New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-25
Good News


to associate American opinion with that Of
the Allies in the matter of certain objects
Of the war. The only nation in the war
that has from the outset clearly, definitely
declared for the formula of no annexation
and no indemnity is the United States. A
recognition by the United States Of the
Justice of the French, Serbian and Belgian
title to indemnity, of the French claim
upon Alsace- Lorraine and the Italian
claim upon Trieste and the Trentino Will
be useful contribution to clarity the sit
uation, and it should serve to destroy the
latest German campaign for German
peace.
Last winter the German press and the
German leaders told their people that
reace would come not later than July /.
They explained that the Allies were bound
to make new attack in the West. They
forecast the defeat of this attack, and as
serted that when this offensive had been
checked there would be an end of all Allied
hope of winning the war and peace by
negotiation would follow.
1t is clear that the Germans are now
making a desperate effort to give at least
semblance of reality to the hopes they
awakened six months ago. Enthusiastically
we are in the presence of another German
peace drive, which is to be stimulated in
every possible quarter where German in
fuence or pacfist sympathy exists. We
shall find many echoes in the United States,
and we must look for many manifestations
in states still neutral like Sweden, Hol-
land and Switzerland.
To-day the Germans are endeavorng to
make use of Socialist propaganda and So
cialist leaders to force German peace.
The old alliance between the Puritan and
the "blackleg" is now being reproduced in
the concerted action of the Pacifist and
the Prussian.
The American people should bear clearly
in mind what are now the issues of the
war. There can be no talk of peace
founded on justice which does not start
with the proposal by Germany to evacuate
all the country which she has occupied
Belgium, Serbia, Rumania, Northern
France and Russian Poland. Until Ger
many makes such proposal 1t requires no
argument to demonstrate that she is mere
ly attempting to exploit world-weariness
of war and a universal longing for peace
to the end that she may preserve some por-
ton of her booty
There will be no peace this summer.
There will be no chance of negotiation
while British armies are advancing and
French armies continue TO dominate their
front. Whatever else may happen, the
Allies of the West are certain to go for
ward with their battle through the cam
paign of 1917, and it is better to recognize
now that all hope of peace before winter at
the earliest is false.
The beginning of peace negotiations can
come only when Germany consents t. evac-
uate such districts as she occupies and to
discuss the subject of indemnifying the
people of Belgium and Northern France
for the wanton ruin and destruction her
armies have wrought. There is no discus
sion now of ndemnities in the sense that
Germany extorted an indemnity from
France after the Franco-Prussian War.
The only indemnites that are considered
or discussed are indemnities for the pillag-
ing of French and Belgian cities, the trans
port of all the machinery, tools, instru-
ments of labor out of occupied territories
into Germany, the plundering of private
houses, the destruction of everything, down
to the orchards and the vineyards.
No one now seeks to impose upon Ger
many a victor's indemnity such as Ger
many imposed upon France in 1871. All
that is asked by Germany's enemies is that
she be compelled TO make some contribu-
ton to the restoration of Belgium, indus
trially and economically; some contribu-
ton TO the restoration of France, Of Po-