Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-06
GERMANY's FATAL ERROR

TNEN million signatures have recorded
Germany's most costly blunder. For
Americans the results Of registration day
are first Of all indicative Of a superb
unanimity of patriotism. For Germany
Americas answer to the challenges Of
tyranny must eventually reveal the fruits
Of the most fatal Of the long series Of
CHASTITY misconceptions that have pre-
vented our foe from winning the war.
There can be little doubt that strictly
from the military standpoint Germany
at the outset was justified in regard.
ing herself as the winner Of the strug-
gle. Her original calculations, how
ever, ignored the possibility Of mistakes
Of judgment. of errors Of psychology. of
bungllng diplomacy and the blind folles
Of unreasoning rage.
In July. 1914, Germany saw France and
Russia as foes. With the help of Austria
she unquestionably had a brilliant chance
to defeat these two allies. Her forty
years of preparedness. the perfection Of
her strategy, the gigantic potentiality of
her model army proved this point. The
stage was set for a lightning.like cam
paign of victory. The first misconcep.
tion already looms large in world his
tory. Germany had underestimated Bel
gian devotion and Belgian valor. Britain's
championship Of invaded Flanders mate
rally altered the basic plans Of the I'm
perial General Staff But that error had
many more tragic successors. French
tenacity was absurdly misjudged.
The next faulty was to regard England
as hopelessly unprepared and incapable
Of ever rising to the occasion in a mill
tary sense. No sooner had Britain's mag
nifcent surge OF patriotism and resource
full efficiency asserted itself than the petit.
ness of Italy as an enemy colored the
Teuton's warped vision. The magnitude
Of this fallacy was hammered home by
General Cadorna and the heirs Of ancient
Rome.
But the end Of deluslon was not yet
The worth of U-boat terrorism was
staked against the alleged helplessness of
the American Republic, unschooled as it
was in modern milltarism and by training
and force of political ideals tempera-
mentally averse TO It. To Imperial Ger,
many America at peace and daily dis
patching food and munitions to the En-
tente seemed the real danger. Submarine
ruthlessness was summoned to suppress
such commerce. The spectacle Of great
democracy invoking all its tremendous
latent powers in the cause of freedom was
simply inconcelvable to the Teuton mind
The pressure on this rigid mentality
must be terrific now. In two months
the United States with glorious single
ness Of purpose, with dynamic splendor
Of endeavor, has contributed a stagger.
ing chapter to that grim tale wherein
are inscribed the consequences of Ger
man error. Our fleet is abroad. Ameri-
can air squadrons and American troops
are on the firing line. mammoth Ameri-
can financial resources have been tapped
and yesterday, with the perfection Of ad-
order, the nation took stock
Of its army assets that will first bring
forth half a million men and then an
equal number, and If necessary another
million, until freedom triumphs.
For America to say that she will win
the war for her allies is perhaps vain
glorious. But for America to say that she
will never falter until the fray for democ-
racy is won is the simple truth.
No mistakes in Germany's frenzied
series can be comparable to those that
made America become her embattled
foe.