Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-30
WHAT IF THE GERMANS DO
REVOLT?

THOSE who interpret the discomfort of
4 the German prisoners captured in the
war and the reports of Generalization
among German business men as proving
that there is an impending revolution
against the Hohenzolerns are unduly
optimistic. There is no more profitless
occupation than generalizing from insult
fcient data and there is no amusement
more dangerous when the world is at
war
Whatever the future may hold for
Germany, it would be grievous mistake
for any of the nations fighting her to
assume that they are to win the war
through an attack on the German rear
by the people at home. Belief in the pos
sibility of such an attack was enter
tained for time in some quarters IN
this country. We announced that we
were the allies of the German people in
the fight against their Government. But
we have learned that, whether willingly
or unwillingly, the German people are
fighting heart and soul the battles of the
Prussian militarist party and that Ger
many is ruled by military law. Even
though the people should revolt, the
Allies would still have to crush the Ger
man military organization. No other
course is safe in any event.
There can be no peace until the Ger
man military machine is destroyed.
Lloyd George already perceives this, for
he says that the events of the last few
weeks have made it plain to every think
ing man that there is no longer room for
compromise between the ideals of autoc-
racy and those of democracy. They are
in the grip of death and one or the other
must succumb.
We are slowly perceving the truth on
this side of the ocean also. 1t is under
stood that Secretary Baker intends to
ask for appropriations for an army of
100000 men to be shipped to France as
fast as it can be trained. But we should
not accept this as the final estimate of
the number of men needed. If 100000
are not enough we must train 5,000,000,
and if more are needed we must be ready
to put them in the field.
The German drive for the Channel
ports which has been going on for forty
days will not be stopped until it is
blocked by an irresistible force. The
German strategists have evidently de-
cided to pile men into the fight regard
less of terrific losses, in the hope that
they can break through. They may sue
ceed. But this will not mean a German
victory, for the democracies of the world
are not yet exhausted and the greatest
of them has not yet begun to mobilize
its great resources.
If the Germans should reach the
Channel, however, there would be feel
ing of great exultation in Berlin and the
task of the Entente Allies would become
greater. The Germans have been taught
that they are the chosen of the German
god to rule the world through the sur
vival of the fttest and they would inter-
pret such an outcome as proof of divine
favor. But there is no hope for the
world till the Huns are taught that the
German god is merely a tribal deity and
does no. control affairs beyond the tribal
frontier.
On the same day that Lloyd Georges
statement was published the reports of
addresses made by the American labor
delegates in England appeared in the
newspapers These addresses indicate
that labor has discovered what the rest
of us have learned, namely, that there is
no hope for German democracy until the
military autocracy is uprooted and that
there is no hope for assistance from Ger
many in the work of uprooting until the
war ends. When the rest of the world
is made safe for democracy the Germans
may attempt to put such safeguards
around democracy at home as will pro-
tect it against the autocrats armed with
a gun. Our task is to smash the iron
machine that rules the German people.