New-York tribune., 1918-01-14
No Peace. by Negotiation


ing of all opposition to the yove~s
policy as enmity to the empire and btaa bta".nS
son, the systematic employment ~ .'ea-
pigeons and by official forgeries. Ana ' ''oo.
opinion was moulded to suit the rnle,Ip paos
reptile press Ta
The conditions are better but m. ;.
great extent, in Bavaria, Wjreembs,s aal
Baden. While the southern Gems sat
nounced in high sounding parases tba;s a.
Of moral conquest of Prussia. tho, psa
so thoroughly Prussianized that .bs;, "sh
died a-borning. South of The MAJ. pas
Landtage (Diets) had never any real 49,. As
They were, and still are mere d.
clubs, in spite of the more liberal a.aas s,s..:s
laws The ministers are the ministers .'.:'oh ~
crown; their responsibility to the resn...sp ne
parliaments is only a paper responsibiits
no respect do they differ from the lana Il
north of the Main.
Immunity From Criticism
The members Of the reirning ho,so,
held up to the people as demi- gods. and :,
verse criticism even Of their ancesto,. ~
punished. Markwald. editor Of Koor;.SS
berg newspaper, in 1911 was scntenced ~ .
years in prison for eze RIA esty. HI. =.
fence consisted Of publishing that o,,.
Louise, the great grandmother of the nrs....
Kaiser, who had died nearly a century hs,..
had been frivolous. Trcitschae made the
statement three decades before. He was
punished, for there was more liberty in f..
many then. The court ruled "a the cas. :.
Markwald that it did not matter wb.s..
the statement regarding Louise was Tn. =.
not. The court decided further tha, i.
Kaiser must have felt o'Fenced by su,h
Characterization of his great-g -grandmotbs,
who is called the patron saint Of Pr,s..1
in the textbooks used in the Dablic scbool,
A similar immunity froln criticism il o..
joycd by the public Officials. 40 matter bov
corrupt and mean. The plain citizen OF =,
great means has only three ghts: to SER,
with the colors, to pay taxes and to maintaj,
discreet silence. He has 10 submit 10 a,y
indignity the more powerful offers him.
There was a growing dissatisfaction :,
Germany. as is shown by the tremendous in.
crease of the Socialist party, whose vote,
increased from $4,000 in 1oSl TO 4,250OOO /,
1912 But it is peculiarly of The aversr.
German Of "independent opinion" that !,
does not dare TO take action AGAINST the con-
stituted authorities. Show the average Ger
man of revolutionary tendencies uniform
and he will kneel in the dust.
Of course, there IS limit. The Kase
feared the time Of a real revolution was nea
when he declared war on Russia in Angus.
1914. He knew that he was secure unae
martial law; he knew that revolution !,
Germany was impossible when all able-bode
men of military age are subject to the iroi
discipline of the army or navy. The Ger
mans cannot muster the energy to overthrov
their present governmental system and ii
beneticiarirs during the Therefore, tn
Kaiser will continue the present armed cor
fict until the German power of resstano
is shattered or-as William may hope agany
hope Berlin dictates the peace terms slt
the Hohenzollerns and Junkers may feel Sc
cure for many years to come. If German
loses there VIII be no more Kaiser. That
the chief reason why William cannot m2t
q peace by negotiation.