The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-11
Ex-PreSident Tells Part Amer
lea Must Assume.
Peace Now Would Mean De-
feat to Allies Cause.
EACH DEMOCRACY THREATENED
Must Crush Militarism or GO
Armed Against 1t.
That's Meaning of Make World
Safe for Democracy.

Fort Riley, Kan, Feb. 1.-The
part which Americans must play in
the war was discussed here late today
by ex-President Taft in the first of
series of addresses which he is to
make at training centers in the central
department of the army under Y. NJ.
c. A. auspices. Mr.. Taft arrived
here from Camp Pike and was escort-
ed at once to his waiting audience of
soldiers. He said, in part.
THE war has not been won. Ger
many is in possession of Belgium and
part of northern France. She holds
Serbia and Rumania, Poland and the
Baltic provinces of Russia. Peace now,
even tho it be made on the basis of
the restoration of the status quo
without indemnities and without an
nexations, would be failure to
achieve the great purpose for which
the allies have made heartrending
sacrifices. Armaments would continue
for years, and this war would have
been fought in vain.
No Thought of Peace Now.
He who proposes peace now,
therefore, either does not see the
stakes for which the allies are fight
ing, or wishes the German military
dulOCIdcy Sllll u COntTO1 me QeSCln1eS
of all of us as to peace or war. Those
who favor perma nent world peace
must oppose with might and main the
proposals for peace at this juncture
in the war, whether made in social
istic councils, in pro- German confer
ences, or by Pope Benedict.
The allies are fighting for prin-
ciple the maintenance of which afr
fects the future of civilization, If
they do not achieve it, they nave sac
rificed the flower of their youth ana
mortgaged their future for a century.
The allies cannot concede peace until
they conquer it. When they do so, it
will be permanent. Otherwise they
fail
Germany Alone Responsible.
Germany alone IS responsible for
the incalculable destruction of this
war. She led on in the armament of
the world that she might rule it. She
promoted therefore the armament of
other nations. Her system was fol-
lowed, tho not effectively, by 9TH
er countries ir pure defense of their
peace and safety.
Intrigue, dishonor. cruelty, have
characterized the entire military pol
icy of Germany. The rules of inter
national law have been cast to the
winds. The murderous subma rine
has sunk without warning the non
combatant commercial vessels of the
enemy and drowned their officers
their crews and their passengers, men,
women and children. Not only has
this policy been pursued against en-
emy commercial vessels, but also
against neutral commercial vessels.
We find a German diplomat tele-
graphing from a neutral port to the
German headquarters advising that if
the submarine be used against the
vessels of that neutral power it leave
no trace of the attack. In other
words, the murder of the crew must
be complete-'dead men tell no tales
What Safe for Democracy Means.
Having violated the neutrality of
Belgium, having broken its sacred
obligations to that country and her
people, it is now ensIaving them by
taking them from Belgium and en-
forcing their labor in Germany. This
is contrary to every rule of interna-
tional law, and is in defiance of the
plainest principles of justice and
honor All these things are done for
the state The ruling caste in Ger
many, in its desperate desire to win,
has allowed no consideration of hu-
manity or decency OF honor to pre-
CONTINUED on Page TwoI