New-York tribune., 1918-03-03

propose that neutral nations shall for
gam sustain Germany and thus by
prolonglng the war make greater sac
rlflces OF our lives and treasure.
"' Self-Defnition Fallacy"
"Thc right of definition is
equally misleading We did not give
to the Southern States in our Civil War
the right to form a separate govern
ment; nor did we apply principles of
eli-detinitlon when we acquired Flor
ida, Louisiana, California, Alaska, the
Philippine Islands and Porto Rico.
"Why, then, suggest as formula of
peace a principle which, while it up
holds an ideal of some value, does not
represent the realities of life or the
policies of America? The map of the
world cannot be determined upon the
basis of any such gcneralizaton This
is indeed a time of blood and iron.
Only realities count. and, sounding
platltudcs, which do not represent one
true purpose and meaning tend to OBJ
scurc judgment and paralyze the ma
tions will. Certainly they lead US no.
where.
again, an effective phrase by the
spokesman of a nation must represent
the highest aspirations of the people.
y hlle the peace without victory, ,
which ought to compromise the worlds
greatest war by leaving the main issue
unsettled, was not thus representative,
President Wilson's later declaration,
that the people of this country were
impatient, deeply and Indignantly i'm d,
patient, with those who desired peace
with any sort of COMPROMISED and his
further declaration that this was a war
to the death against the imperial gov
ernment of Germany, thing without
conscience or honor or capacity for
covenanted pea0, expresses in the
most virile phrase the sentiment which
ieconcles the American people to the
inevitable sacrifices of blood and treas
urc.
Where Kerensky Failed
Had Kerensky and Trotzky, instead
of weakening the morale of the Rus
sian people by the most visionary
ldealism simply asserted that the
honor of Russia was pledged to a war
to a finish, and that TO desert her al
lies, who came into the war in re-
sponse to her appeal for help, was to
play the part of Judas Iscariot, then
the Russian revolution might not have
suffered so pitiable d collapse. words,
words, words defeated Russia, not the
military prowess Of Prussia.
AS all bellicose phrases arc mis-
chievous in the period Of just peace,
similarly all paciiist platitueles are
mischievous in the death grapple of
war. If a pedestrian is attacked by q
tootpad with bludgeon, he does not
in the heat of the struggle for life dis
cuss the virtue of honesty, nor does a
householder, when he confronts bur
glar in the dead of night, and knows
that it is the burglars life or his own
that is at stake, waste his breath with
discussing during the death grapple
the ethical basis of property rights or
the problems Of penoogy.
at is for this reason that |. per
sonally, feel constrained to question
the wisdom of the recent peace par
leys, especially when conducted at Il
time when the enemy is flushed with
victory. Our President has said that
the imperial German government is "A
thing without conscience or honor or
capacity for covenanted peace That
is the deliberate conviction of the
American people; if it was not, they
would not be in the war with the de
gree of unanimity that has confounded
our enemies and surpassed even the
most sanguine expectations Of those
who, like myself. wished from the be-
ginning that our country would aban-
don its policy of neutrality.
Berlin Government Unchanged
"The government of Berlin has not
changed. If it was last December
without capacity for a covenanted
peace why, then, should our govern
ment now parley with Berlin and
Vienna, and why whittle down the
great cause of punitive justice to four
teen formulas, some of which are vague
and illusory in meaning, some alto
gether admirable, and at least one of
which was against our historic policies
and the best interests of our allies?
81 fully recognize that the President
has greater sources of knowledge than
are available to any of his follow citi-
zens. do not question his whole
hearted purpose to carry our war to a
successful conclusion, but he is sur
rounded with Influences that do not re-
gard this war rs a holy crusade for
liberty and justice, but as an unfortu-
nate quarrel between equally we'll
meaning nations. which by the requisite
amount Of diplomatic tinesse can be
brought to conclusion by a shiftv
compromise.
'lf the President will eliminate from
his councils the intriguers, pasifists,
doctrnaires and the other intellectual
Bolsheviki he will confirm the confidence
which his countrymen have so fully and
ungrudgingly given him. Party spirit
is nonresident. The whole people are
behind their chosen leader. but thev
want him to lead them to victory. not