The St. Joseph observer. [volume] (St. Joseph, Mo.) 1906-1932, 1917-09-15
WE MUST ACT
WITHOUT DELAY

war on Germany, It might have been
expected that every citizen of the
country would have endeavored to
make the war a success. Instead of
that, a number, how considerable II
Is impossible to say, seem to have de-
voted their entire energies to prolong-
ing the war, and weightlng II with
disaster. Now let those whose rela-
tions have gone to France to fight, let
those whose children and brothers
have been drawn for service in the
new armies, make no mistake at all
as to what this means. Let them rouse
themselves from the apathy, not of in
difference, for that could not possibly
be charged against them, but of the
misunderstanding of effects which Is
Disgusting the truth from them. not
merely to protest against what Is be-
ing done by those who are opposed to
the policy of the president and of con-
gress, but TO insist that this insidious
effort to weaken the force of the coun-
trys Intervention shall come to an
end, before the patience OF the Ameri-
can Jobs Is exhausted. If action is not
taken, and taken quickly. the possfbili-
ty OF bringing the war to an end this
winter will evaporate. 1t Is evaporat-
ing. indeed, with every moment of
delay, and II is evaporating for the
very simple reason that the German
government is being filled with hopes
u,
but which none the less are encourag-
ing to a hopeless resistance on the odd
chance of something turning up. The
revelations which MIR. Gerard Ia con-
| tributing to contemporary contain
terrible indictment of those who have
weakened the intention of the presi-
| dents words at the Court of Berlin.
/ Again and yet again. Mr.. Gerard bears
! witness that the seriousness of MIR.
Wilson'S warnings and demands was
lost upon the government and the
| headquarters staff, In Berlin, because
the men who composed these were
convinced that they were words and
nothing else, and were convinced of
this mainly owing to the fact that the
newspapers and the wireless poles
were loaded with information which
led them to expect a repudiation of
the war by the country, IL the president
persisted, and to hope for thing even
SO ridiculous as a German rising. That
the country is at war today Is then,
very largely owing to the efforts of the
very people whose words and actions
are now stirring up and encouraging
Germany to a futile resistance. The
friends of the men who compose the
| United States army may as well rec
ognize that the very people who de-
| ceived Germany into imagining that
/ the United States was playing gil
gantic game of bluff are the people
the resistance Of Germany and who
will be responsible for whatever blood
shed this prolonged resistance may oc-
casion. When a country goes to war
1t is usual for those who have political
quarrels to close their ranks in the
face of a common enemy. But what
has happened in the present instance?
A determined effort has been made
in congress and out of congress to pre-
vent. or at any rate to delay, the pas
sage of those very measures which
| were intended to be most useful for
bringing the war to the earliest pos
sible conclusion. The fact that this
effort has come largely in the name
! or pacificiSm does not in the least al
ter the fact. Lord Byron said Of
fcertain amiable gentleman that he
| was ''the mildest hammered man who
| ever scuttled ship or cut a throat" and
the paciflst, however mild his man
ner, may he with respect to the enc
mics of his country, Is by no means
| so mild when he is criticizing the ef-
forts of his government or of that vast
ma jority of his fellow citizens which is
opposed to his views. The result will
be, and the result is being, that his
mildness is encouraging Germany to
scuttle ships on the Atlantic and to
| cut throats on shore. The United
States is at war. and war is not car
| ried on by means of resolutions, nor
is peace achieved by the formation of
peace societies. War is carried on
by the very means the government is
attempting to enforce, and the whole
body Of pacifists to Illustrate. and
therefore to the extent of their sue
| cessful Illustration will they prolong
the war. and will they cause losses to-
| the army of the United States. and
| suffering to the friends and relations
of the soldiers of that army. Neither is
peace brought about by peace societies.
Peace is brought about In the exact
| degree in which the passions which
cause war are obliterated In the hu-
man consciousness. and the angry pas
sions of the pacifists themselves, be-
| cause they cannot obtain their own
way are the very type of the passions
which promote and render possible
the continuance of strife. Not only is
this so. but the pacifist has been per-
mitting himself to be, used as the tool
| of autocracy. His efforts are obvious
ly not in'the least for a righteous peace
whatever he may think, as may be
seen by the fact that the whole body
of the supporters of autocracy are
throwing their weight upon his side.
Anybody with the smallest knowledge
| of public affairs must know that this
is the case. Take the single case of
the popes message. The popes mes
sage was conceived as entirely in the
Interest of the Central Powers as any
plan could possibly be. The theory of
condonation for frightfulness is repu-
dated in stated terms of the power of
good, Tke kaisers famous letter to
Mr. Wilson, printed in Mr.. Gerard's
revelations. claimed the violation of
the neutrality of country, which he
was solemnly pledged to defend. as a
strategfcal necessity; whilst, only re-
Gently. the official historian of the
general staff, an officer gifted with
unquestionable authority and know
ledge. boldly proclaimed the fact that
this violation had been undertaken not
only for strategical purposes, but for
the purpose OF "jockeying' the French
general staff. The French general
staff. relying honorably on Germany's
respect for her treaty obligations. had
modified the armies of the republic
along the Franco-German frontier,
from Luxembourg to Switzerland. The
strategy OF the German general staff
was exerted, according to the authori-
ty In question, to driving, thru neu-
trail country. against the comparative
ly unprepared northern French from
tier. partially in order to avoid the
task OF breaking thru the defenses of
the heavily fortified eastern frontier