The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1917-09-19
Time to Stop Talking Peace.

Now that President Wilson's mes
sage has replied to the peace pro-
posal of the pope, the time has come
for all Of us to drop peace talk and
turn to war work.
There are two reasons why it is
FOOLISH and futile to talk about peace
now. The first is that there is no
prospect of peace within the next
twelve months. The decision of the
president infallibly points toward
military campaign in 1918 and mil
itary decision growing out Of this
campaign The things that Mr.. Will
son rightly demands as the basis of
peace Will not be conceded either by
the German government or the Ger
man people, in the present situation
III europe. 1t would therefore be
merely puerile illusion to continue
a discussion Of peace when peace for
many months is quite impossible.
There is second reason. In ev-
cry quarter of the world German
agents and German sympathiZcrs are
busy disseminating the idea that the
war is over and peace is at hand. for
'he purpose OF Weakening the arms
OF those governments who are pur-
suing the war. The German reasons
That nation which believes peace IS
at hand will make less effort i'm its
|hghting, and this relaxed effort-as in
the case Of Russia a-will benefit q
Germany which is still increasing,
not slackcnng, its war effort Thus.
everywhere in the world we sec today
the spectacle OF the German at work
talking peace.
The only way to attain peace now
IN this world is to fight lur it. Some
or the greatest battles OF tho war un-
questionably remain TO be fought. Be
tween now and the autumn OF 1918
a German casualty list OF two mil
lions will be a larger contribution to
permanent peace than anything that
one can now see, because il will be
4 maj demonstration to the German
people or the price Of their present
leadership and the cost TO them Of the
doctrines which they have embraced
and followed for the last half century.
What is demanded by Mr.. Wilson
of the German people is that they
should put away the ambitions which
nave been i10urishcd and cherished cv-
ef since the uniflcation Of Germany
started the lIohcnZollerns on their
career OF world ambition and world
empire. Peace based upon the status
quo ante OF 1914 would be a peace
which would leave Germany, with
reference to the rest of the world in
condition comparable to that which
existed in France when the long wars
OF Louis XIV were over and France,
intact but economically ruined, enter
ed the pathway that was to lead to the
french revolution. And Mr.. Wilson'S
message to the pope indicates that
Germany must suffer not merely that
defeat incident to return of the sta
tus quo ante but further defeat in
cident to the surrender of certain ter
rltories and to the final extinction of
that dream Of Berlin-to- -Bagdad
Mitteleuropa.
10 talk Of peace now when peace
Is possibly only on terms which mean
tremendous and tragic German de-
feat, whether obtained on the battle
field or round the green table, is to
talk OF something that is still remote.
1T is rude and grievous task which
lies ahead Of us. The German as
sault upon our civilization has been
parried and halted. The German
armies are retreating now; the Ger
man flood tide of conquest has long
ago passed; 1t is ebb tide wherever
the German invasion has reached;
but 1t is a long way from dead low
water. Mr.. Wilson was exactly right
when he spoke Of Germany as baked
but not defeated. TO defeat the
Germans will prove most difficult
task, certain now as that defeat is.
And 1t is only by sending hundreds
OF thousands of American troops to
France that we shall insure that de-
feat. We are doing this. The coun-
try has indicated its readiness to
make every sacrifice. IT is respond
Ing to the calls of war as nobody
could have foreseen that it would re-
spond And since the work is to be
done, since victcry is still to be won
by the sword, since great sacrifices
FOR America are not only to be made
but are essential to the achievement