New-York tribune., 1917-07-17
Not a Time for Faltering
America Must Speed Up Now That
Germany Begins to Weaken
lErom The sprlngaeId RepabIlcaHl

htFN't''
Gcrmany's crisis should in no respect nave
the effect Of diminishing the vigor or mar
rowing the scope Of the war preparations OF
this country. On the contrary America mas
moro reason than ever for throwing her
weight heavily into the scale. However the
overtun in the German imperial government
ie to he explained whether the immediate
cause Of Bethmann-IIolweg's downfall was
the militaristic Crown Prince or whethor u
was the growing strength of the groups that
demand peace negotiations there can be no
doubt that one of the important factors tnat
made the crisis possible at this time was the
UNEXPECTED progress made by this country IN
influencing the progress OF the war. me
German war lords and their reptile press mad
convinced the people that America would be
negligible as a belligerent; the people now
have their eyes partly opened to the tru1h'
and it remains our business to sec TO 1t that
their eyes are opened wide at the earliest
moment 10 the realities of the situation
But if the war lords retain their grip, the
only argument likely to appeal to them as at
all convincing in the direction of peace Is the
demonstration that America is coming along
as war power with determination and
speed. Nothing could now have a worse
effect than for our government to hesitate
and falter in its preparations because peace
seemed somewhat the nearer The military
machine we are creating must be developed
even more rapidly than before, and even Ger
many will be full Of people ike the influential
editors of the "Berliner Tageblatt' and the
"Frankfurter Zeitung," who virtually accuse
the government of deceiving the German peo-
ple. when submarine ruthlessness was deter
mined upon, concerning the probabilities Of
break with America By our deeds we should
now drive home the truth that never was
great power more recklessly dragged into
war than the United States was dragged into
this one by the gambler autocrat and his
generals and admirals who controlled the
government of Germany.
In all of our war legislation the necessity
for rapid movement ahead is apparent. The
food control bill now in the Senate would be
the more urgently needed on the statute book
if peace should come next fall or winter. 1t
should not be forgotten that the momen,
peace is declared We shall have TO feed i'm
mediately the poorly rationed population of
the Central Powers for simple humanitarian
reasons. The cry for American foodstuifs IN
Germany and Austria a-Hungary will be most
exigent and moving as soon as the war stops.
Suppose it stops next winter or spring, before
the new harvest of 1918 can be reaped or
even planted; our food position will be most
prccarious if Federal control of our food sur
plus is not fully safeguarded by law, as is
contemplated by the measure pending in the
Senate.
Division is appearing among the German
people concerning the questions of war and
peace. They are no longer united as they
were. Even if the militarsts maintain their
control they must defy those growing groups
of war-wearied men and women whose feel
ings are now reflected in the Reichstag dem
onstrations in support of the peace formula
of mo annexatons and no indemnites." We
can best aid the peace party in Germany by
ourselves defying the military chiefs and
expansonists who are still bent on fogging
the German nation along the road to con-
quest