Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-06
BY NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER.

CDR. Butler, who is president of Co
lumbia University. wrote the follow
ing article for circulation in the Ma
tional Security Leagues great cam
paign of patriotism through education
to arouse the people of the country
to Il realization of the true meanings
of the war and the necessity for its
efficient and aggressive prosecutlon.)
We have watche d-With what pa
thence, with what forbearance and
with what admiration for our allies
the splendid, the magnificent and the
heroic service to civilization through
three long years that has been rendered
by France, by Great Britain and by
Italy But all the heroism and the
sacrifice of France. all the bravery and
the power of England, all the skill and
the chivalry of Italy could not suffice
in three short years to do more than
hold back the great German military
machine that had been fifty years in
building. 1t had been demonstrated a
year ago that. while Germany cannot
win this war. she might be able TO
prolong il so indefinitely as virtually
to destroy to bankrupt and to bleed
white those who in the end must con
Quer her: and thereby one-half OF her
aim would have been attained. For
this war must be either lost or won.
II Germany does not lose this war
she wins it: if the allies do not WIN
this war they lose it. A drawn battle
is a German victory. for il means time
TO prepare for another and equally
ferocious assault upon the peace loving
and liberty-loving nations of the world.
Madness of Autocracy.
But the madness of autocracy had
no limits With that possible situation
before il, Germany permitted itself TO
take the final step that SO invaded the
rights and so assailed the honor of the
people of the United States. that so
affronted their intelligence, their self
respect and their moral feeling that
we could hesitate no longer, but united
in saying that we. too, now saw what
the war meant; that the attack on
poo-. innocent Belgium and on weak,
distracted Serbia was not mere EURO
pean outburst, but that the lines OF
it's planning, the protects Tor IT'S exc
cution. as every one who can READ no"
knows stretched all over these two
Americas The seduction and the con-
quest of these Americas-commerc 1ai,
financial and. If necessary, military,
had been planned as part or TINS mao
scheme of word DOMINATION.
To resist that we have sprung 10
arms: to resist that we have taxed our
selves to an unheard-of extent We
have called our bravest, our most eN-
nerienCed and our best to counsel the
administration and the officers OF gov
eminent. and we are hurrying forward
the most amazing military and naval
organization that history records. tor
what? Not to kill Germans. not even
to humiliate Germans. Those would be
mean and paltry ends for a nation like
ours TO seek We are doing this thing
with determination, with good nature
and with light heartedness because we
propose to dethrone from power the
ideas that have made this awful thing
possible We propose that those ideas
evil enough. destructive enough, de-
grading enough when confined within a
single national boundary-shan not OPP
press free people, great or small, any
where in this world, and least of all
shall they Cypress and suppress us.
1t has been said by the President
and well sai1-that we are at war to
make the world safe for democracy. 1t
has been said by the Governor of Mas
sachusetts-and we'll said-that while
we are doing it we must not forget to
make democracy safe for the world-a
wise. a true and a sagacious saying
But there is something even more i'm
portant than democracy at stake. for
democracy, after all. is form of gov
eminent, and all forms of government
must have something upon which to
rest.
To Put Order in World-Order.
The free nations of this earth. bound
together in this new alliance of free
dom and good will and high purpose