Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1917-04-20
THE SWORD OF DAMoCLEs.

A Washington paper this morning
nrinted a suggestive picture. IT rep
resented the care-worn Kaiser with a
crown in his hand. Under the PIC
ture 1was:the suggestion, "Willie' drop
it."
The story of the sword hanging by
cobweb over the head of Damocles
is ancient, but the truth 1t teaches
is ever being made apparent. Ihere
was was a!'saying among men OF ola
time Whom the gods wish to de-
stroy they first made mad
This truth has also come down the
ages. Three years ago Emperor
william, intoxicated by dreams ne
had been nurturing since he was a
how started a war which he was GER
tain he would win within few
months. The hallucination spread
throughout Germany. The absurdlty
that anything planned by Teutons
had necessarily to succeed permeated
the rank and file alike. The Ger
mans over forty years before had
sprung war upon France and after
filching Alsace- Lorraine from that
country upon which they had been
o,yin1 with covetous eyes for CEN
turtles, they made the French pay
them one billion francs indemnity,
much more. !. money than they had
spent in the war.
The German nation for half cen
turv' posed as the greatest military
power in the world. Germany had
crushed Denmark, Austria and
France, and the simple Teutons mag
med no country could cross swords
with the Fatherland.
The nation which makes war a
business, in 1914 had drawn up a
massive program. Germany wanted
the northern part of France, contain
ing iron and coal mines, annexed
to their country. They planned to
take immediate possession of this
area, crush France once more, subdue
England, and demand q large indem
nifty from the United States for furn-
ishing food, munition, etc, to the
Britons. This was stated this week
bv former Ambassador Gerard.
The total miscarriage of all these
Teutonic plans is exasperating the
Kaiser and his war lords beyond
measure, and they are attacking ene-
mics and neutrals alike in their
frenzy. Instead Of crushing France
and England, those nations are in
flicting terrible losses upon the in
vaders and gradually forcing them
back. The morale Of the German
soldiers is on steady decline, while
the discomfort in Germany is becom-
ing louder all the time. The kaiser's
subjects are gradually opening their
eyes to the fact that Teutons soldiers
are not invincible and that other ma
tions can manifest military spirit
which must not be despised.
German socialist papers have the
temerity to say that the people cam
not be hoodwinked any longer as to
recent conditions. They boldly ex-
press the opinion that Germany cam
not win the war.
In the meantime disconnected
people, sorrow-stricken at the loss of
dear ones and suffering privation and
hunger. are gathering in the princi-
pal thoroughfares of Berlin and
crying Down with the war" eve
want peace" These demonstrations
are carried on in front of the kaiser's
palace ard in the Inter Den Linden.
The demands Of war-weary people
cannot he stfled and those believed
to De responsible for prevailing con-
GitiorS may, indeed, be likened unto
Damocles. Tie cobweb which holds
the sword over the guilty head will
surely fall sooner or later.