The Washington herald., 1918-02-17


we are realizing today. The Avery
drawn down the wrath of the authori-
ties IL printed in Germany even three
months ago. So far as is known here,
nothing has happened either to DIR.
Gothein or to the paper which print
ed his views.
Many influential politicians. he
states without mentioning names. who
would resent being called pacifists are
now adopting the pacifist view Of
world that has done with the appeal
to force and substituted the reign of
reason"
A Germans Opinion.
every great idea" DR.. Gothein
continues, has three stages. At
first il is derlded and gets no at
tention, Then it becomes danger
Gus, and must for this reason be
theoretically assailed. Thirdly, it
becomes self-evident, anasHo one
recognizes that he has formerly at
tackled it. The peace movement is
at present in the transition from
the second to the third stage. 1t
has already made such headway
that its opponents believe that they
can only fight against 1t with the
widest fanaticism. and by pouring
abuse, denunciation and suspicion
on its supporters.
This battle is quite hopeless, and
this explains why the powerless
fury which the idea provokes is ex-
pressed in such q mean fashion.
Even IL you do not believe in the
power of ideas. but are impressed
only by cold considerations that can
be checked like figures, you will not
after quiet consideration be able
to escape from the fact that it will
be no longer possible for nations
in the future to base their relations
on the rivalry of arms.
Altogether apart from the fact
that the old proverb, if you wish
peace prepare for war. has been
knocked out of court, as effectually
as the modern dictum that arma-
ments are the-premium that Is paid
for insurance against war, IL Will
be quite beyond the capacity of the
combatant states to start the COM
petition in armaments again after
the fearful commercial, financial
and physical sacrifices OF this war
For IL it is to have any meaning.
this competition will have to begin
again in a very different sense after
the experiences of the present war.
How far will the !. 800, 100000 marks go
which we spent a year on our arma-
ments before the war, when every
month of actual warfare costs 81, 600, 900
marks? What can be said of the ar
tillery of the past, the handful of aero
planes, and the plant for munitions
and ornaments as compared with
what the war demands today? And
for other states It would not be a
hair r's-breath better. England's month
Iy. war dill is about 1900, ,O00. 600 marks,
and the French is not much less than
ours. The United States is blowing
into powder the wonderful resources
which it formerly made out of the
war.
I'VE ourselves cannot any longer
continue this competition in arma-
ments. A hundred billions of debt
which the war has cost US mean in
interest and sinking fund at least g.
O0O. .0OO, 900 marks a year. To this must
be added from 5000, ,00o, 900 to $500. 600, 900
in pensions for the war invalids and
the dependents of those who have fall
en-. and. further. about 500.oO0.Oo0 to
1000, 900, 900 marks a year for recon-
struction, for the longer the war lasts
the greater will industry suffer.
TN addition to this expenditure OF
10. 900, 10000 marks a year we should
have to flnd, II the competition in
arnaments h to begin again, at least
5,Ooo, 900 900 marks IL the expenditure is
to be OF any use, And these terrible
burdens would nave to be laid on a
people with millions of dead and Grip
pies to its account.
Lloyd George. and his friends have
therefore no need to continue the war
in order to kill militarism. 1t is per-
ishing from this wa. in Germany as in
Russia, in Austria as in France, in
Italy and in England. where it was
formerly called navalism. And Lloyd
George ought to say to himself that
the longer this war lasts the greater
will be the blow not only to English
navalism, but also to her commerce. so
that the leadership of the world viii
pass to America and Japan.
Karl Mathy once said of the
man people that 1t was quicker n
other nations to return to the calm
path of reason after a period r" ex-
citement. This characteristic, ~ is
not a sign of weakness or low-
ardice, has moved the German people
and the German Reichstag to adopt
the peace idea, since they clearly
recognize that after this war there
will be nothing left but to base the
relations of nations on peaceful un-
derstanding and arbitration instead OF
continuing the rivalry Of power"
1t is not often that German writing
about the war delivers himself of SEN
timents that would be accepted almost
without amendment by progressive
minded Americans, Englishmen and
Frenchmen. DR.. Gothein's views, and
still more the fact that he was able
to get them printed, show that part
of the German people is responding to
Wilson'S appeals.