El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-10-10
GERMANY MUST BE HUNlBLED NOT
TIME. YET TO TELL HER, PERHAPS

II7HLE the repIv of president Wilson to the German
w peace feeer was not what most Of hoped to see
II is perhaps best thai it couched as 1t was
takes far sighted to say what ought to be said
when il Is so easy say something else that would be
more popular To say and do the right thing harder than
10 say OF the popular thing-the expected thing.
Following the presidential speech in which he said
orce and force and force" must be exercised against Ger
many we rather expected him to send very brief note IN
reply TO Ge1manys peace feeeT declaring unconditional
surrender to the only terms could accept That
the obvious thing and would have been the popular thing
home but would It have been best? The president
thought not for he said something else and must agree
that there IS still tine to say the obvious and the popular
thing.
As one paper apty puts it. the president said enough
TO give Germany TO understand that she must accept all
the things laid IN the Wilson speeches before she
have peace and at the time he left It open for Ger
many TO make further advances He did not shut Germany
of completely with the declaration that you must do this
keep fighting" He left the Germans loophole for
reply They their faces and still continue their
negotiations and he headed off what might have been
dangerous weapon for German official use at home.
There American who believes the Germans SIN
their peace talk It is hardly possible that pTesi
mudded the waters by pTesung to believe that they
IN earnest and asking them by what authority they
wish to contract peace and Just what they willing to
90 TO get It. He has not committed himself to any new
policy.
We all believe Germany was attempting a shrewd move
for asice that she might withdraw her defeated
army to better positions and then suddenly break nego
aons on the ground that the allies were attempting to
force hUniHating peace We all believe this and the
president evidently believes the same for he made 1t quite
plain that there be armstce TO talk peace any
thing else long German forces occupy alien territory
In other words, matter how much Germany TALKS
peace; matter how many replies she sends the pres
Dental note she is given understand that viii keep
pounding her armies until they withdraw across their
frontier and give up every foot Of ground they have stolen
In their Of conquest, murder and robbery. On this
stand the world viii applaud president Wilson.
Perhaps may accomplish the same results without
fighting long for II, If The Wilson reply brings about
quicker peace than curt note Of rejection might have
orally believed that the kaiser his cohorts viii fight as
long possible, under any condition. all the time using
the talk for home consumption that they fighting
for existence, Of self preservation, to keep up
the broken morale at home and In the army doing
time much damage possible to the country they
forced TO give I'D This is the German way. If they could
gain any advantage by discussing peace and meantime
progress they would do By talking peace they also
might hope 10 somewhat demoraZe England where there
d large following for the "peace party" and maybe
effect IN the United States Peace talk might
also be expected to have its effect upon the allied armies
By giving the troops feeling Of confidence in which
hey might IN desst IN such furious fighting
There many ways IN which peace talk from Germany
expected to take every advantage of these Perhaps
the main idea IN asking peace TO have It rejected fatty
most people expected M Wilson to reject it. in the hope
Of oemenng the Germans closely the throne and
the Of the flat rejection Of peace the
Of president Wilson might have been held up the
Germans example Of the "bloodthrstnes" Of the al
les and indication Of their determination to crush Ger
many; such talk would have doubt bolstered up the
German morale to a certain extent.
The reply OF president Wilson killed any such hope,
for it is nothing that the German people can accept as an
nltmatum for their humiliation; It is firm yet 1t asks