Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-14
THE WORLD WANTS A PEACE
WITHOUT RUTHLESSNESS

NJ Our enemies, and especially the huglo.
Z SAXON Powers, have another aim--uurc.
strictcd control of the prices of raw ma.
terlals imported into Europe II the Anglo.
Saxon Powers were victorious or tf they
won a diplomatic and political victory in
the negotiations they would ho able 10
nchiove this end. aud 80 they would
actually have in their hands tho uuosc in
which Germany could bC throitlcd. Against
these things there s for Germany only one
rcmedy-yctorN. followed by ruthless and
inerring exploitation of Nictory.--Ilam.
burger Nachrchtcn.
TT rs evident that the Germans hayc
consequences which will follow their for.
feiturc of the respect and confidence Of the
world The foregoing extract from a rep.
resentative Hamburg newspaper merely
puts in another form what former Minis.
ter of Finance Ifelnerich said a few days
earlier in an interview in the Neucs Vic
ner Tagblatt. Doctor lIclfTcrich said:
We should he still moro stupid than our
enemies evidently think us IT, at the con-
cIusion of peace we let them put around
ou- necks the silkcu cord Of economic war
The more our enemies make Of the silkcn
rope tho more ptilcssiy must we cut it.
with the sword.
Doctor ITclncrch has been charged by
the German Government With the tasl, Of
handling the economic end OF the coming
peace negotiations. Ills remarks Indicate
his present temper and the temper uC tho
ruling powers in Germany.
This temper raises the economic peace
conditions to a position Of equal impor-
tancc with the political peace conditions.
Both Doctor TTclncrich ana the Hamburger
Nachrlchtcn speak of victory 10y tho sword
and the exploitation of victory that shall
be both uncrring and ruthless. We know
what German ruthlessncss is That
knowledge has determined the civilized
world to see to it that there is no German
victory. that the ruthlcssncss visited upon
the women and children of Belgium nnd
France by the German armies shall not
be visited upon the business enterprises
OF France and England. Italy ana America
by "a victorious and consccncclcss Ger.
many
As a result the Entente Niles are con.
WINGED that the only hope for world peace
lies in tho defeat of Germany. a defeat
that the Germans themselves shall rccnr.
nize as complete aud conclusive, ThcD
reasonable mon can negotiate lvablc
peace on a plan similar to that which
President Wilson has outlined
The beauty of the Wilson plan lies in
its rcasonablcncss. There is no place in
it for revenge or for rcprsals lie said
on January s:
The program Of the worlds peace there.
Tore. is our program, and that program. the
only possible program az we see it, is
K this: The removal. so far as
/, possible, of all economic barriers and the
establishment of an equality of trade con.
ditions among all the nations conscnting
10 the peace and associating themselves for
Is Its maintenance.
He rccurred to the subject on Monday
when he pointed ont that the settlement
Of the commercial and political questions
In peace negotiations were incXtricably
united and that there can be no permanent
peace without an equitable settlement of
both political and commercial questions.
There can be no peace, however 50 long
as Germany practices military ruthless.
ness In the field and talks of commercial
ruthlessness when the armies are dis
banded a peace won by victory of the
Entente Allies means mercy for the enemy.
A peace won by German victory means
unrelenting brutality for years to come.
Which do you want?