Evening star., 1918-07-07
FIRST HINT OF PEACE OFFENSIVE
is SEEN IN KUHLMANN'S ADDRESS

Russia is in an: upheaval which mo-
man can measure. but there 10 q Pos.
land to be madn with almost as great
ease as Italy Was made In the last
century. Poland Is the natural slavi
sentinel along the vistula and fcrI
long centuries she maintained that
role heroioally and successfully. Ser
bia Is the natural sentinel Of the Ball
kans against Invasion coming out Of
Europe from the north or out Of AsiaI
from the south. Rumania and EerbtaI
together can hold the Danube barrterI
races are uritsd within their ownI
natural and racial frontiers.
1t seems to ME that the great dan-I
ger will come when the campaign of
1913 is over. and German dfplomacyI
undertakes to avoid the threat which,
our own enormous army. for IL will
be enormous by the campaign OF 1913.
will have for the German army. And|
Germany's diplomacy will seek to turnI
to account the war weariness of theI
whole world.
Depends on America.
And I believe that it will in a con-
siderable measure depend upon Amer-I
tca's attitude whether the GermanI
peace offensive fails. as the defeat oil
the German war offensive depended
In some part on the speed with which,
we got our new armies to France wei
must expect aid reckon with the warI
WEAKNESS OF the masses of our allies:
we must be on our guard against
weakness that comes from wounds
suffered in brave resistance and. fn|
resistance ma intained almost beyond
human endurance. Our Leadership.
not perhaps IN ideas. but certainly I'M
spirit. may be the decisive factor in|
ha q
ana the German peace offensive must
be repulsed IL the war is to end in]
making the world safe for democracy
or secure agsinst the German thing,
however one may characterize 1t.
II only tha American public could bsl
brought to sse the questions Of Po-
land and Serbia. Of Rumania ana Of
the Bosporus as clearly as they sss|
the questions of. Belgium, Alsace-
Lorraine and the italian Irredenta.
the failure OF the German peace Of
fensive wou: be assured. II only the
raes could be made clear that Ger
evacuate Brussels and Trieste, Strass-
burg and Metz: IL they could hold Bel
grade and i-onstantinople. Warsaw
and Riga: that Germany could well
sfiord 20 losyer her nag forever in
hold open tie roads to Asia, north
and south--lhen the voice Of AmerI-I
can public obinion would warn Amer
iean diplomacy against German en-
deavors.
No man understands the Russian
mess on the part of the European ma
tions whic,t have suffered most by
reason OF Russia's desertion to abau-i
don the Russians for German fate
with little. sympathy. The tempta-i
tion Is natu-al but the costs of such
a hA
the other hand, no man can suggest 4
way In which to insure Russian re-
generation. no matter what help be
furnished BY contrast the reconsti-
tuition of Poland is not only possible
put; pul carries with It the hope that be-
hIno the Polish barrier Russia may
regain her national health without
GEAR OF .rFnan domination.
AS II B., ,,lHds 100000 Germans and
io.oo0,O00. Magyars dominate popula-
TONS oil otner races as numerous, or
even more numerous. and unless those
races are now freed the slavery may
be perpetual, and out of these en-
shaved racAs Germany will construct
new armies and in due course OF time
make new attacks upon Europe. This
Is the story of Prussia; this Ia the
history Of the Hohenzollerns.
Peacesonens1ve Beginning.
But we gre Just entering the danger
zone. SO fir as the peace offensive is
concerned: The German is preparing
his new Ene of attack and his new
methods Ct combat. We shall have
every arttfce in his whole stock en-
plpyed ffr the precise purpose of
binding Us to the real issues At
stake ancI keeping open the roads to
new expansions and the hopes Of new
conQuests. II we permit our eyes to
be hIfnIhG UnnnAs fa
our mistaken conceptions of Germans
or Of German ideas to deceive us, we
shall havS 1t all to do over again ana
the German will win the war
No German peace proposal will be .
real peace proposal-a proffer Of peace
the Germany army is unconquered, be-
cause all peace proposals will be con-
troiled By those who control the Ger
man army. Therefore all proposals
must be ;snet as attacks by the enemy.
not as anything else. The way TO
peace remains through military VIC
tory. and before we can hope for vic
tory wa must repulse first the German
military attack, which is now going
forward. and next the German peace
offensive which Is preparing.
The German military offensive must
be beaten in the west. Ludendorff
has temporarily made "westerners" OF
us all. but the peace offensive will be
In the eAst. and when il opens there
we. too. must become fasteners" for
the decision of the war will be based
on permanent subjugation or complete
liberation OF eastern lands and races
from she German yoke. Victory ON the
Marine. the Seine and the Somme must
be turned to account on the Visruis,
the Danube and at the Golden Horn.
These are the issues of the war, the
tests Of real victory or of actual fail.
ure on our part and on the part Of our