The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-04-10


been crushed, following the exper-
fence of Serbia and Montenegro. In
view Of all this the weaker spirits
are asking whether we can ever win
this war, and in their hearts believe
that we never can. In the autumn
Of 1914 we talked lightly Of going to
Berlin and debating there terms of
peace. Today there are discouraged
men and women who, in their hearts,
believe, though few Of them are yet
prepared to say, that the Germans
are more likely to dictate terms Of
peace In Paris than are We in Ber-
lin.
There is a fine touch in the Com
munion service OF the Church Of
England, where the priest says to the
people, discouraged by their own
weakness, Lift UP your hearts, and
they reply in unison, We lift them
up unto the Lord. We may with
confidence lift up our hearts. Dark
as are our days, they have no gloom
as deep as that which enveloped
Britain in the days of Napoleon. We
think Of the period when we gained
the mastery Of the sea at Trafalgar
as one in which the heart Of the ma
ton was stirred by lasting victory.
In doing so, however, we forget what
our ancestors at that very time en-
dured. Immediately after the battle
Of Trafalgar the gloom Of what
seemed overwhelming defeat de-
scended upon Britain.
At the very moment when Nelson
was destroying the French fleet the
armies Of Napoleon had broken up
the great camp at Boulogne-
BouIogne, whic his now a British
base for supplies to the West front
and had marched rapidly across
the Rhine to invade Austria. On
Oct. 20, the day before Trafalgar was
fought, Napoleon took the great Ger
man fortress Of Ulm, with 23,OO
prisoners. Six months later, on Dec.
2, he inflicted at Austerlitz over
whelming defeat on Austria, defeat
followed In a fortnight by a peace
wholly favorable to France. When
Pitt, the British prime minister,
heard the news Of Ulm it is said that
a change came over him which fore
boded death. When, few days lat
er, at a public banquet he was told
that he had saved Europe he dep
recated this praise. Europe he
said, was not to be saved by any one
man. England had saved herself by
her exertions. She had won victory
on the sea, and viii, said Pitt, "as /
trust, save Europe by her example.
A few weeks later came the crushing
news of AusterlitZ. It was a death
blow to Pitt. He died on Jan. %.
1906. "Oh, my country, how / leave
my country" he was heard to say In
his delirium.
Three months after Trafalgar such
was the outlook for Britain. The
clouds thickened. Pitt had hoped
much from Prussia, then preparing
to join Britain. But, on Oct. IA, 1906,
less than a year after Trafalgar,
Napoleon overwhelmed Prussia at
Jena, and a few days later occupied
Berlin. F0ussia had been a trusted
ally. But now Russia failed us. Not
only did she make at Tilsit, in July,
1907, a separate peace with Napol- |
con, but she became actually hostile |
to Britain and a partner with
Napoleon in controlling the whole Of /
Europe. British trade was excluded !
from all Russian ports. 1t was ex-
cluded. too, from every port controll-
ed BY France, and Napoleon could I
now say gleefulIy that the ruin Of |
Britain was in sight From thel
Baltic to the Mediterranean every
harbor was closed to British ships |
with only one important exception. |
that Of Lisbon. Here, and here
alone. Britain had, a footing on the
continent, and this only her COM \
mand Of the sea enabled her to keep 4
In the year 1908 Britain stood /
without an ally I'm Europe except /
Portugal, The same game that Ger \
many is trying now to play, OF put /
ting German princes on the thrones
Of subject countries, was played By
Napoleon. He made himself king or 1
italy. One brother he made king OF 1
Holland, another king Of Spain, still /
another king Of Westphalia, a new
Singdom which he carved out Of Ger
many, and a brother-in-iaW king Of 4
Naples. Napoleon married a daurh-
ter Of the Austrian emperor. and
seemed to have the Hapsburg dynas 4
ty in his service. SO powerfully did
he attack the British at Lisbon. that
In 1910 Wellington had to build the
strong lines OF Torres
Vedras. stretching across twenty
four miles Of rugged country from the 4
River Tagus 70 the sea. At the worst 4
as wellington said, he could embark Il
bis army and get away. He had hftyl
thousand regular troops, half OF them
Portuguese, and was specially weak 4
in cavalry. Napoleon sent $50 600 H
men against him. and swore that he
would drive the accurscd English I'M
70 the sea.
we know now what happened. The
British held on They were at warl
with France for more than twenty