The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-15

make heroic sacrifices.
O. But collectively, do such ideal:
make a noble country?
! A. No; the individual sacrifices
himself in order that the conduct Oi
his country may be lawless, ignoble
and malevOlent.
| @. But does the individual Ger
man regard the conduct of this coun-
| try as ignoble and malevolent?
! A. No. He believes it to be divine
| Q. How can that be?
A. His leaders have given him in
| terpretations of so-called moral
| law" which direct him to that belief
He accepts as supreme leader a per-
son called a ''War Lord" who pro-
claims himself to be actually the
mouthpiece of a god. In addition
the German leaders have carefully
| taught the people to believe that
right and wrong, internationally, are
questions to be submitted to the one
test: Whatever works to the mater
ial disadvantage of Germany is both
spiritually and materially wrong;
whatever works to the material adj
vantage of Germany is both spirit
ualIy and materially right.
O. Have the German people &C
cepted this standard
O. But do they not see that such
a standard, if allowed to prevail,
means servitude to Germany on the
part of the rest of the world?
A. Their leaders desire to bring
about such a servitude and believe
that their own merits warrant 1t.
The people worship their leaders and
call them ''the state"
O. But will not the German peo-
pie some day reject such standard
Of right and wrong?
A. Our soldiers are fighting them
in order to hasten that day.
O. What would prove to the Ger
man people that their standard Is
wrong?
A. Proving to them that the lead
ers who taught them are wrong.
Q. What would prove that?
A. The leaders have made the
people believe that this war would
benefit Germany. If it fails to bene-
fit Germany. the people must con-
clude that this war was a mistake,
and they will doubt their leaders and
the standards those leaders have
taught them. In other words the
people may begin to think for them
selves and take the government out
Of the hands Of their hereditary lead
ers. On the. other hand, if the war
ends with material benefit to Ger
many, the people will believe more
strongly than ever in those leaders
and be ready to follow their war lord
into more good" wars.
Q. Do all Germans accept the
standard that evil to others is good
If it means material good for Ger
many?
A. Evidently not, because though
the German leaders deliberately pro-
voked and began this war in 1914,
when all the world except themselves
and Austria wanted peace, they
pretended as we'll as they were able
that Germany had been attacked. OF
course this helped to make all the
Germans fight harder; and evidently
there were some Germans who would
have objected to the war If they were
not made to believe that Grmany
was attacked.
Q. Then could not these be reach
ed and the truth shown to them?
A. Most of those who were not
blind to the truth saw 1t from the
beginning. Those among them who
spoke out were imprisoned or es-
capped to Switzerland.
Q, Does not the suffering of the
the German people?
A. No; they are affected by only
their own suffering. They have been
taught to believe that the world
outside Of Germany is corrupt and
decaying, and that what happens to
1t does not really matter. They have
been taught to believe. that increase
of German power is their gods plan
and desire, and that the malignant
jealousy and money-lust Of the pro-
German world should be punished
for seeking tor prevent the consum-
nation of that divine plan. The
leaders allude to this plan (partly
in order to incite the simpler folk
under them) as "the existence of the
or "the natural right Of
a nation to attain its just develop
ment."
Q. And the German people viii
keep their leaders in power until 1t
is clear that the war is disadvantage
Gus to Germany?
A. Yes.
O. But il Germany were already
losing the war, would not the lead
ers represent it to the people as win
A. Yes. the leaders must do so
or risk losing their power over the
people,
Q. Will the leaders ever voluntar-
lily surrender that poweri
"A. No.
q. Do not the German leaders !
claim that they have now won peace
with victory?
"A. Yes, but they have neither.
Q. Then the war viii go on eth
err until Germany conquers the world |
or until the German leaders are un-
able to convince the German people |
that Germany is. or can be, victor
Ious?
A. Yes. We could make a truce I
with Germany which we could call /
peace" andN 1t might last for sew
eral years OF intense military prep /
aration, training and invention on
both sides. Great Improvement would I
be made in liquid FIRE. poison gases,
.orpedoes and atrship bombing, and \
devices for teFrorization by afro u