The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1912-1921, 1918-10-18
FRIDAY. OCTOBER 10. 1918.
WHY WE MUST FIGHT TO THE END.

All America stands behind President Wilson
IN his decision that America must fight on, till
Germany is defeated utterly, till the Hohenzo-
lefn autocracy is overthroWn or inpotent.
But, lest those arise who cry I'VE have fought
enough; cur enemy asks peace!'-lest those
arise to confuse US, we must examine the case
and know, in our own minds, why we have not
fought enough.
No matter what the Germans now say, no mat
ter what the Hohenzollerns now promise, we
have not yet made the world safe for democ-
racy.' Not even safe for human beings to live in.
There will be more wars, but If we are to make
them harder to happen; if we are to make them
impossible at the nod of an autocrat, not only
must the autocrats be made poWerless, but the
nation which sought to conquer the world for
autocracy must be rendered incapable of making
another such attempt.
We cannot trust the Acknowledgements
body agrees to that
But what we must also realize is this: We can
not trust the German nation.
And so, with no thought Of punishment, but
solely for the safety of the world we must fight
on until the German nation, unable TO fight long
er, shall throw down its arms and give itself
up completely to contemplation of the useless
ness of war and conquest.
Before we can deal justice to the German ma
ton we must be deadly sure that the German
nation is ready to receive justice at our hands
There can be no bargaining with the Germans
society does not bargain with its criminals; nei-
ther does it punish them unduly But before
criminals get justice they must be tried; and so
must Germany be tried in the court of the ma
tions-not while she is world-criminal beaten
and seeking to escape, but after she is a world
prisoner, defeated and impotent
But the kaiser, not the German people, are
responsible for the Hunnish crimesl" such runs
the latest specious plea for peace-at-the-least-
price.
It is not true
The German people are rational beings, who
cannot blame their rulers entirely for German
crimes
The soldiers who murdered Edith CaveI, the
officers who raped Belgian girls, the U-boat
crews who sank the Lusitania, the vandals who
laid waste to northern France, the gunners who
fired from behind the crucifix, the men who used
captive women as shields, the tricky being who
rose crying "Kamerad!' while companions sight
ed machine guns from between their legs
these were not German kaisers; these were Ger
naan people.
And the world cannot believe that the reform
of such as these would be accomplished even by
the downfall of their leader a
The lesson must sink deeper.
The German people, shorn of their Prussian
arrogance must realize to the uttermost that
warfare does not pay
Until they do there are no guarantees the
world can accept that will safeguard future gen.
erations from another such disaster
When the Hohenzollerns are dethroned or thei
power is gore, when Germany is PROSTATE anC
her armies disbanded- we viii know thai
the world can be made safe for humanity as fol
democracy.
These consequences to Germany are not re-
yenge. They are the reasonable, rational con
clusion Of that which we started out to do. VIZ