New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-25
Despite Successes
Germany Has Lost
All of Her Real
Detectives in
the War
Copyright 1sI7-The Tribune Association

Vedras, as it had before. Ii was only
when he had begun to lose in the East and
was compelled to recall troops to face his
chief enemies that Wellington was able "a
reach French soil. Italy is in the same
way a subordinate field in the presef1
war.
Last year the Germans lost their last
great campaign to dispose Of France about
VerGun; then they lost their defensive
battle at the Somme and were compelled
to retire some twenty miles on a wide
front and evacuate thousand square
miles of French soil. But they were able
to cover up this defeat on their main front
by brilliant victory over Rumania, which
entered the war under Russian direction
and was promptly betrayed to Germany
by the Germanophile traitors in control in
Russia.
This year Germany has lost whole
series of battles on the Western front, to-
gether with 100000 prisoners and nearly
thousand guns. She is now threatened
with a general retreat from the Belgian
coast and out of Northern France. But
she is Disgusting these reverses by brill
liant success in Italy, partly induced by
new treachery both on the part of the
Russians and of some Italians, seduced by
German money or Misrepresentation.
Why Germans Seek Peace
Last year the world was enormously i'm
pressed with the Rumanian victory of the
Germans and for moment it looked as
If the Germans might get negotiated
peace on the strength Of this success. But
they did not. This year they are plan
ming to make new drive for negotiated
peace, using the Italian success as the
text. But why should they want peace
if they have the war won? Not because
they love peace as such; all Prussian his
tory gives the lie to this, and all the pro
LESSONS of influential Germans just before
and Just after the war began establish
this. Why, then, do they want peace?
Obviously because they recognize that they
cannot win the war.
If the Germans had won such victory
against the British in Flanders or the
French in Champagne as they have won
against the Italians in Venetia they would
not be ready to make peace. They would
not be talking about peace. They would
be discussing the war map. II they should
win such a success against the British or
the French there would be no occasion for
them to talk about peace be- negotiation;
the French and the British would have to
do the talking. The man who tells you
that he is sure to win his action against
you if it goes to trial, but that he is ready
to settle to save lawyers fees, usually
has bad case.
The Napoeonic Comparison
The German has lost his three great
cffensives-the Marine Verdun and the sub
marine campaign. He pinned all his re-
naming hopes on the last and risked get
ting us into the war, because he expected
to win before we could become effective.
His real foe now is Britain, still aided by
France, but carrying the burden Of the
fight. Tomorrow he will have danger
Gus enemy in the United States. He can't
conquer Britain in Italy--he can't even
conquer Britain in France. He can't con-
quer the United States in Italy and he
can't conquer France in Venetia. Neither
can the British conquer Germany at Jeru-
salem or in Mesopotamia. If he can't con-
quer the British or persuade them they are
conquered the German will lose the war.
even without Intervention, because the
British control the sea and the German
cannot live permanently without the use
of the oceans. II he can't force the British
to abandon their blockades and let his mer-
chant ships out he must persuade them,
and for this he will have to pay. His sole
currency is the territory Of Britain's allies
which he holds. He has no British terri
tory. while the British have a million
square miles of his.
Napoleon won Austerltz, Jena, Fried
land, Wagram, but he lost his fight against
Europe. He overran all of Austria and
of Prussia and far more Of Russia than
the Germans have overrun. He made q
vassal state of Prussia. mere recruiting
field Of Italy. He dominated Spain from
the Pyrenees TO the neutral strip facing
Gibraltar, but he ended his days at ST;
Helena. When you compare the Napoleonic
achievements which preceded the final de-
feat with the German achievements you
see how incomparably less important are
the later successes. Yet all the. early sue
eesses did not give Napoleon permanent
hold on that for which the Germans have
been fighting for three years without ever
attaining. even for the moment-the mas
terry Of Europe.
These are considerations which ought to
be borne in mind when the German makes
his next peace offensive, as he very soon
will.