New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-12

boast must have gone unanswered. VIC
tory was impossible until the myth of
the Huns invincibility had been de-
feated on the field. This has happened
only now--just now. The difference it
makes is elemental.
Yet here is a book called "The End of
the War;" by Walter E. Weyl, which is
written to prove that almost since the
day we got into the war, and especially,
in the period from April to October 1,
1917 (before we had an army over
there), we have been throwing away
golden opportunities "to make peace on
the basis of internationalism and democ-
racy." The postscript" to this book
was written while Ludendorff in Picardy
was driving the frontier of democracy
back in the supreme effort to gain de-
cisive military victory, and it contains
statement of assumption and purpose.
The assumption of the book is that
"the Allies can hold their own"
And the purpose of the book is ITO
appeal to America to assume leadership
in diplomacy, to eliminate imperialstic
elements from the demands of our allies
and to attempt a settlement based on
internationalism."
Mr.. Weyl could imagine German in
vincibility; he could not imagine a mira
Gle to happen on the side of right Since
he wrote his timorous assumptions his
own country has sent men enough in to
turn the tide of battle, Ludendorff's Of
fensive has collapsed, German morale
has been deeply shaken, and Picardy
has been the scene of Germany's single
greatest military humiliation.
The Importance of this Weyl book lies
not in itself, but in that of which it is
symptomatic. 1t serves as an example
of pacifist propaganda which, by reason
of false assumptions, becomes in effect
defeatist doctrine. 1t represents what
may be- called The Neao Republic type
of thinking and shows what comes of it.
The pacifst has no stomach for VIC
tory. He cannot accept the logic
of force. First he assumes that the
Allies will have the strength to keep
Germany from winning the war. There
fore his person and private premises are
safe. On the other hand, he assumes
that the Allies will not be able to beat
Germany. At that point he opens his
case. The sooner war is ended by a
negotiated peace the sooner the class
war can begin. That is the main thing.
And such is liberal pacifsm.
Mr.. Weyl makes the complete case
not all at once, but gradually through
the book. He asserts that the Allies
are imperialistic-
"a real victory, victory of peace,
eludes us. And when we inquire why it
eludes that we, the Allied ma
tions, carry into the conflict something
of that evil principle against which we
fight The war is against German mill
tarism, aggression and Imperialism but
the Allied nations are also militaristic,
aggressive and imrerialistic"
That we got into the war without any
moral convictions
"Our declaration of war was due, upon
by the general situation, to take sides,
and upon a recognition of the fact that
we could not fight with Germany and
could not help fighting with the Allies"
That there is no issue, because every
body is, in fact, fighting for the same
thing
eft is significant that our enemies
against whom We are fighting for the
security of this better world are them
selves fighting for security, so that
echoes of our ambitions come to us from
enemy frontiers"
That it would be of no use to defeat
Germany
what advantage will there be in
mere overpowering Of Germany? The
German menace will be gone, but new
menaces will have been created"
That, in any case, the chance to beat
Germany is gone
eve have created conditions where
time no longer fights decisively in our
favor and where the pressure of war
begins to bear as heavily upon our asso-
ciates as upon our enemies"
And that, after all, the present war is
relatively unimportant and will settle
nothing, for
"the final war for democracy will begin
after the war 1t will be wider con-
f1lct than that which now RACES, and the
alignment will be by classes and inter-
ests rather than by nations. 1t will be
war which will he waped until sonorato
interests within each nation are COM
pletely extinguished."
That is defeatist propaganda of
very subtle and sinister character. The
book is badly written, loosely thought
and unorlglnal. 1t containsy so far as
we know, not one new point of view.
Only the doctrine of defeat comes clear.