Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-11
M|L|TARISM EEATEN
At ITS OWN GAME
Beleaguered on Land and Sea,
Starved, Beaten, Bankrupt,
Despised, Could Only
Surrender.
Now York Morld--NnY. Q.


(1he desperate adventure for which Z
Germany worshipping false gods has been
preparing for many years. ended ycstcr-
day in acknowledged defeat and hHmlia-
tlon.
For this foray many shbboleths and
orinammcs were made to order and long
cherished as in holy cause. The toast
was always to "Thc Day" The battle
cry was "World Power or DOWNFALL
which Vas Inscribed upon every banner
The plan was "Frightfulncss.
Il is not World Power. II is not Nit
tcleurope Ii is not Berlin to Bagdad.
1t is not an earth once largely free, bowling
in the dust before Il medlTval KAISER
speaking for Gott and claiming powers
Divine as well rs human. 1t rs downfall.
Formally asking Marshal foch for an
armlsticc the drastic terms of which were
known in advance, and nj any rate could
he construed from those accorded 10 Bul-
garia, Turkey and Austria hungary. the
military representatives ot Germany have
in effect published their surrender. II the
further prosecution of n wicked war of
aggression had been possible the historic
meeting of Yesterday somewhere on La
Capcllc road III Aisnc, would not have
taken place This is not u treaty of peace,
hut unmistakably surrender.
In it's most important aspect 1t is a sur
render uncxamplcd IN the history of the
world, for il confirms the death Of auto
cracy As was necessary and Just, the
first tawdrv institution to capltulatc was
autocracv itself When imperial Ger
many, under the pressure of arms, ac-
ccptcd Woodrow Wilson ultimattlm as to
responsible popular government, II gam
ed a liberation which its own docilc popu-
lation never was able and hardly ever
tried to secure by its own cXcrtlone
The surrender to Marshal Foch com
plctcs the overthrow and the dclIvcrancc.
II is \ military surrender. and 50 u cN-
poses miitarism in its final and caamltoils
role Of failure 1t Is q civic surrender also.
and 50 II leaves Pant -GorrnanIsin. .Iunkcr-
ism and all the other evil forces oi tyranny
and aggression stripped Of every prctcnse
and every falschood IN the presence Of
people too long deceived and mlSlcd,
Ny tins surrender We have tho inal
Justification cf the awful sacrifices uf
France Great BriiaIn liaN, and even
Russa III the early days BN tins sur
render americans MAY know, and forever
glory IN the fact that thor timely partici-
patton ~ the war has saved not only The
heroic free nations 81 Europe hut made
their own future secure
Nc raised the great armies We poured
out the money. wc provided the food. We
gave counsel ana sympathy and n~pira-
tlon 81 lavlehly that freedom almost IN
despair. and humanity. staggered tv bar
hariSm and trCachcry, took nov courage
and pressed On Oir blood has mingled
with the best blood II Europe Whether
tariIy or not Nc rescued civilization and
n trEllfprtl, f- ,tt.t fr4itpltlh
Il is great rrlcc THAT mlltarlsm paws
for It's crimes How else could they To
cxpiatcd2 MIltarism, always aifrahilng
mankind with the clenchcd first and the
shining sword. is di~armcd Nilitarism
can have no peace except upon terms that
render il helpless Nlilltari<1n has been
beaten at its own game The disciplined
forces ot mlltarlsm weld II every point
10 the hurrlcdlv assembled hosts IL de
mocracy.
Bcleag,lcrcd On land and on sea. dc
fcated on every hattlc-IInc. abandoned by
its deceived amt shattered accompliccs,
starved and haukruptcd At home and
threatened On all sides With INVASION and
revolution. what could mtlltarism do bu;
Germany relied upon its army, which
was superior To the state The free peoples
relied upon their citizenship, which Is the
very foundation of the state. Tic result
forcshadowod from the first, j. before Us