The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-29

included in the French frontiers b
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can be averted If the allies pursue
the western war to the point where
German fails either by arms or by
exhaustion; certainly the debate on
this question Is not closed and can
Years, 1918, finds this field in q far
different condition that which ex-
listed at the opening Of, say, 1915.
There remains the problem of the
Balkans. Unless a Serbia be re-
stored Germany's program for Nit
teleuropa will be close to realization.
Her control of the Balkans will be
perpetuated, her mastery Of the
Turkish empire and her domination
Of the Dardanslles will be continued,
fortified. II Serbia be restored, sub
stantially as she existed before the
war, then in due course of time the
Balkan states will follow their own
fortunes to independence and pros
perity. Turkey will resume her
freedom and, no longer menaced by
the Russian danger, may easily
gravitate to her old alliance with
Britain and friendship with France.
And so, after all. the Serbian, the
Balkan problem remains the great
est single problem for which no set
Element has yet been foreshadowed
by the history OF the war. But even
this problem has been simplified. The
allied dream Of creating a great
Jugo- Slavic state from Fiume to
Cattaro has Enthusiastically shrunk
with recent events. The fact that
Austria seems destined to survive,
and TO survive with a measure Of
military strength at tho end of the
war, makes 1t highly improbable
that the allies will be able to take
from her Croatia or Dalmatia, just
as their ability to take Pennsylvania
and the Bukoivina is open to grave
doubt. Conceivably, Bosnia and Her
zegovina may yet be won for Serbia,
and IL they are. a real Serb state
Will be created; but as things stand
today this is an extreme hope.
To restore the status quo ante in
the Balkans would be for the allies
to win the war, in terms, because 1t
was to destroy this situation that
Austria invited and Germany risk
ed a world war. Not to erect a
Serbian state, with access to the sea
and thus to her friends, the mari
time powers, would be to leave open
uOIIlIndLlOIl
Austria, the Balkans and in Asiatic
Turkey; 1t would be to insure new
encounters between Britain and
Germany. Such being the case,
Britain is bound to insist upon the
restoration of Serbia, and the Uni
ted States and the French are bound
to support this British course, be-
cause every moral and national con-
sideration entities the Serbs to Ii
berty; and, IL their liberty be sacri-
feed, If the old Balkan chaos sub
sists after this war, we shall sooner
or later have new troubles growing
out Of fresh virus coming from this
fostering sore and poisoning the
whole world system as 1t has in the
past. --...
Thus, if. east and west, things
tend to reach a condition which may
endure, which at the congress of
Brest-Litovsk Germany Is seeking
to put in an enduring form, If allied
defence in the west and Russian col
lapse in the east have on the one
hand shattered and on the other
fortified German ambitions, Ii is
clear that in the Balkans the soiu-
ton is still to seek. Serbia remains in
German hands; but every consider
the foes of Germany to resist any
settlement which does not restore
Serbia substantially intact, al
though we are bound to recognize
that the larger aspirations of the al
lies, the creation Of Jugo- SlaYia,
like the Italian ambition for mas
terry Of the eastern Adriatic, have
suffered great and probably Rndur-
ing diminution.
AS to Asia and Africa, i shall not
endeavor to discuss these continents
and their problems at this time
Yet 1t is clear that with the British
at Bagdad and Jerusalem the Ger
man hopes OF complete domination
Of Turkey are gone, while British
conquest Of Germany's African COLI
onies gives the English a valuable
basis for negotiation, III, In the end
peace Is made by barter and ex-
change and around the green table
Nor should one mistake the grow
ing readiness in Britain, faced by
Lloyd George recently, to send the
question OF the German colonies TO
a peace congress.
In sum, 1t seems to me that the
situation that exists as the new year
opens, while Il points Enthusiastically
to the persistence of the present and
past decision on the west front and
between Germany and her western
enemies, decisions which insure the
defeat Of all Germany's purposes
with reference to France and TO
Great Britain, 1t quite as manifest
ly points toward a failure of the
world allied great Germany to at
tain that general settlement Of old
wrongs and grievances which all OF
us have hoped to see.
II is a grim bit Of humor that the
Russian revolution. which was to
free men and to bring justice to
mankind, has, as one OF its first
dashed the hopes for
OF many millions OF men
and women in Europe. Pr0claiming
peace, the Russian extremists have
prolonged the war
protesting 10 bring liberty they