South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-01-18


through on a military basis they
may still accumulate vast stores OF
military equipment. they may still
I persist in their methods OF attack,
SO that their more pacific neighbOrs
will be struck down before they can
prepare themselves for defense.
! IF so. Europe. when the war is
I over. will be far poorer in men. in
money and mutual good will than il
was when the war began. but il Will
not be safer and the hopes for the
futures Of the world entertained by
the president will be as far as ever
from fulfllment
Treaties a Failure.
There are those who think that
f, for this disease, international treat
les and international laws may pro-
vide a sufficient cure. But such per-
sons have ill-learned the lessons so
clearly taught by recent history.
/ While other nations. notably the L.
5. of America and Britain. were
striving by treaties of arbitration
TO make sure that no such chance
Quarrels should mar the peace they
desired TO make perpetual. Germany
stood alOof. Her historians and phil
osophers preached the splendors Of
war; power was proclaimed as the
| true end Of the state: and the gen.
eral staff forged with untiring in
/ dustGy the weapons by which at the
appointed moment power might be
achieved. These facts proved clearly
enough that treaty arrangements for
maintaining peace were not likely
10 find much favor at Berlin; they
did not prove that such treaties once
made would be utterly Intellectual
| This became evident, only when war
had broken out. Though the demon
stratiOn. when it came. was over
whelming. SO long as Germany re-
mains the Germany which without
a shadow OF Justification. overran
and barbarously ill-treated a coun-
try il was pledged 10 defend, no state
can regard its rights as secure if
they have no better protection than
a solemn treaty.
The case is made worse by the
reflection that these methods of cal
culated brutality were designed by
the central powers not merely 10
crush to the dust those with whom
they were at war, but 10 intimidate
those with whom they were still at
peace. Belgium was not only a vic
tim: it was an example. Neutrals
were intended to note the outrages
which accompanied its conquest: the
reign of terror, which followed on
its occupation. the deportation of a
portion Of its population, the cruel
treatment of the remainder. And
lest the nations protected either by
British fleets or by their own from
German armies should suppose
themselves safe from German meth
DDS. the submarine has (within its
limits) assiduously initiated the bar
barous practices Of the sister SER
vice The war staffs of the central
powers are well content 10 horrify
the world if at the same time they
can terrorize il.
Terrorism the Force.
IF then the central powers sue
coed II will he TO methods like
these they will owe their success.
How can any reform of information
al relations be based on a peace
thus obtained Such a peace would
represent the triumph of all the
forces which make war certain and
make it brutal 1t would advertise
the futility of all the methods,
which civilization relies for the i'm
mediate cessation of international
| dispute and 70 mitigate their feroc-
| ity. Germany and Austria made the
present war inevitable by attacking
\ the rights of one small state. and
they gained their initial triumphs
| by violating the treaty guarantees
of the territories of another. Are
small states going to find in them
their future protectors or in treaties
made by them a bulwark against
| aggression? Terrorism by land and
sea will have proved itself the in
strument of victory. Are the victors
I likely to abandon il on the appeal
| of neutrals? If existing treaties are
no more than scraps Of paper, can
! fresh treaties help US? If the viola
ton of the most fundamental can
ons Of international law be crown
ed with success Will il not be in vain
/
| improve their code? None viii p-ofit
/ by their rules but powers who break
them. II is those who keep them
! that will suffer
All Desire Peace.
Therefore the people OF the
/ country share 20 the full desire OF
the president for peace: they do not
L believe peace can be durable if it
\ be not based on the success of the
/, allied cause For a durable peace
can hardly be expected unless these
\ conditions are fulfilled The first is
I that existing causes of international
unrest should be as far as possible
removed or Weekend. The second,
] that the aggressive aims and the un-
scrupulOus methods Of the central
powers. should fall into disrepute
among their own peoples. The third
is that behind international law and
behind all treaty arrangements for
preventing or limiting hostilities;
| some form of international sanction
should be devised which would give
pause TO the hardest aggressor.
Il These conditions may be difficult OF
II fulfIlment But We believe them to