The Washington herald., 1917-02-08
The First Act.

many has apparently torn into shreds
the hopes of peace.
1t is difficult to put any other inter-
probation on the ruthless act which
flashed over the cables last night. The
horizon is indeed black just now. /.
There is only slender chance that
the facts as gathered by an American
consul may hereafter be corrected by
advices of different character. I'm
less they are, the deluge-the un-
sheathing of the sword which Amer
ica has been contemplating reluctant
ly, and yet with calm courage-is
upon US.
Not since the Lusitania went down
has Germany dared to sink liner in
the Atlantic. In the Mediterranean
she has been more brazen and gam
bled with fate more openly. Since a
ferry, the Sussex, was torpedoed in
the British Channel, the German ad-
miralty had carefully refrained from
the American challenge until the
Arabia and Marina were sunk, and
neither of these were transatlantic
liners.
One American was on board the
California; fortunately, his life was
saved. But the mere fact that he is
still alive does not modify the enor-
nifty of the German act nor alter the
fact that the United States is on the
brink of war with Germany this morn
ing. His life was not lost; it was
placed in jeopardy in callous defiance
of a solemn pledge given the Ameri-
can government not to sink liners; in
defiance of the laws and decent prae-
tices of civilization.
1t has remained for the mailed fist
of Prussia to knife the honest hope
in many American breasts that the
United States would not be driven to
war with the German juggernaut.
The hope arose, apparently, only to
be brutally crushed. The crushing
was not of our doing. We would have
done everything just and honorable
to keep the banner of peace al6ft. But
it is not to be- The earlier assumption
that Germany has decided to run
amuck in a final desperate stab for
victory-is apparently vindicated.
Again the question is asked: What
does it all mean" And again the
answer comes-as clearly as if writ
ten in letters of fame across the sky
the German nation is facing the
abyss. The facts are in possession Of
our own State Department. The iron
pinch of hunger has caused piteous
enduring wall from women and chill
dren throughout the empire; the poor
er classes are in the utter blackness Of
despair.
We are told that even Won Hinden-
burg admits the war will be over in a
few months. He forced the new
U-boat campaign on the chancellor,
leader of the Moderates, because he
knew that Germany's sole hope lay
in a quick bid for a decision on the
sea-a coup de main that would starve
Great Britain into surrender. This is
the meaning of the tragic act which
threw official Washington into pes
simism last night.
In the meantime the liner St. Louis
lies at her dock in New York Harbor
awaiting some word from Washing
ton which will permit her to sail with
assurance of protection into the sub
marine zone. Whether just or not,
the State Department is bound to
come in for severe criticism because
of the policy it has adopted policy
which refuses, before state of war
exists, to give American shipping the
reasonable protection of our govern
ment when it dares to assert Ameri-
can rights in the forbidden zone.
The hand of President Wilson is
forced by the bold, tragic act of yes
terday. He can no longer stay in the
twilight zone. Hopeful of peace as
American citizens have been, they will
turn without finching to the task that
lies before them.