Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-04-09

The inCOAc1usive peace can have
added but little to the military /
strength of Germany. Russia as G
military factor &C lapsed last spring:
About a year ago German Troops by
the hundred thousand were with
drawn from the eastern front and as
signed to other battle lines. Revolu-
tionary conditions make the reten-
ton Of adequate forces in Russia irl-
pe4rative. Even If Austria assn me
the patrolling of the occupied sections
of Russia, The advantage to the Cen
trail Powerssis inconsiderable. -
{ Nor can the prisoners released from
the. interiorsof Russia n returnHd to !
Germany be pressed into further>m
tary service without q, course of drill
inE and discipline. They are doubt
less physically unfit to be thrown into
the gaps. And their habits Of thinkJl
ing may have undergone a change in
carrying home Nthe precious seed Of
revolt against autocracy and that 1T
will fall upon, fertile~soil and spring up
to bear an hundredfold.
f& Economically Germany has no inns
mediate advantage. She needs food
for her people already suffering from
malnutrition, and raw material FOR |
her industries. We know of nc great
stores of food supplies in the Russian
territory taken by the Central Powers.
and transportation facilities seem en-
,tirely disorganized. \ 1t will take time
to produce toodstunfs and to. recon
struct the system of transportation.
The projected highway via Russia and
Roumania TO Persia and thence tn
India is beset with many obstacles !
which will perhaps never be removed.
Time is the most precious thing in the !
world just now. and FOR the present
there is no economic relief for Ger
many. in the Russian plight,
automatically and morally. Ger
many stands the loser and the Allies
the gamer. The terms Of peace im-
posed by the masters Of Germany
upon the internally torn and divided
Russia constitute a revelation of the
policies n purposes OF the temper
airy victors. They are not the terms
formulated at n time by a moan
neXation = n : nc = indemnity party.
They are the terms of INSCRIPTIONS
adventures and desperate imperial
lists. No matter what other ~belligcrents
may; have contributedSto a world con-
matter what the underlying causes OF
the war may have been, the German
military authorities in their treatment
of their neighbors, to whom they
could have afforded to be generous.
stand condemned before the whole
world a sself-confcssed criminals. The
reaction of their policy upon their
slight. the moral loss ir~retrievable.
Supporting our president, we press the
diplomatic advantage.
Recent developments in England
are important and illuminating.
Present tendencies clearly manifest
the guiding hand of our president and
Indicate the Importance Of standing
by him at home. In England the
center of political control seems to
have shifted to thel abor parties. a
few weeks ago in New York l asked
Dean Russell of Columbia University,
a man we'll qualified to answer, TO
what extent in his opinion the present
policy of Lloyd George has been in
f%1uenced by the labor movement. He
replied. THE British government has
had to surrender to the labor party"
This may be an extreme interpreta-
ton of English politics, but after due
consideration one admits that there is
more than a ouch of truth in it. In
England, as well as in many other
lands, the trend of political %organiza-
tons is in the direction of an indus
trial democracy.
A few months ago the leaders of the
labor parties and organizations of sew
ereal allied nations meet in London to
formulate a declaration of principles
concerning the war and other matters
OF special interest to themselves. The
set of propositions adopted coincide
s%trikingly with the war aims of Mr..
Wilson. In fact u president is men,
toned by name and quoted copiously
and with approval. His state papers
must have been before the committee
that drafted the resolution. These in
f1uential leaders. like Mr.. Wilson,
stand for the formation of an inter
national court with power to enforce
its decision, for the publication Of The
treaties and diplomatic correspond
ence of the nations. for the right of
peoples to dispose of themselves. for
the security of small natiops. for the
evacuation and indemniicatfon of Bel
GUM. for the restriction of Turkish
rule to its own state and the govern
ment of the rest of the empire by a
protcctorate appointed by an interna-
tional congress, for the disposition of
the African colonies once controlled
by Germany by an impartial commits
sion, for the self-determination OF
Alsace-Lorraine.
Conspicuous among their .declara-
tons is the distinction between the
rank and file of. the German people
and their military masters, which Mr..
Wilson has made a part OF his war
program. They do not absolve the
German people from their completely
in the purposes and activities. of their
rulers. Like him, they hold that
while the German people have been
systematically misled and imposed
upon by those in authority, and while
they are culpable for allowing them
selves to be cogs and little wheels in a
big machine, no effort should be
spared to enlighten them and to en-
courage them. to throw off their
masters. Like our president, they
advocate a double offensive, a mill
tary offensive that aims by force OF
arms to crush them ilitary power Of
Germany. and a diplomatic offensive
for the purpose Of tsriking down
Prussianism within its own house..
At home President Wilson has won
the allegiance not only of the citizens
of British blood. but also Of the vast
majority of his countrymen of Ger
MAJ and Austrian origin. They stand
by him because he is going to the
bottom OF the world trouble. Citi-
zens Of German extraction know that
he is laying the TX at the foot OF the
tree that produces international in
!trigne and circumstancesfu under which.
nation may fall upon ration. They
are convinced. with Elm. that we