New-York tribune., 1918-03-10


must go on fighting because we are
beaten and must try to retrieve our
defeat by a knockout blow. Even if
it we're true that we are beaten, no
sensible man would go about Shrek
ing it in the ears of the enemy.
Lord Lansdowne is quite entitled
to claim that if the war stopped to-
day and the evacuation of Northern
France and Belgium and so forth
were arranged by the diplomatists,
we should none the less have per-
formed the apparently impossible
feat of improvising an army on the
European scale and making such
use of it that no power on earth
will ever again dream of steam
rolling us.
CAS- to whether knockout blows
are possible in modern warfare, it
has been proved about ten times
over during the last three years that
they are not. When the end comes
the club fender strategist won't
know why; it will seem to him that
nothing particular has happened. 1t
will come when it is not worth while
going on, and though one side may
reach that conclusion first, and
therefore lose the game, it does not
seem at present likely that the other
will be far enough from it to be able
to abuse the victory. The Russo
japanese war shows how modern
wars are likely to end"
"Do you think that an economic
war to capture Germany's trade
after the war is based on sound
common sense craftsmanship"
utter rot. How can we do with
out Germany's trade after the war?
We are doing badly enough without
it during the war"
ALSO, do you think it possible
for the various democracies of the
bellgerent nations to make a demo
cratic peace? Or would you prefer
the arrangements to be left in the
hands of President Wilson, Mr.
Lloyd George and M. Clemenceau?
'The democracies can make
neither war nor peace. The ar
rangements must be left in the
hands Of the existing authorities
because there are no other authori
ties, and treaties cannot be con
cluded with random enthusiasts
Even President Wilson, who has
seen SO clearly that the war, which
began, as | have said, to prevent
the balance Of military power il
Europe being upset in favor Of the
Central Empires, has now developed
into war to weight that balance
decisively in favor of western de
mocracy, will have to negotiate
with the German government, what
ever it may be, and not with the
German people direct. He may re
fuse to negotiate with the Kaiser
until he acknowledges the suprem
acy of the Reichstag and submit.
to act by the advice of a cabinet de
pendent on it and responsible t(
it, and not to him; but in the enc
he must deal with whatever gov
ernment the Germans choose to sup
port, or else go on fighting for eve,
and ever"
FINALLY, Mr.. Shaw, if the vari
Gus nations had tho excellent sens,
to appoint you, as man possessing
that extremely rare attribute, com
mon sense, as president Of the dele
gates appointed to discuss peac,
terms, what proposals for settle
ment would you be inclined t.
propose?"
"You might as we'll ask me t,
give you an exhibition Of the feat
of strength and agility should per
form if l were in the crows nest O.
a ship on fire with mad tige
climbing the rigging after me. Plac
me in the position you describe AM
l shall, no doubt, make the requisite
effort of thought; but your desir
to be amused does not supply press
ure enough to nerve me to it.
II should probably begin by as
suming that the conference woul(
not have taken place at all unles
the belligerents had given up al
hope of obtaining a decision il
the field except at a prohibitiv
cost. On that understanding
should propose an armistice on con
dition that the status quo ant
bellum should be restored on tn
West front and in Serbia and Ru
mania, and that a supernationa
council should be formed to decid
the unsettled questions and to carr
out the conception of league 0
nations against war.
''This would be opposed by tn
advocates Of an old-fashioned con
gress of Observation-Disclosures to negO