The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-04-19

this is just what we are going to do.
We are going to lie down before
Germany without even attempting
to fight her. A large portion Of
the press seems TO think this is pre-
cisely what we ought TO do. They
don't say il exactly In these words.
They don't state definitely that q
nation much smaller than ourselves
and pinioned by other enemies SO
that she can not even reach US 70
strike Us a blow has nevertheless
crushed the fighting spirit out Of US.
They don't put it as boldly as that
But they accept the idea without muir
mur that we can treat with Germany
now while she is victorious and be-
fore we have begun to fight her,
and treating with Germany means
that we are willing TO bargain with
her on the basis Of what she has
got. What else do the words,
Peace Negotiations Begun" mean?
ANY peace with Germany this
year is a victory for Germany.
Let us face the facts. Germany
has already absorbed about all she
wants on the East front, all she can
easily digest. She has LithuRnia,
CourlRnd, Russian Poland, territory
rs large as Prussia itself with 3
huge population and great potential
". If we start negotiations with
her now or at any future day before
she is defeated, we have TO start
with all those countries already part
of the German system. She also has
Belgium and northern France. A
year ago we might almost have talk
ed her out of Belgium. We could
have certainly talked her out Of
northern France. Today the situa-
ton is different. She is facing
West without any enemy On her
Eastern front She can sit on her
conquests in Belgium and France
and defy US TO put her out So if
we are going to conduct war by ne
COTTON we shall have TO look around
for a talking point" Our only
possible talking point" is the fact
that England holds practically all the
German colonies, and her armies are
encamped in the heart of Mesopo-
tamia, which the Bagdad Railway
was to make 3 German province. It
it just conceivable that Germany
might be willing TO give up Belgium
and northern France IN exchange for
her old colonies. That would be
difficult to arrange. The Beers
might break away from the British
Empire rather than see the Germans
once more their neighbors in West
Africa. Ii viii be difficult to in
duce Japan and Australia to welcome
Germany back 10 the Pacific Islands,
and for England TO hand back Meso-
potarnis and Arabia TO the tender
mercies Of Turkey and the Kaiser
would be a dreadful confession Of
defeat. Possibly such a deal could
be made; for If we are all going TO
talk instead of fighting, we must az
least make every sacrifice Of pride
and possession, if by doing so we can
free Belgium. But let us al least
be frank about IL II we accept
such q deal; If we restore Germany
to her place in the sun, If we give
up Turkey and Mesopotanlia TO her
suEerainty, if we thus proclaim our
inability to free Belgium IN any
other way, then we have done very
little TO defeat or punish the criminal
that ruind Belgium and set the
world on fire
But that is only the beginning of
the shame II by talking we could
go back 70 the boundaries Of 1914,
swapping German colonies and
spheres Of influence for German con-
quests IN Europe, that would be in
deed peace without victory, but it
would be at least peace with victory
for no one, not even Germany. But
there is no chance Of any such ne
gotiated peace in the year 1918 The
best we possibly could do would be
to get back Belgium and northern
France IN return for Ger1nany's lost
colonies. Then Then Germany comes
ont Of the war with al she possess
ed before. plus conquests on her
Eastern front as great in extent as
all Prussia itself. She makes a big
ger gain in one WAY than in all the
three wars Of 1864, 1856 and 1870
combined And remember that every
German is brought up 70 believe that
these three successful wars made
modern Germany, and therefore that
German autocracy and military caste
viii issue triumphant from the strug-