Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-29
TRUTH CANNOT BARGAIN
WITH FALSEHOOD

WITH FALSEHOOD
TN THE days Immediately preceding the
= great collapse small Confederate
force was about to evacuate a village In
North Carolina. A young Confederate
: officer was in command OF a single field
piece, which, concealed in a copse above
a small stream, dominated the other
bank and was intended to safeguard the
Confederate retreat, rendered imminent
by the approach of large Union forces.
Late In that spring afternoon there
emerged from the woods on the opposite
shore squadron Of blue cavalry. 1t
proceeded leisurely in utter ignorance OF
its peril II was about to give the order
TO fire. related the Confederate Officer
later, when it suddenly dawned on me
that we were whipped anyhow, that to
kill those fine, young men would do the
Confederacy no good. 1t seemed murder,
senseless and brutal. The squad agreed
with me. I suppose I ought to have
been court.martialed. but three weeks
later the war was over" In our Civil
War bravery and chivalry marched
together.
Lost causes have generally been served
with supreme devotion. II is no new
thing in history for defenders of the
wrong to reach the heights OF valor.
Men who believe they are right have the
morale of men who are right. In mere
physical bravery. fortitude and herosm,
the modern German need yield to no man.
He has proved himself. But these are
not virtues which can wipe out brutality.
The tradition Of the soldier is to be tender
and true. That tradition the German
has violated ruthlessly and deliberately.
making of it another scrap of paper
Canadian officers have been crucified on
barn doors in Flanders. Unutterabe
outrages on women have been en-
couraged. with all the fury of the rat
tlesnake and none OF his courtesy, the
Prussianized Bavarian has Joined with
his instructors in apotheosizing, in theory
and fact, pure barbarism. No living
thing has been spared, man, beast or
tree, but all alike have been the victims
of insatiate fury.
Grant could treat with Lee. Civilization
cannot treat with the Kaiser.
The mills of the gods grind slowly.
Men have lived and practiced de-
baucheries through a long term of years;
the good have seen the wicked thrive and
no punishment has seemed to hover in
the offing. Then suddenly, almost in a
night stern retribution takes a hand. A
crisis arrives and the reputation of the
man, II not his character, becomes
an insuperable barrier to his hopes.
Character is the best collateral" ex-
claimed the elder Morgan. "On it alone
have advanced a million" A man can
raise money, help, anything, IL he bring
to his enterprise clean hands and
clean record. A Government, whatever
Its errors. can go into a conference and
win peace unless it is forsworn.
Germany is forsworn. Even IL she
won the whole earth she has lost her
soul, her character, the intangible thing
without which man or nation is a
pariah, forever to be avoided. Sweet
words may come from Berlin, definite
promises to forsake the imperial pro.
gram and renounce its vicious purposes,
but so long as they come from Hohen.
zollerns and junkers they are worth no
more than the harlot's professions or the
promises of drug fiend.
Mr.. Wilson has put his finger unerr-
ingly on the truth. There can be but
one policy for us. and that is to fight
on until the mad dog that has run
amuck is no more. We can place no
faith In the contention that he will not
rum amuck again. The billions in
treasure and the millions in lives which
have been sacrificed must not be wasted
BY vacillation now. We cannot com.
promise with desperadoes. We can only
sxhaust and overwhelm them. and to
that purpose we are dedicating every r..
source we possess.
TRuE PROVINCE OF THE pocx rr