The Washington times., 1918-03-10

land by creating an artificial false
frontier and subIecting many hun
dreds of thousands OF Poles to alien
rule, and she will protect" that large
territory, keeping II IN strict eco
nomic dependence, controlling Odessa,
mastering the Black Sea, cutting off
northern Russia from warm water and
preventing one OF the richest gran
aries Of Europe from feeding the
western part OF the continent.
Lastly, we should remember what
this great German scheme means in
mere figures. There is a doubtful
element in the constitution OF the
Ukraine which. according to whether
it IL made larger or smaller. shows
difference OF 5000. 900 in popula-
tion. But with the Ukraine even In
Its narrowest limits this congeries Of
new, largely artificial and opposed
states Will actually double the Ger
man empire in numbers. With the
Ukraine - its largest they will more
than double 1t.
There were before the war nearly
e. 900. 900 souls within the limits of
the German Empire. including. of
course, the annexed populations gov
eTned against their wills in the Pol
ish and Danish provinces and in AL
saee-Lorraine. In the new districts.
which will be subject to the Central
empires. there is another $4,000 900
to 100000. AS for the dimensions
of this district, the extreme length
is = thousand miles. and the average
breadth perhaps 300, the extreme
breadth, according to the limits OF
the Ukaine. being from $50 to nearly
500 miles.
Victory IL NecessaPy,
That is the state we have before
US. That is the price to hold which
the Germans are seeking a negoti-
ated peace and the liberation OF which
can only be effected by our victory.
Another vital matter, which IL is
well to understand before the military.
operations recommence, and with
which the American public may be
unfamiliar, IL the question OF civilian
morale in Europe. Man is a citizen
OF q nation through an idea, just as
he is q member OF a religion through
an Idea But, also, he Is himself-he
suffers in his body or in his immedi-
ate domestic afections-in far more
positive fashion.
when the idea Of a nation weAlSens
and individual suffering or fatigue OBJ
scures il, then for the purposes OF
war between nations this moral fac
tor declines. 1t Is higher in some
places today than in others. II may
be REINFORCED by one policy, weak
ened by another. What is the gauge
OF IL today: What sort OF barometer
can we consult: That depends upon
our judgment-Uur right Judgment
of the war under these last conditions
OF extreme strain, just as under the
earlier conditions our Judgment was
-
bers in men and material.
A perfect answer could be given
only by q mind at once quite i'm
partial among all the bellIEerents and
at the same. time perfectly Informed.
But a rough answer can be given
by anyone with fair information who |
has made q continuous study OF tho |
think this rough answer |
IL best arrived at by comparing the |
probable present views OF the various |
and the populations de- |
pendent upon them.
The Central Powers.
First, let US consider the attitude Of I
the central pov erS. The government |,
Of the German expire. under It's mod !
ern Prussian organization, thinks
somewhat as follows:
I'VE and our allies form one solid /,
1cfIlNoTldl plOCk N the must OF Eu- /
rope. or this block we. the German
speaking POPULATION, are almost ex-
actly half We are not only directors \
Of II but masters. We have mainly 4
10 concern ourselves. THEREFORE, with !
the state OF mind OF the German |
population. II that stands arm the /
whole mass will stand Arm. We are
blockaded by sea and the blockade
has become very much more rigorous
since the United States entered the
war.
The strain in the matter OF food !
and OF things almost as essential as
food. such as soaps and lubricating .
has gone on for a long
lime, and produces a very depressing
offect. The enormous mortality in
he field, the rapidly rising figures OF
civilian mortality, and particularly
1f infant mortality, play their part.
I'm any war but this such a strain
would have passed the breaking point
long ago. Men would long ago have
q point where Individual IA
tiEue. suffering. and grief would have
unbalanced national ties and dis
solved national discipline.
"On the other hand, we are fighting