The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-09-19

/ danger, for the German will be seeking
by the most ingenious and sustained
effort to win the French nation into
making a separate peace, a peace which
will be as attractive, in German propa-
ganda, as that peace without indem-
mites or annexations'' which lured
Russia to ruin at Brest-Litovsk. Not
less appealing bait will be held out to
italy, like France invaded and far more
than France exposed to internal dan"
gers OF a descriptive sort.
Germany means to win the war by
her peace offensive, now that her war
offensive has failed. The element OF
time is just as much against her in
the new operation as in the old. Turkey
and Bulgaria are becoming FESTIVE;
Austria Is on the edge Of revolution
to be sure, like a donkey on a noun
tain trail. Austrian Statesmen seem al
| ways to select the outer and danger
Gus edge. but the present situation is
more critical than any that has pre-
ceded. II German peace operations
were delayed over a long period, Tur-
key and Bulgaria might escape the
German leading strings and make sep
arate peace with the enemy. Even
Austria might break under the strain.
We shall have next winter, therefore.
to repel the peace offensive designed
to enable Germany to keep a respect
able. q large share of the provinces
she has conquered. We shall have the
peace offensive supplemented by much
military threatening. Unquestionably
the promise to devastate all of France
still In German hands, at we'll as Bel
GUM, in the fashion Picardy was de-
vastated In the Hindenburg retreat.
will be n gentle German hin to
France as to the ACCESSIBILITY OF com.
ing to an arrangement. And until that
peace offensive is defeated we must
face the fact that we may still lose
the war.
But If the peace offensive fails. as
the war offensive has Enthusiastically
failed, there Ia still ahead Of US at least
one year more of terrific and costly
fighting before we can begin to hope
to win the war In the only way that 1t
can be won-namely. upon the battle
field. And in hat time each temporary
reverse, each check, each delay, will
serve the as a new basis Tor
their peace offensive and a new foun-
dation for their argument that no mill
tary decision is possible. OF the three
stages that hay to be covered before
we come to the point where real peace
is possible We have but passed the
first, or are just coming TO he end.
of it. 1t has been in a sense the most
critical OF all. but 1t has also been
the simplest, because in the face Of q
peril which no man could misunder-
stand ali effort and all energy were
concentrated naturally upon the task
Of stopping the enemy. 1t will be less
easy to get the same concentration In
the other two stages.
We shall nave to be on our guard,
therefore, both in the matter Of pessi-
mism and optimism. At the present
moment there Is a dangerous degree OF
optimism afioat. h reaction from
the depression of recent months is nat
ural and proper, but 1t should not lead
to exaggerated hopes. We have blocked
the enemy and we have DEBATED him in
the crucial battle Of this campaign.
the enemy and we have defeated him in
this year was to prevent the Germans
from winning the European phase OF
the war on the battlefield: II Will take
one or two more years for us to win It
by our own efforts. The second Marine
was like the first, a great n success
full battle Of arrest; but nations are not
conquered by battles OF arrest-such
battles merely save the nation or ma
lions attacked. There remains the larg-
er task OF beating the enemy, and he
remains, despite his recent reverse, still
unbeaten in the larger sense.