Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-14
GINNING But NOT YET ARRIVED.

misses to end much sooner than many
of us can now believe. Germany has
not surrendered In her reply to Presi-
dent Wilson's questions but she, mas
virtually admitted that she Is ready TO
surrender and to give up In this war II
our allies viii let her quit. That much
of an admission has been accomplished
by the Wilson note, provided, of course
that the unofficial copy Of the note is
in substance correct. 1t will be up TO
the governments OF France and Great
Britain and Italy and the United States
now to say when and how Germany
can get out of this war. Then. and
then only, will we be able to know
whether Germany wants to quit or
to win the war. There will be no
armistice in the sense that our
present military advantage will be
given up while Germany is left to re-
form her lines, change her mind and
resume the fight in the spring. When
lighting stops It will stay stopped for
this war and. let us hope, forever Ger
many may be maneuvering for COM
promise peace. That is the fear. Our
allies must see that she does not win in
a peace offensive. Their reply now
must be the equivalent Of an uncon-
ditional surrender.
The Times Republican has believed
that when Germany asked for peace
she realized that her armies had been
honelessly defeated and feared the re-
,prisal of French and Belgian armies
when they could invade her soil. There
was the possibility that she was mere
" calling time so that her fighters
could have a moments rest but that
would presume stupidity on the part
of our allies which Germany could
ha rdly believe within remote probahiil-
ty. Germany's losses in men were
almost as great when she was winning
last spring as when she has been los
ing this fall and the millions of re-
serves coming from the United States
has spelled her doom. Were the Ger
man people fighting for an ideal, for
their liberties. as have the Belgians
and the French and all Of our allies
she would go on spending her life and
substance until the last man had fall
en- but Germany is materialistic. she
has been fighting this war for plumber,
they can not win her war lords are
ready to shout 'Kamerad." Germany
is ready to surrender upon much more
severe terms than we have believed
she would accept at this time.
1t is Just and it is human that we
should desire revenge. The hate that
is in our hearts for those who have
committed atrocities is almost holy and
the universal demand is that this war
German knows how we feel and
already his captured soldiers are eN-
pressing their dread Of what the re-
prisal shall be when the French and
Belgians begin to invade German
cities The appearance of $50 Amer
lean bombing planes in one flock with
quantity production just beginning.
tells them Of what is in store. Ger
many has had enough and when IN
,oI3 IN,
a war civilized armies have to quit
and accept the surrender much as they
would like to carry the war into Ger
many for revenge.
Secretary McAdoo says that Presi-
| dent Wilson has drawn from the Cen
| trail Powers an admission that they
are ready to surrender. 1t would look
as tho this were true. Our al
lies must draw up the terms for sur
there is always a possibility that the
terms will not be accepted. Until our
allies have named their terms as. to
| surrender and Germany has surrend-
cred must all carry on, soldier,
| munition worker and civilian. We
can at least feel confident that Turkey
and Austria will accept anything to
end the war and when they have ac-
i cepted Germany's day is quickly done
even tho she may decide to go on with
the fight. Outnumbered now on the
| western front she would be twice out
numbered when Austria had let loose
three million Italians by her exit from
the war. 1t is altogether probable that
Germany keeps Austria and Turkey
from separate surrenders only by join
ing them in a peace plea now. They
can not be held for long.
The details involved in bringing
about peace in SO big war are SO
many and so complex that much time
must be consumed in their arrange
ment but the signs now promise that
this war win be over before spring.
It could end before Christmas if Ger
many is as ready to surrender as her
reply would indicate. II it does last
into the coming summer we will be
confronted by German armies alone.
When it does end 1t will end in de-
feat for Germany. Her army will sur
render Her ships, her colonies, her
stolen provinces and much Of her