New-York tribune., 1918-07-13
The German Way

The German Way
German policy is crookeder than an old
worm fence. 1t threads its way through
a maze of inconsistencies and contradic-
tions.
A year or more ago the Reichstag, in
moment Of mental depression, passed a
resolution defining German war aims. An
nexations and indemnities were excluded
from Germany's programme This, as It
turned out, was only gesture to lure
Germany's enemies into participation in
Socialist peace conference at Stock
holm. The Russian revolution took the
gesture seriously. Lenine and Trotzky
went to Brest-Litovsk last winter to make
peace on a no-indemnity, remuneration
basis. Then Secretary Won Kiihlmann
and General Won Hoffman, appropriated
Poland, Lithuania, Courland Livonia,
Esthonia, Finland and the Ukraine, and
sent the Bolshevik ENJOYS back home with
a hazy title to what was left of Russia
in Europe.
Won Kuhlmann at Brest-Litovslz exer-
cised without mercy the prerogatives Of
the victor. The Reichstag shamelessly
stood for his work. Recently in another
moment of depression he made some pes
slmlstic remarks about the impossibility
OF Germany's obtaining a purely mill
tary decision. AS Mr.. Draper pointed
out in a recent dispatch from London.
this speech was delivered Just after
the failure of the drive for Compiegne
and the breakdown of the Austrian often
sive in Northern Italy
Now Kuhlmann has been publicly re-
pudiated, just as he publicly repudated
the Reichstag's remuneration, no-indem-
nifty resolution.
Consistency and good faith are no
weaknesses Of German state policy. Why
should the outer world continue to be sur
prsed at it's quick and cynical reversals
OF attitude or its disregard of solemn
public pledges? German officialdom has
completely accepted the Nietzschean doc
trine that the state is above all law and
commandments. The state is the super
man. 1t is free from all moral restraints.
General Won Bernhard expressed this
idea in his book Germany and the Next
War" He auded Prussian non-moralitv
But its utter loathsomeness has been
expressed by another clearer-sighted Ger
man. In his recently published diary
DR.. Wilhelm Muhlon comments thus on
the perversion Of moral values to which
the German mind has become so hardened
in recent times:
"Fhe government tells the people that
state morality and individual morality are
different things. They must be practised
ln two entirely separate spheres At the
same time an example of intense piety is
set. From the balconies Of palaces, from
all the offices of ministries, from all army
headquarters we have in recent days been
continually recommended to stream into
the churches, to throw ourselves on our
knees, to invoke a righteous God who
guides our cause and protects US, the
attacked and the persecuted; to praise the
German God, who is willing to lead us
VIGOROUSLY around the world, because He
has no better use for the garden of His
creation than that we shall illuminate it
with our campfres.
kneel and who do not pray-at least to
such God and for such things Better
to sit quietly and reflect, and to manifest
later in self-lberation the power and the
faith which We now manifest in slavery
Disgusting hypocrisy and deceit contemp.
of the people and an uneasy criminal con-
science are the inspiration of this piety
1t has no other purpose than the sanctif-
cation of lies, the alteration Of brutality,
the dedication Of William H."
What sense of honor, Of fair dealing,
even Of intellectual self-respect can be
expected of the men who rule the Ger
many of to-day? The whole Prussian
structure is based on guile, falsehood ana
perfdy. In that kingdom of lies there is
no place for q statesman who values truth
or consistency, either in others or in
himself.
When Germany, still undefeated, talks
of anything but conquest and spoliation,
she is only batting trap.