The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-23

- o ior her declaration OF wal
was mere sham and hypocrisy tina,
the Entente herself was on tho noin,
OF invading Belgium and that milItary
conferences. caused by MarJof a breach
OF neutrality by Germany. constituted
IN themselves a breach Of neutrality ar
tne part or Belgium or whatever els,
tne well known commentaries broueh,
FORWARD may be.-if you copcede all tina,
mere Hill remains this mighty question
row Is 1t that Great Britain. non-rnili.
,ary as 1t was. could put all its popular
strength into this war?
British Masses Aroused.
mere Ia no other expla nation for the
inooilization Of Britain's fighting power
nan TINS the masses were aroused from,
the bottom up. You need not be a
cie'er observer nor Is II necessary Ia
come In contact with the man in the
street or the private In the ranks in
order to know that the English people
are anxious to fight for something more
elevated than commercial interests: this
sacrince knowing no limits has ali the
earmarks OF religious movement
ra.ner than OF anything denoting bust
ness enterprise.
1T was the example Of Belgium more
than anything else that has been lending
the power of perseverance to the French
nation. for this power cannot DO sepa-
rated from the conviction which tells
the French they are fighting for a SUPER
national ideal. for the interests of hui
mainly
THE effect OF Begium's example 1.
even felt In far and distant climes.
II moved the minds across the sea,
Ruthless submarine war and the Next
can intrigue again we're measures for
the attainment of immediate success
militarily. but the moral efYee.,-more
FAR reaching. led to contrary results and
after only little while a whole nation
was marching In this very same con-
trary direction. The same as in the
case Of England, in America commercial
scepticism was not the controlling ele-
ment.
Examples on the other side are not
LACKING. The secret OF German strength
Is not based upon material means Of
might principle, and with the nations
OF the Entente II Is the same. The un-
limited blockade is. to our belief, the
explanation Of the secret Of German
strength
who derive the greater military adj
vantage from the blockade, the blockad-
ers or the blockaded? Here too mill
tary experts should strike the final bal
ance. But We are perfectly able to
assert that the mode and measure Of
this blockade have strengthened the
Central Powers instead of wearing them
out. The blockade led to the final
mobilization of souls in Germany and
thus 1T created the organiza eion of
German staying power.
whoever wants TO conclude peace
must first know with whom he Is fight
ing. To-day 1t Is not the Governments
that are waEing war. II is not even GER
tain classes who are thus engaged. but
1t 10 the nations themselves. all Of them.
and the peoples will have to be salts
fled IL ever there Is to be any peace.
III they want peace they must deal
in realities. among whom the war map
is OF minor consideration For In the
first line We find those moral facts that
created the fighting spirits on both sides
and are continuously renewing 1t. The
belligerents will first have to recognize
one another's motives and take them as
seriously as they proved themselves to
be.
There are two diverging roads.
sharply to be distinguished. Either
victory for one party to the
conflict and then dictation OF peace con-
ditions, which may be as hard and
as they were in the case
Of Prussia after Jena. or else concilia-
ton. Between the two there are q
thousand possibilities of rotten peace
AS to the solution mentioned first
We shall say only this: Prussia was
and disarmed. her army,
small. was a mere SEM
blance of a fighting force. And In spite
OF this after few years Prussia was
able to send hundreds of thousands of
fighters into the field, a splendid out
put Of a peoples unexhausted virility, as
It can be modified only by triumphant
enemy OF the country. And those Prus-
slams gained great victory. Holders
yelled picture of Jena perpetuates the
spirit of those times Perhaps II would
be a good idea to place II on the wall
OF the room where the peace congress is
going to meet.
AS to the second solution we have
many wishes to bring forward. The at
titude Of Switzerland was clearly 4,
fined by our President in his recon:
speech plainly and truly. II any one
wishes to learn the sentiment OF
Switzerland let him study that speech.
It tells how our people feel and what
they think.
Belgium Is the Crux.
'"But then, first Of all. the Belgian
thorn must be extricated from the peo-
pies souls. That Is our honest convic-
ton. AS long as the occupant is at
tempting to use Belgium. occupied
merely for military reasons, as a COM
modify for bargaining purposes. you
cannot come to an understanding. be-
cause reconciliation is impossible.
And still another thing Is necessary:
a peace programme that does not fise
Or fall with momentary prospects OF
he war but one that Is hard and fast.
enough so to make the people feel they |
ian afford TO believe in IT. Here Wilson |
has the floor and the world expects he |
will be true to his word. no matter |
where II strikes"
The article. expressing the views Of
he Swiss Government, as II undoub- |
IDLY does. means that Switzerland de- |
Zines to be an intermediary of peace |
rs long as Germany does not evacuate |
Belgium and atone for the wrong per- |
,etrated upon the people OF Belgium |
The reference to Germany and the block |
,de was made. OF course. to maintain a |
'ormal attitude OF neutrality.
The appeal TO President Wilson, ask |
ng him to be true to his word, no mat |
er which side Is hit. is an invitation, II |
3 Thought, to reassert the policy of no |
and indemnities which |
night encourage the pro-peace elements |
n Germany.