New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-01

port OF the army consumption OW')
Whatever may be the merits Of the two
plans proposed for raising an army whether
by CONSUMPTION or by volunteering, there IS
no doubt. think. in anybody's mind that
conscription is the method looked upon by
the warning countries of Europe as far and
away the more effective. There are two
ways of looking at the war and our reasons
for entering it, One is that we have entered
the war because of the insults and injuries
We have received from Germany, which in
suits and injuries we are bound IN honor TO
redress. If this is our only reason for tight
ing and | do not believe that it is-then we
cap make war in any way that We choose and
TO the extent that we choose. When We deem
that these insults and injuries have been
properly redressed we can withdraw from
the war at our own discretion and need not
consult the other countries fighting against
the Central Powers about doing so. If this
is our only reason for fighting, it may be
that volunteer army will fill our wants 1t
may be that our honor will not require US to
send troops abroad to fight at all; that our
breaking relations with the Central Powers,
the protection of our commerce and the sink
ing of few enemy submarines will be suff-
cient. AS in this sort of war we should
be entirely Independent Of the Allies, so they
would be entirely Independent of us. They
could at any time make peace and leave US
to carry on the war by ourselves.
Our Common Cause
The other way of looking at the war, |
think the right and only way, the way ap-
proved by the President in his great ad-
dress to Congress, is that we, like nearly
all OF the rest of civilization, are fighting
not alone to right the personal wrongs that
we have received, but because civilization
can not and will not tolerate the intentions
of the Central Powers and the methods en-
ployed by them to carry out these intentions.
Should we thus join with the rest of civili-
cation we take our place alongside of France
and England and the other Allies. Their
war is our war, and no peace can be made
that does not include US. Our obligation,
then, is in every way TO cooperate with the
Allies and to aid them TO defeat our COM
mon foe.
This war, however it may have started
and whatever may have been the reasons
that brought this or that nation into the
conflict, has now resolved itself into a great
organized effort on the part of most OF the
civilized world to resist German conquest.
! 1t is this great cause for which they are
fighting that binds together countries whose
interests are as different as those of Eng
land and France and Russia with tie that
cannot be broken. even by the insidious and
advantageous separate offers made by the
German government TO individual nations OF
the Allies. It is true that the Immediate
cause of Engand's entering the war was the
violation of the Belgian treaty 1t IS true
that Russia went in because of the Austrian
ultimatum to Serbia, just it is true that
we have declared war because of the de-
struction of our ships and the murder oil
our citizens; but it is equally true that
every man, woman and child III France and
England-and | have recently visited those
two countries realizes that the cause for
which they are now fighting is far greater
than the redress of the wrongs OF any IN
dividual nation; is, in fact, the cause OF
civilization against barbarism. | venture
to say that the same feeling obtains in
Russia and Italy and the other Allied coun-
tries SO if we arc fighting, as they arc
fighting, for this greater cause, ! say II
behooves US to use every means in our power
every last resource of men and of treasure,
to make certain that this cause shall prevail
was in England and France short time
before the severance OF diplomatic relations