The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-02
FRANK H. SIMONDS' WAR ARTICLE

our keeping, Age-long tyranny has be-
gun to cruinble and the masters OF the
old regime are on the run. The last
chain which Metternich and those asso-
ciated with him put upon human hber;
ty at Vienna Is breaking. II one could
only recall now the millions of men and
women of the subject races who have
suffered and dared and died, maintained
through all their agonies by hope of
the coming of the hour which has come,
one could gain a more accurate notion
Of the splendid possibilities OF the day
In other times, after wars, coalition
wars or contests between Individual ma
tons, the prize OF the victor was a prov
ince, the control OF a continent, the
power to Impose oSe nations will upon
another. Today, as there draws to its
close the greatest of all wars, the plain
opportunity Is within our grasp to reach
a settlement which will go far toward
making a new world war impossible.
But we a not do this merely by inter-
national agreements. The holy alliance
amples Of the fdtiiity Of such Insurance
II we do not erect strong and homo
| geneous states across the pathway of
German ambition, II we do not enable
the Poles, the .Rumanlans and the Serbs
to defend their own independence and
thus to protect the world against a new
Mitteleuropa, there Is nothing In histo-
ry to. suggest that at a later date the
great German nation, which will In any
event survive this war, will resume Its
Fold worship Of power and Its old lust for
not take German territory from Ger
many. This will create a new evil. Even
the suggestion that we should take the
German fraction Of Schleswig- Holstein
and It Is by far the greater fraction =
from Germany and best9w II upon Dem
could not keep il, and we should sin
against our W light.
Germany Helpless.
II Is not by taking German provinces
and German people from present foe
that we shall prevent his return to the
attack. Napoleon found this out In the
case Of Prussia. In, a free world "a
united Germany would be IN. q helpless
minority 10 enforce imperialistic ambi-
OF the states which would be threatened
and would fight would veto the attempt
But II we deprived Germany OF her owr
brethren, neither time nor numbers
would lead the Germans to despair Of :
restoration 81 their lest provinces
For me the liberation OF Europe, I,
the first. and necessary step toward /
league OF nations. But II Is not merels
desirable as a step toward something
else. , II II Is achieved, II Europe Is in
bound, this great human fact will jus
tify the sacrifices of the last four years
and 1t must lead toward an eventua
revolution In international relations. II
add sixty millions to the number OF fire.
men and women In Europe is to increase
by Just this much the potential barrie
. to future imperialistlc ambitions of an,
: one race. The development OF Poland
: Rumania, and Jugo.Slavia In half q, cen
, fury will automatically abolish thos
!. German ambitions which seem 50 terri
/ BILE to us, exactly as the u~nification Q
! Germany and Of Italy put q term 7
, those French iniperialistic Aspirations 3
J Napoleon and Louis XIV. which trou
I, bled Europe In other days.
/ We Rave to finish the task OF defeat
i ing Germany; this is the first duty. w
i have then to redraw the map OF Europ
/ In such fashion as TO liberate the sub
: iect races, TO set free sixty million
Y who werep to have. been eternal slave
/ of the Germans and have been ~tenpota
: ~ victims. These things done and right
I IL done, the task Of erecting the leagu
9 Of nations must be undertaken, but
: can be hopefully undertaken then.
$ Copyright, 1918, by the Tribune Asso
T citation, Incl