The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1918-01-31


decOy--to create a morbid appetite
among the peoples who have been try
ing to make democracy safe-an appe,
Nte for rest for an end of deprivation,
loss, suffering, for relief from stress,
for a temporary comfort bought at the
price of princlple-the principle of fin
ishing the job.
The secret service of the allied
countries know well enough that mil
lions 9f German money has been spent
to make Americans talk and think not
of the job to be finished but of peace.
Some day there will be exposed, in
all it's extent, the systematic, elaborate
methods which Germany has used in
an endeavor to poison the opinion of
neutral countries and plant among the
weaker and more gulllrle citizens of
those countries fighting to rid the
world forever of war and the tyranny
of militarism the weed of premature
peace. 1t has been Germany's purpose
to choke the crop of courage and steal
the nOurishment away from deter
mination.
Trail Is Found Everywhere.
The trail of this well-Organized at
tempt can be found everywhere.
In Russia, back in the days Of the
czar, industrial leaders of PetrOgrad
and Moscow who came In contact with
wOrkmen, bureaucrats in the offices Of
croyorpunDt opd offinarc OF tho Sto N
headquarters Of the Russian army at
Mohileff, who came in contact with
soldiers recruited from various parts
of the empire, told me that one of the
well-defined purposes and special ef-
forts of German agents was to stimu-
late among the industrial and labOring
classes in Russia thoughts of peace, of
the comforts, the relief, and the hope
Of peace, all of which would serve to
eat like rot into the hearts Of the
people, tolling them away from the
will to fight and the will to make
final peace upon sound principle only,
and only when the job had been fin
ished.
Men will not fight hard when there
is peace talk behind the trenches"
General Alex1eff said. And he ex-
pressed also almost the identical idea
expressed to me by the retired Brit
land Yard, when the latter said, "If
you see two men fighting, would you
bet on the one who was wondering
when it would be over?"
Should Learn From Experience.
The experience of other countries
and our own experience with the desire
of Germany that her enemies shall
think, talk, and wonder about the COM
ing Of peace, ought to be enough for
US.
Any contribution made by any Amer
lean citizen to aid this purpose Of Ger
many is an act which compares with
a soldier at the front who turns his
face to the rear.
Such contribution may be actually
traitorous. There are still constant in
stances of treason among those per-
sons who stimulate peace talk With full
knowledge that they are aiding and
abetting the enemy.
Such a contribution may be morally
rotten. There are those who talk
peace because peace to their warped
souls is dearer than the end for which
we have entered the war.
Such a contribution may come from
tiabby sentimentality. There are still
men and women who can only think of
the horrors of this war instead of the
greater horrors of other wars which
are sure to come If we do not now
make tie menace Of Prussian plotting
and militarism impossible for the ages
and generations OF the future.
Such a contribution may be the re-
suit Of love OF the sensational. There |
are still individuals and even news
papers who seek to attract attention |
by pretending that they have advance |
information of the coming of peace.
Such u contribution may be ignO- |
rant. There are still individuals so
benighted that the cause of America is
not clear and real in their minds, |
They fail to understand that America |
has entered this war to make demOc. |
racy safe; to guarantee small nations |
the right of freedom from ruthless con-
quest; to crush the doctrine that the |
choice of development of each human
being must be wreSted away from him |
or from her and put in q dominant
and autOcratic machine of government |
Failing to understand the nobility of |
our purpose, they endure the war pas.
sively and prick up their ears at any
word of rumor which concerns the end |
of the war.
Such a contribution may be merely |
sloppy. There are those who forget, |
who do not think, who lapse into lazy
and as yet far away from
the bite of war, ask each other, "Well, |
when will the war endT
Comforters of Enemy.
Consciously and unconsciously these
are all cOmfOrters of the enemy.
Upon them and upon their traitor
Gus or lax attitude of mind, Germany
depends. She leans upon all "peace
gossipers."
Germany has no need to fear a ma
ton interested in peace and always
talking and wondering about peace.
She may well fear when every last
man and woman of US has no interest
higher, more constant, and more single
Of purpose than that of finishing the
job.
While she believes she can hood
wink Americans, she will release over
and over again, by petty secret agen-
cies, and by great diplomatic plays for
the galleries, her peace poisons.
Only when the job is finished, how
ever, can We be interested in peace or
peace talk.
The dove Of peace that anyone sees
hnfN