New-York tribune., 1918-09-08
By Richard M. Hurd
Chairman Boycott Committee, American De-
fence Society.

S@'~~
THE arrival of 100000 Ameri-
can soldiers in France and the
M splendid fighting qualities ex-
hibitcd by them have brought about
turn in the war through which the con-
quest of Germany becomes visible,
even though it be long way off. Under
these conditions it is the duty Of the
free peoples Of the Allied nations to
take under consideration and to express
to their respective governments what
principles Of settlement should be
adopted and what terms should be en-
forced upon defeated Germany. These
weighty decisions on world matters, in
volving the lives and happiness Of un-
told millions, cannot be left to the per-
sonal views Of the few men Of the vari-
Gus nations who represent them at the
time of the settlement No secret ar
rangements will be tolerated, no SELL
ing out of the soldiers by the poll
ticians.
The soldiers who have fought and the
civilians who have worked for the war
are tho ones to be consulted as to the
terms of settlement. Those who have
hindcred the prosecution Of the war are
not entitled to a hearing-thc pro-Ger-
mans, the pacifists, the Socialists, the
lntelligcntsia, the internationalists and
the defcatists. There must be no nego-
tiatcd peace, no "kamerad peace" no
generous" peace, no peace that sat
Isles Germany, no peace that is not die
tated by the Allies at conference in
side Of Germany at which Germany is
not present. No peace is worth having
unless it results in doing away with
war for long years to come. The ire
ducible minimum of the terms of settle
ment has been we'll stated recently by
Senator Lodge. These terms include,
of course, the giving up by Germany Of
Belgium, Northern France, Alsace- Lor-
raine and Poland, the surrender by
Austria of Italia Irredenta and Serbia,
the freeing of Rumania and Western
Russia, the splitting up of Austria
Hungary into various nations on the
basis Of nationality and the driving of
the unspeakable Turk out of Europe.
These minimum terms simply mean
that the burglar must give up his swag.
But this is not enough, for they do not
embrace safety for the future. Ger
many is pariah and an outcast, but
also an outlaw, and must be SO treated
by the civilized world. Germany is the
professional highwayman of the world,
with hundreds of years devoted to the
increase of her territory and wealth bv
wars of aggression.
Among many evidences that the
present war was brought on by Ger
many solely for loot perhaps the most
striking is the pamphlet of August
Ihyssen, one of Germany's greatest
steel manufacturers, which tells Of a
number of meetings of German indus
trial leaders, at which the Kaiser and
Bethmann-Hollweg promised to divide
up Canada, India, England, ETC., among
them and to make them rich beyond
their dreams if they would support the
military policies. every trade and in
terest was appealed to. Huge indem-
mites were to be levied on the con-
quered nations, and the fortunate Ger
man manufacturers were by this means
to be relieved of taxation for years
after the war" The militarists and the
pan-Germans we're thereupon backed
by the leading business men of Ger
many, who agreed to help their gov
ernment to destroy other governments,
steal lands, rob banks and individuals.
murder uhoffending people by wholesale.
and when the job was done to divide
the booty.
The German nation which entered so
enthusiastically into this war is pri-
marily nation of highwaymen, and,
secondarily, a nation of murderers,
rapists and torturers. Terrorism is
used by Germany as a means to en-
force through fear its Infamous will
upon the world.
Junkers Must Be
Personally Punished
The result is to arouse the man
hood of all civilized nations to nut an
end once for all to the power of that
nation which makes life unlivable for
other peoples. The men in Germany
who are responsb BILE for these crimes
must be personally punished, and the
nation as q whole must be made to
realize that stealing no longer pays.
The Allied nations are too civilized to
adopt literally the eye for All eye" and
tooth for q tooth" doctrine. Thev
have too much self-respect to murder
innocent non-combatants, to violate
women, to cruelty mep or to desecrata
churches. But the Allied nations have
( the power and the will to enforce
economic limitations upon Germany
which in the lapse of long years should
lead her to right principles of life. We
know from General Won Freitag- Loring-
hoven's book and from repeated
articles in German newspapers that
sthe Germans are now planning for the
next war both from military and an
economic standpoint.
Germany already has taken inventory
of the raw materials under her control
( and in other parts of the world has