The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-28
MILITARY TRIUMPH
BASIS FOR PEACE
Senator Hitchcock, Democrat, says
Germans Cannot Understand Their
Error Until Beaten.
URGES POLICY OF FORCE
That Course VIII Enable Allies to
Convince People of Central En-
pircs of Dcmocracy's Inherent
Power

Washington. Aug. Ex-senator Gill
bert NJ. Hitchcock. chairman OF the
foreign relations committee, declared
on the floor Of the senate today that
the United States and the nations as
ISOLATED with her in the war against
Germany and her allies. must have a
great military triumph AS basis Tor
peace discussions.
The speech of Senator Hitchcock. as
a Democratic leader and chairman of
the committee which must pass on
any peace treaty, followed the notable
speech of Senator Lodge, of Massa =
chusetts, the newly chosen leader Of
the Republicans in the senate, in
which Senator Lodge gave the Re
publican keynote on war aims and
peace terms
Senator Lodge demanded crush
ing military decision over Germany
land dictated peace which would strip
Germany of all she has gained by war
and so bind her in that she would
never again have the strength or OPP
portunity TO disturb the peace of the
world.
Senator Hitchcock. by also demand
Ing a decisive military decision over
Germany and the crushing of her pow
the war and victory issue. Hc referred
to Senator Lodges speech and said
Il agree with him that we must
have "a great military triumph for our
side as a basis for peace discussion.
The power we are fighting is mill
ltary mower The system Of GERMANY is
csse ntially military Nothing less than
great military disaster viii burn
into the mind of Germany the lesson
she must learn. If the world is ia he
made safe for democracy.
The German people must become
convinced that their system is wrong.
They must be shown that the system
Of military autocracy. built up and
developed in fifty years is a failure.
Nothing less than a great military do
feat can bring this about He that
lives by the sword shall perish by the
sU ord They must AZ Il nation. learn
chat lesson BY experience Argument
will not do The example of other
nations is not enough. only military
disaster Will convince them that their
system Is wrong and their gods false.
They must once and for all abandon
their idea ef conquest. They must cease
"a sing or think of Deutschland uber
allies They must discover in tho
midst Of military disaster and bank
ruptcy that their only hope of tho
future is to live as other nations I've.
When that TIME comes the German
I people vii! he willing 10 give a guar
Ianty OF peace They VIII be willing to
accept a democracy theory Of self
government They Willie willing to
agree 20 the independence Of small ma
A tions They VIII be willing to accept
/ justice IN place of force as the inter
national standard but they viii not
readily do these things, and repudiate
military autocracy. until they have
tasted defeat.
And so I am reconciled 10 extend
ing the age limit of the draft because
nothing but a great military triumph
can bring a real and permanent peace.
President Wilson expressed the
thought in terse and striking phrase
at Baltimore, when he declared The
purpose Of the American people He
said
Force force 80 the utmost. force
/ without stint or limit. the righteous
and triumphant force which shall
make right the law of he world and
cast every selfish dominion down in
the dust
with such force the road to VIC
tory ana 20 peace may be compare
lively short The harder we hit. the
shorter the tight and the lower the
cost and loss
As to the terms Of that peace. I
, do not think the time has arrived to
discuss them For the present / pre-
fer to stand with the president in
earnest advocacy OF force, force TO
, the utmost force without stint or
limit and to let discussion of the
terms of peace wait until that force
/ has brought the German mind 10 a
condition in which it can see things
as the rest of the world sees things. -