The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-07-13
Other Mems Views
An Editorial That May or May Not Square
With The Views Of The Forum

The Manitoba Free Press: The most signi~
fcant feature Of President Wilson'S address was
it's declaration Of fight to the finish The Presl-
dent and people he speaks for have become fully
converted to the view that the Huns have got
to be beaten thoroughly If there is to be any
hope /of a future Of peace for the world.
At the very outset Of the the allied gov
ernments made it clear that this was war
which would have to go on until 1t ended in com
plete victory. In this view they did not carry
their own people, unit, with them. There
were ninorities in all the allied countries who
CHALLENGED the doctrine Of the war to the finish
as an expression of imperialism It was the view
of these people that the war had been brought
about by the conflicting interests Of greedy ru4-
ing classes; and it was held that If by some
means the democracies of these countries could
get control and meet about conference table
a peace by consent could be obtained that would
be permanent.
AS was natural under the circumstances this
view was very strongly held in the United States
The people Of that country could not bring them
selves to believe that this war was what 1t was
said to be by those who knew It at first hand: a.
conspiracy against the freedom of the whole
world by the most sinister combination of mill
tary despots that the world has ever seen. Even
by the series of German insults to her honor as
a nation there still this expectation that the
war, desperate it had become, would still be
settled by diplomacy.
A year ago, following the entrance Of the Uni
ted States into the war there was much talk OF
an adjustment of the war by agreements that
would patch up the map Of Europe so that all
parties to the dispute would non1inally get some
thing out Of it. Even the blood-stained ram
turtles of oppression, to be preserved; but
the subject races, which have been the victims of
Austrian and Magyar tyranny, were to be given
a. measure Of autonomy under a. federal constitu-
ton The pundits, theorists, Austrophils paci-
fists and defeatists, were busy as bees in all the
allied countries planning peace without vic
tory; while Germany encouraged the movement,
which she knew must operate in favor OF a Ger
man peace, by various manoeuvres, including the
hypocritical reichstag resolution Of last July
The unanswerable logic of events has now con-
verified to the earlier view that peace can only
come through victory all those who questioned it,
except the irreducible minimum Of cranks, de-
featists non -resgters and cravens to be found in
ali countries The progressive development OF
President Wilson's views to the conclusion which
he declared on Thursday has been mirrored in
frank and candid a revelation Of the workings
Of statesman's mind. Two months ago he said
at Baltimore, in effect, that he had been driven
regretfully to the conclusion that nothing bat
the application of force to the limit would meet
the requirements OF the case
In his Fourth of July speech he nailed his
coIors to the mast Speaking for himself and for
clared for a to the finish. THE settlement
must be final There can be no compromise. No
half way decision would be tolerable. No half
way decision iB considerable" There is nothing
left oG the once acclaimed doctrine OF peace with
out victory. Peace by victory by the beating OF
Kaisersm and its Iegions into the dust, is the
only concevable objective. This Is the over
whelning conviction today of the allied peoples.
The circle has been completed; and the view
again predominant: Victor must be achieved
whateverit COSTS nothing short of this Is toIer-
able or conceivable. In this conviction let us go
Forward