Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-30
PREMATURE PEACE.

iJCiiiC biAhC CAV liC PCopiC "a hihs
country might have been divided
roughly into two classes: Those that
read about the war and those that did
not, Today practically everyone in
the nation is interested in the war,
but again may be divided into two
classes: Those that think and those
that do motor cannot. tt.
1t is only those incapable Of grasp
ing this great war in its entirety, OF
looking beyond the mere casualty
lists-which horrfy them--that hope
and pray for an immediate peace by
negotiation; a peace that would leave
the German empire in the position OF
man who has had a severe illness
but only needs time and care and re-
Operative rest-something the G. F.
ever again.
BY this time it would seem that the
densest person in the United States
must know that Germany is insatiably
greedy, mad for world power, consuin
ed with hatred of her rivals in wealth
and Importance. as ruthless and say
age under a thin veneer as the ancient
Huns, without pity, mercy, honor
psychologically incapable Of telling
the truth, or considering the rights of
Others, and with no sense of fair play
whatever. And yet you hear con-
stantly-for the less intelligent OF
Americans are incurable optimists-
"Oh, be sure she has had enough
Her people never will stand for an
other war. She really desires peace
now, and recognizes her mistake in
plunging the world into war-she
never dreamed ii would go SO far
But let us stop this killing business
The future can take care Of itself
anyhow"
If this war finishes with the Hob
enzollerns and Prussia in power and
undismembered Austria-Hungary to
support her, it will be because of
breakdown of morale on the part of
the allied powers. which has let them
drift supinely into negotiated peace
And if Prussia remains in the saddle
ana the Southern Siays have not been
permitted to form q strong buffer
state. independent of q crippled and
impotent Austria, we shall not only
be plunged into another war ten years
hence but into hopeless war. The
same decentralization that led our
European allies to consent to a COM
promise would have relaxed their
moral fiber to such an extent that
they would make little more than the
gesture of war. We, meanwhile,
should be an armed camp from the
Pacific to the Atlantic, with a navy
some three times its. present size. Our
present taxes would be a mere trifle
to what we should groan under until
our issue with Germany was settled
once for all.
Prussia has not altered its charac-
teristics in fifteen hundred years; not
since the days Of Genseric and Alaric,
when the northern tribes Of Germany
under those historic freebooters lived
for war and the spoils of war, and
won the honor Of being, with Attila,
the most brutal trio. in history. the
record of Prussia is even worse to-
day. Is any one really so innocent as
to imagine that she would have q
change of heart in our time Yes.
when the leopard changes his spots to
the gold stars of sacrifice. She would
whip Russia into shape, and then,
head down, charge the world again
with something like twenty millions
of trained fighting men behind her.
There would he no doubt whatever
about the fate Of Europe. We should
have better chance of resistance,
but none whatever Of conquest, not
even IL we sank the German navy.
In any case tiis war would drag on for
years Now, if the pacifists, social
lists and traitors in our midst, as we'll
as those weak timorous souls that
weep over our men who are delight
ed to be over there and doing their
duty, can be silenced, We stand fair
chance of winning the war next year
by sheer superiority OF numbers and
generalship, smashing the military