New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-05
An English View of Reprisals
Declared utabc TO Curb Moral Anarchy of Germany 0 Oe''
Is for Military Chiefs TO Maize
Bv the Editor Of London LAND and W dter

in themselves They would have an efcelehe
effect and they would be without the iea'.
doubt an instrument toward the winning VI
the war. But there remains the initial quail
6cation with which this article opened De
hind any discussion or judgment upon the
vaIue of reprisals in themselves there runs
Tho urinary question: do the military chiels
annrove?" They alone can decide, and IN
,beir hands il should be left. If the only
men who have any accurate or detained
knowledge of what instruments are available
and in what number and for what purpose
thew had best be used decide that the DOM
bardment of enemy towns is for the moment
a waste Of power, it ought readily 70 De Cd
yious that civilians must be silent ana give
them a completely free hand-and the "ord
"civilian" here applies quite as mucn 10 the
politican az il does TO the mass OF puDHc
officials. But if the issue be the more gen
eral one, which we can all Judge Tor our
selves, of whether reprsals always suppos-
ing that the military chiefs approve OF them)
are right and should be effected as matter
of policy, then there can be little doubt upon
the verdict.
Not a Precedent for Other Wars
At the same time there is principle to be
observed which is not often mentioned ana
which is yet of the utmost value. mat
principle is the clear definition by the Allies
that they themselves regard their action as
exceptional and only use 1t for the curDihs
of anarchy and of the peculiar evil repre-
sented by Prussia in the modern worid' anu
do not intend for one moment to incorporate
it in the precedents of war.
II il too much the fashion nowadays TO
laugh at such declarations, but II we Will
look back over the short space OF three
vears we shall see that the conventions Oh
civilized warfare were of binding moral erect
upon all Europeans until this detestaole peo-
pe broke them. They were observed by DotA
parties in Manchuris, in South Africa, IN the
Turkish War. Not only are the Germans
resnonsible for so awful exception 10
Christian morals, but they prove their own
baseness by the fact that they fell into 1t as
nv a sort of temptation. Heaven knows that
thew were vile enough in the first acts they
committed against the civilian population OF
Reloium-acts for which you will find no
narallel in modern times. But the deliberate
bombardment of open towns, the sinking OF
merchant shipping without warning, OF hos
pital ships and all the rest of 1t, did not
come at once Even the Germans were
ashamed at first Of these things.
Il is of the utmost Importance Tor US al
70 recollect that, even were we compelled 70
nav back the enemy in his own coin for the
sake of our common livelihood, we are not
establishing a precedent. We are not grant
ing his right to the abomnsble practices he
has initiated and we have no intention OF
pursuing them in the future, but, on the con-
trary. of Kidding Europe once and forever OF
the political power which has made such
things possible. Prussia deliberately chal-
lenged intelligence and traditions higher than
her own. Her action was like the action OF
an animal which foolshly attacks man, not
knowing what reserves of power the human
brain has against the beast II reprlsals De
agreed to by those military chiefs who alone
have the power of judging the situation, the
Germans may be we'll assured they will be
conducted more severely and with more effect
than anything they can do against US. Inc
air service of the Allies is altogether superior
TO the air service of the enemy. 1t IS, per-
hsps. the most important lesson of this long
war in its last stages and which we should
all Law 10 heart, that the German Is less IN
civilization. culture, abilities Of every sort
than the older civilizations which he was
mad enough in his muddy pride to challenge.
Copyright 1917. Otis r. Woody