Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-06-06
POSSIBLE RUSSIAN PEACE.
What 1t Means as Outlined by Frank
II. Simonds, an Able Writer.

little IN the European war for som
months and rumor has 1t that tn,
"Great Bear" will very likely make ;
separate peace with Germany and tina
such course is very surely being
forced upon the country by the blinded
action of the laboring masses, whG
have been unable to understand anC
apply the difference between liberty
under democracy and the unbridleo
spirit of simple license.
Frank III. Simonds, one of the most
>able writer's on the European war has
the following to say in the Review of
Reviews for this month:
"The view of most Allied writer's
that separate peace between Ger
many and Austria on the one hand and
Russia on the other is unlikely,
share. But do believe it Is sufficient
ly within the possibilities to require
consideration.
Suppose that Russia and her foes
should reach a basis OF settlement
which restored to Russia all that she
has lost save Poland. and gave her
Armenian territory in Asia and free
passage in the Straits, what then?
First of all Rumania would collapse
at once and be compelled to make a
peace which would leave her vassaI of
the Central Powers. Bulgaria would
become permanently rallied to the
Central Powers and Serbia would either
make a separate peace which would
place her IN the same posture as Bull
Raria and Rumanla, or else would lose
all semblance of separate existence.
AS for Greece, we know that her king
is merely waiting to throw his country
into the arms of German invader.
"RussIan retirement, then, would
mean the temporary success of the
German dream of Mitteleuropa, it
would mean that the Germans had sue
ceeded IN constructing an empire in
Central Europe greater than Napo-
Icons and had also added to it Asia
Minor and Syria.
"Such a situation would threaten the
future of all the other nations of Eu-
rope. Italy, Great Britain and France
AZ Mediterranean nations and Moham-
medan powers would find themselves
facing a menace which could not be ex-
aggerated.
"But could Italy continue in the
war? Again the question rises as to
radical and soclallstic sentiment.
Would Russian retirement lead to
similar explosion in Italy, and would
the same Utopian ideas serve to dis
arm the Italians as they had the Rus
slams and thus make socialism the SOL
dier of autocracy?
"No man can be sure what the an
swer to this question might be, If the
Russian retirement were followed by
one more terrific attack by the Central
Powers upon Northern Italy.
1T is essential to face the fact that
Germany at the present moment stands
to win the war, ii at all, because she
is deriving great and growing aid from
the liberal and socialistic elements IN
the countries that are fighting her.
"Autocracy. fighting for Its life.
Prussian military spirit at bay and
threatened with determination, is sud
denly finding a possibility of survival
because of the blind idealisms of the
liberals in the world outside.
elf it were true that the same spirit
of liberalism were rampant in Ger
many, If the German Soclasilsts were
able to urge peace without annexation
upon Germany as the Russians are i'm
posing 1t upon their own nation, one
might view the situation with greater
calm, but this is not the case.
"Thus we have the assertion of
Scheldemann IN the Relchstag that
even If the Allied nations should pro-
CLAIM the doctrine of peace without an
nexation, there would not yet be any
revolution IN Germany, although he
asserted that such time would come
German socialism is divided, but
the larger faction still supports the
and the position of the
government is weakened or strength
ened as the military prospects Improve
or worsen.
"German socialism has not yet raised
its voice to protest against annexation