
Of 1889. and this was substantially done
AT the congress Of Vienna. Today the
allies fighting Germany are resolved to
defeat Germany, TO abolish the German
menace to world independence and
thereafter to restore Germany to the
boundaries of the time which preceded
the beginning OF her onrush against
Europe. namely. the boundaries of 1870.
III Is the purpose of the allies to take
from Germany and her Austrian and
Bulgarian allies Belgium, Alsace-Lor-
raine. Serbia and Rumania, precisely as
those who fought Napoleon took from
France Belgium. Holland. Italy. Spain
ana various other conquests. The all
lies seek to restore Serbia and Bel
GUM. to give Serbia that seacoast
which she conquered for herself in
lSlz They seek in addition to give TO
italy the Trentino and Trieste dis
tricts. which are inhabited by Italian.
speaking people. These things are all
essential TO the main purpose of the al
lies They are founded upon justice
and they represent the bases of perma-
wrong which. unredressed, threatens
the safety and liberty of the world In
ADDITION. there is the problem of Po-
land. the solution of which waits upon
Russian fortunes, but if ultimate JUS
tice is to be done demands the liberia
ton of the Poles of Prussia. Such 9th
er purposes as the allies may cherish
separately-ltalian aspirations on the
eastern shore of Dalmatia: Serbian
claims upon Bosnia and Herzegovina.
which are based upon racial grounds:
Runanian longings for Transylvania.
which are equally justifed-may be
said to be conditions OF victory rather
than safety.
Minimum of Safety.
The irreducible minimum of safety
in Europe and In the world. as ii now
seems Is the restoration of Belgium
Lorraine and the cession of Trieste
and the Trentino. Rather than make
these concessions Germany will fight
through next year and the following
year Rather than give Trieste up
Austria will continue the war 1t does
not seem to me that any American
can fail to support an allied purpose
which seeks to provide safety in
Belgium to the Belgians. France to the ,
French and giving Italy the residue of
her ancient patrimony. Nor does it
seem to me that American public senti-
ment can agree to the sacrifice. Of
Serbia and Rumania.
The question of German colonies, the
question of economic alliances, the
questions of world trade and world
commerce belong to the peace confer
ence which must follow the war It
does not seem to me incompatible with
allied purposes THAI there should be
a remaking of the map of Africa 1t
does not seem to me outside of the
possibilities that France and Belgium
should consent to make sacrifices in
central Africa, provided France and
belgium are restored to their natural
limits in Europe land by the natural
limits Of France i mean the boundaries
that preceded the Franco-Prussian
war; The question of Turkey in Asia
is question for an International con.
gress. But the simple fact is that II
Germany Is permitted to retain Bel
GUM and Alsace-Lorraine. IL Austria
is permitted to retain the Trentino and
the IsonZo gate to Italy. If Serbia rs
destroyed by its partition between AUS
tria and Bulgaria. there can be no
hope or prospect of anything beyond
a truce We shall have one more OF
those phases such as marked the inter-
ludes In the wars of Louis XIV and or
Napoleon. We shall leave a predatory
state with a portion of the plumber.
with an appetite for more plumber and
a belief that what was missed in this
war may be achieved in the next.
Looking Toward the Wars End.
In the case of Louis XIV the closing
years of his wars saw a number OF
severe defeats The war was carried
to French soil. and In the strictly mill
tary sense there was no absolute de-
cision. The spirit of the allies broke
abolished. The early conauests or
Louis were largely taken from him.
but France remained substantially in
tact What was destroyed was the
French will to dominate Europe. From
the effort France fell back exhausted
and marched toward her revolution.
with all that ii meant for the liberaliz-
ing of France and of Europe. when
the revolution and the Napoleon spasn,
were over France as peril to Euro
pean independence ceased TO exist. and
France became in the old diplomatic
language a good" European.
1t seems to me that some such result
may not impossfbly follow this war.
The detection OF Russia makes II un-
likely next year. nj least. that allied
armies will enter Germany. Allied re-
sources in money and In food. and
eventual resources in manhood when
than Germany's thst from a war pro-
tracted into 1919 Germany must
emerge more exhausted than any one
of her three greater foes. Even though
her armies still maintain their posi-
tions behind the Scheldt and the Mouse.
the exhaustion 81 Germany will be-
such that she will be unable to main
tain her place or regain her place In
the world in the next generation.
All this is clear to the Germans and
has been revealed in their frantic cam
paigns for peace hitherto. They are
now to make one more desperate cam
pafgn for q victorious peace. Russia,
has supplied them with the resources
Of men. and Italy and Russia with the
resources IF guns, munitions and sup
plies. The object of the next campaign
is France. The salvation of France
will rest, in part at least. upon our
ri tn