The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1912-1921, 1918-07-12
THIS NATIONS BUSINESS Is TO LICK
THE KAISER

(By George Wharton Pepper PhiladelphiaD
Suppose you We're at the head of the German
bureau which has the job of doing ever, ching
possible to prevent Americans from taking the
war seriously Suppose you had plenty of
money to spe-id and multitudes of agents all
through the country to help you, what plan
would you adopt to take the heart out of our
war preparations and to cause us to discount
the appeals for popular support that came from
our Government? The answer is simple: You
would do everything in your power to make the
American public think and talk about an early
peace Everybody you could buy and every
body you could deceive you would bride and
fool, and in SO doing you would be doing more
effective wc.N for the Kaiser than if you were
to blow up dozen Of our muntion plants and
our biggest shipyards
We Americans can fight if we have to. But
we are peace-loving people and we don't want
to hight unless it's absolutely necessary; and
nobody can put sand in the gear~box of our war
preparations so effectually as the men who hold
cut to us the hope of an early peace.
This is exactly what the German propagan-
dlsts are doing, from the highest to the lowest
from the Imperial German Chancellor to the
silly little .pacifsts who are his dupes And I
want to do my best to conteract their insidi-
Gus influence [ want to warn you to close your
ears against the seductive and destructive talk
of the deceivers and the deceived who are even
now prattling about the terms of a satisfactory
peace. In the first place, an early peace is al
delusion. There is only one chance of an early
peace Il speak soberly and from conviction) },
and that is the chance of a speedy and decisive
German victory.
A German victory, if it comes at all, will be a
sweeping victory, and it will be followed by con-
can refuse to see. Nobody can give an intelli-
gent reason why the consequences of a German
victory should not be as serious for the United
States as they have been for Belgium. IF you
want the kind of early peace that will follow
such victory, it is the easiest thing in the
world to get All you have to do is to do moth
ing and you'll get ton the solar plexlls. But
peace which will attain the objects for which
our Allies have struck giant blows and made
huge sacrifices, a peace that will make thel
world safe-I do not say for democracy, but forl
our Women-such peace is far off, and to at
tain 1t we must wage war like men. And mol
man ever yet fought winning fight if all the
while he was thinking how much nicer it would
be if he didn't have to fight at ALL
Apart from the experience of soldiers event
lawyers know that when the jury is in the box
and your adversary begins to suggest settle
ment the thing to do if you have righteous
case, is to smile grimly and answer that a YER
dict for the full amount of your claim is good
enough settlement for you. We want no peace
talk now. The newspapers ought to be patriotic
enough to cut such cackle-no matter what
source it comes from. At present it is this ma
tons business to do the greatest piece of lick
ing the world has ever seen.