New-York tribune., 1918-09-20
I euton Peace
Denouncedby
u. Soldiers
"On to Berlin!" the Cry of
Rank and File
Abroad
By Wilbur Forrest
Especial Cable to The Tribune

Copyright 1918. New York Tribune Inc.l
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
LORRAINE, Sept. 19.-I have spent an
entire day talking to soldiers and Off
GERS of Americas First Army regard
ing the Austrian peace offer. From
/ the areas subjected to shellfre to the
calm of the rear the sentiment is The
same.
HIiohy, it is that the American army
docs not object to the Austro- Hun
carian peace offer, if the monarchy is
sircere and is willing to make all
amends for being the dupe of Ger
many, but from doughboys to generals
all would feel that the American cause
vas practically lost if Germany was
allowed to make an: kind of peace
agreement before the German armies
or in other words, German militarism
were crushed to the ground.
There is no special hatred of Aus
tria Hungary in the American forces,
but "On into Germany" is the most
Lopular catch phrase among the Amer
leans over the length and breadth of
Lorraine's hills and valleys, from
which several places, German cities
and villages stolen from France in
1870, are now in sight An American
doughboy said to me to-day:
ut is the Germans we are after. 1t
is the Kaiser and his Prussans who
have been running around for forty
years with chips on their shoulders
who must be licked. Believe me, they
have got to be whipped, and whipped
properly, and we are right here for
the job"
An American colonel said the same
thing, although in other words.
An Injustice to All
ut would be an injustice to every
one of u.s. he declared, "if Germany
should be allowed to crawl to safety.
rather than die under the cloak of the
complete elimination Of the enemys
military spirit.
"Retribution to my mind means res
ttution the righting of all the wrong
and the complete elimination of the
encmy's military spirit. Retribution
tc my mind means the restitution of
all territories. including Alsace-L Lor-
raine, the payment of stiff indemnities
and the otherwise complete humilia-
tion of the nation which brazenly four
years ago started out to dominate the
world. There are no pacitsts in the
American army.
"The Dual Monarchy is another
thing. Austro- Hungarians have suf-
fercd heavily under the heel of the
Germans, and if they desire to make
proper amends to the point that proves
their sincerity we should not object.
Germany, however, is not vet ready
for peace. | believe that every man
in the American army would vote
against any word of peace for Ger
many now. Next summer NAV be time
enough to think about that"
Most of the men | talked with to-
cay arc men who hear the vicious
crack of German shells all day long
and see Germans as they really are.
They are the ones who can talk about
peace in its proper proportion lust
now.
More German Propaganda
The German propaganda newspaper
"America in Europe. which was sent
over the American lines recently at
tached to a small balloon, declared that
Colonel Roosevelt can never be the
kaiser's friend again The Colonel's
ch'valry is impugned for allowing
high bred' Oyster Bay people to
smash the autographed imperial photo
graph presented by Wilhelm while the
Colonel was his guest in Berlin. The
article relating to "this disgraceful
proceeding" gives all the details of
Oyster Bays patriotism and indicates
that the Kaiser's feelings are hurt
The same issue prints cartoon
showing Uncle Sans hands shackled
by John Bull while Lloyd George tears
up the Monroe Doctrine The Ameri-
can soldiers who catch pronapanda
bailons and read Germany's illuminat-
ing newspaper are asked to believe
that England now has the United
states in solid grasp and has hone
lessly muddled Uncle Sam in Euro
pean affairs from which there is no
escape This Subtle" German aron.
mcnt says:
England has America where she
wanted her. With the Spanish War
America mingled in European affairs.
and Great Britain was not slow 70
follow up her first success She let
Roosevelt take the Panama Canal Zone
and let America build the canal iust
as she let France build the Suez IN
acquire 1T as soon as it was finished
America considers it an American
waterway built on American soil With
American money and for American
peneht. But America soon had to learn
'hat sne had no privileges there
ana that England was entitled to share
IN IN 'he DEMENT'S on an eqsal footing. So
the Panama Canal toll bill had to
be torn into shreds when Wilson came
INTO power. in 1913
Wilson'S Mysterious Words
Congress was unwilling to mako
such deal. but we all remember The
mysterious words of Wilson when he
told Congress inside, If Won don,t
grant me this the toll bill-unrrudel
ingly, | don't know how to deal with
other questions which are more far
reaching and more delicate in natnra
lone year later, 1914, the worId
knew what these delicate questions
were. America was entanpled IN ths