New-York tribune., 1918-01-13
Danger to- Peace of
the World Greater
Than Was the
Napoleonic
Peril
Copyright le1s-The Tribune Association

to the end of asserting this superiority.
The German believes in war because war
has made Germany great and each war
has won new provinces and new pros
perity.
If the result of the present war is to
give Germany the mastery Of the entire
Russian seacoast, and thus of Russia; if
it is to give her direct political control
Of the Baltic Provinces and indirect con-
troll of Poland if it is to place Austria
Hungary as we'll under her domination.
then the war will be but prelude to new
wars, whatever be the settlement in the
West and so far as German colonies are
concerned. Germany could we'll afford
to evacuate Belgium, return Alsace-Lor-
raine and agree to Italian possession of
Trent if only she were to be left with
free hands to deal with the great Sla-
vonic world, to fix her own frontiers in
the Baltic Provinces and Poland to the
north and in the Balkan Peninsula at the
south. With the further assurance power
in the Balkans gave her of possession in
Asiatic Turkey, she would be in a position
to defy the world at once. and, with the
new resources in cannon fodder of alien
races, to conquer it when she had organ
lied these resources.
The Danger Of Tilsit Peace
The attention of the Allies has so long
been concentrated upon the Western front
and their thoughts so occupied with
the fate of France and Belgium that there
is grave danger that it may be impossible
now to arouse the Allied publics become
war weary and confused, as to what the
real perils of the situation are Actually
Germany is seeking to intrench herself in
such fashion as to remain master of the
political and economic future Of 125 ,OOO.-
900 Slavs, including those within and out
side of Russia, and 100000 Rumanians.
She is operating under the cover of Rus
sian formula, which sound utopiau notes.
to seize the territories and the liberties of
100000 Slavs along the Baltic and
the Vlstula, together with the Baltic sea-
board of all Slavdom she is seeking in
the Balkans to destroy the only barrier
to her expansion into Asia
1t is probably true that the task of per-
manently holding in subjection l25 600 900
Slavs is beyond the capacity of the Ger
man. but temporary possession of these
millions may enable him to wreck the
Western world. dominate Europe and
plunge the world into a quarter ol d CEN
tury of strife and of anarchy. To make
peace with Germany in her present mood
and on the present basis would be TO write
another document like that Napoleon
forced Europe to sign at Tilsit in 1907, a
document which made him master of the
Continent and insured eight years more of
struggle and of horror before Waterloo de-
stroyed the empire which Tilsit had legal
lied and put term to the ambitions which
had there been accepted by Europe.
} The War Remains in the East
The fact that Russia can do nothing for
herself does not lessen the obligations of
the Western powers toward the Slavs. If
the Slavs are permanently conquered and
by the treaty of peace which ends this
war placed under a German woke. there
VIII be new wars at no distant time and
Germany will be able to bring millions and
millions of Slav troops westward to com
plete the ruin of France and To under
take the final conquest of Great Britain.
While Germany claims the right to seize
Slav territory either in the Balkans or
along the Baltic there can be no peace
which is not mockery, nc peace which is
not, in fact, a prelude to another con-
fagration, in which Germany's chances of
victory will be far greater
The war began in the East. when the
Slav state of Russia dared to oppose Ger
man expansion southwark to the Darda
nelles. Belgium and France were but in
cdents. The war remains in the East, so
! far as the real problems arc concerned.
The disappearance of Russia has placed
Germany in more dangerous position. so
tar as the safety of the world is concerned.
: than Napoleon ever occupied. If she is
: permitted to consolidate her position she
= will have won the war and have gained
: new momentum on the road to world
supremacy.
, Beyond all else Germany is now seeking
! an early peace which shall leave her still
sufficiently strong to organize Eastern
+ Europe and to control her millions of con-
quered Slavs This is her goal. and we
t may IN the next few weeks see that she
is willing to pay for it in Western conces-
sions Of unexpected magnitude But if as
q reward for these concessions in tho
\ West the Allies permit Germany to domi.
: nate the East we shall end the war sad.
t died with a new Eastern question far
: more threatening than the old and a new