Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-10-31

OF the more immediate question, that
OF peace. Does Germany mean what
and yer more daring and gigantic
peace offensive designed to do two
things, to Great discord among the
nations fighting her and to deprive the
eaders of these nations of the support
of their own publics, while rallying her
w people to a new sacrifice? No
man is justified in refusing to consider
the possibility that Germany is acting
in good faith, but who can believe it,
who can trust the German, until actual
guarantees have been given?
Must Surrender Metz.
In all human probability the ques-
ton of peace or war will turf on Ger
many's willingness to evacuate Alsace-
Lorraine. If h is in earnest and act
ing in good faith, then she will agree
to the surrender of Metz and Strass-
burg, precisely as she demanded in
July, 1914, h a France should evacu-
ate Verdun and Epinal, as a guarantee
of neutrality. She will consent because
there is no other possibility of gaining
an armistice, because Foch and Haig
and Pershing are not going to surren-
in recent weeks and permit Germany
to reorganize her beaten armies and
renew the fight in good condition next
spring at the line selected by her.
But if Germany is acting in bad
faith, then she will refuse to surrender
Metz and Strassburg, she will attempt
to the people of America, Britain
kept in the fight because Of French
ambitions, h will seek to SOW discord
among her enemies, she will gamble on
a possible willingness Of the president
to be her advocate. and she will call
culate tina rather than surrender
Alsace and Lorraine her people will
consent to prolong the war, that Ger
many will rise to the threat Of what
will be held by her to be mutilation, as
France rose in the last days Of Lou
XIV and again in 1892.
Our greatest peril now lies in think
ing of the war as over or accepting
the words Of the German when these
spending deeds. The German is talk
ing peace in acceptable words, but he
is spreading ruin and waste over the
richest n fairest fields Of Europe.
Would he continue to do this IL he ex-
pected to make peace presently on
terms which would compel him to in
demnify his victims for his current
crimes? Would he burn Cambria on
Monday if he expected OF Saturday to
make peac with the guaranteed in
denlnifiction Of the people of Cambrai?
At least it does not seem likely.
We have come to the most critical
moment in more than four years of
have beaten the German. but we have
not yet reached the point where we
can safely accept his verbal assur-
ances that he desires to make peace on
our terms. Short of the acceptance
by the German of the fact of defeat,
short OF his consent to h expression
IN practical terms OF u victory, we
cannot safely or wisely consent to an
armistice or permit ourselves to be-
lfeve u labors are at an end.
We cannot forget that the German
attacked h civilized world four years
ago and in defiance of all his written
and spoken pledges. We cannot for
get that for four years he has con-
tinued. to disregard all pledges until
The moment when his armies were
beaten n all chance of a victor's
peace escaped him.. We must act with
thls knowledge in mind; we must de-
mand immediate guarantees which will
under conditions favorable to Germany
mex spring. Above all else, we must
IN u armtstice translate our victory
IN positive terms.
These terms are the surrender of
Alsace-Lorraine and Italia I~rredenta,
lne mporar occupation of the left
bank Of the Rhine from Holland to
Switzerland and the prompt demobil-
lzatlon OF the German army and navy.
Anything else would be a mOckery. q
negatton Of all that the world has
striven for e four years of agony,
a sure foundation for a new German
n aggression I do not
see how we can negotiate with Ger
nan IN arms; I do not see how we
can ask less han unconditional sur
render, however that phrase may be
interpreted, nor do 1 see how that
phrase can be nationally Interpreted
save by the demand that the Germans
retire behind the Rhine and once and
Tor all abandon those French cities of
Metz n Strassburg, which have been
the foundations. morally as we'll as
militarily. Of her great crime against