The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-01-26
Wilson's Peace Terms and The NlitteleurOba Dream

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in three continents the Roman tradi-
tion of world control.
In his scheme the German planned
to hold all Of France which had been
conquered, all OF Belgium and Lux
emburg, all Of the Russian territories
already occupied and, finally, his
Balkan gains. In Europe alone this
represented an area greater than that
Of Germany herself before the war
and q population of over 42,000,0 1000
a population, then, exceeding that OF
France in 1911. With all these an
nexations the European half OF the
new empire would represent 736, 600
square miles, thrice that Of Germany
herself. And 1t is necessary to bear
in mind that 1t is with this plan in
full view that the Germans are
negotiating with the Russians at
Brest-Litovsk and have declared
against evacuation of conquered ter
ritories in advance Of peace-or ever,
so far as one can see. Belgium, PO-
land, Lithuania, the Baltic Provinces,
industrial France-these, together
with Serbia and Rumania (Which
bring the complete control of the
Danube), are to be included.
Cuts Empire In Half.
Now President Wilson demands
the restoration of Serbia and Ru.
mania. If this be achieved the Ger
man Mitteleuropa is cut in half al
most at the waist; both banks Of the
Danube, its main artery, will be In
alien hands at the Iron Gates; the
lin-Byzantium- -Bagdad railway,
it's rail lifeline, will be severed from
Belgrade to the Bulgarian frontier.
Turkey and Bulgaria will be separ-
ated from Austria and Germany. And
with such a separation the whole
gigantic scheme must collapse.
But the President did not pause
here. In addition, he demands that
Belgium and Northern France, with
Alsace-Lorraine, he surrendered on
the west, and Poland and the Baltic
on the east. Thus one might say
that, having cut the body at the
waist, he also amputates the arms.
Further than this, by demanding that
the outlying districts of Turkey, Ar
menia, Mesopotamia, Syria and
Palestine shall find some sort Of in
dependence and escape the yoke Of
the bloodiest of tyrants he also would
amputats the limbs. CT all the Ger
man creation there is to be left moth
ing but scattered and weakened frac-
tions.
So much for the general conception
Of the Presidents terms. Recognize
ing, as every thoughtful man must,
that German control of all of. Central
Europe and OF Eastern Asia, German
possession Of 10O, 900 900 Of subject
peoples Of alien races, would be but
a step removed from word hegemony,
Mr.. Wilson has rightly and boldly de-
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dream and evacuate those conquered
districts and release those conquered
races which are pawns in her tre-
mendous game. Not until Germany
consents to this Is peace thinkable,
and any peace that did not destroy
Mitteleuropa would be an assured
German victory and a promise OF
speedy resumption Of the battle. Eu-
rope would be compelled to make a
fresh coalition against William III, as
it did against Napoleon after Auster-
litz, after Jena and Friedland, after
Wagram.
First Issue of The War.
In word. the first issue Of the war
now is the freedom of Europe, domi-
mated in a measure by the German, as
1t was by Napoleon a little more than
a century ago. Until France was re-
stored to her own rightful limits at
the congress Of Vienna, until she was
evtcted from Belgium, Holland, from
Southern Germany and from the Ital-
ian and Spanish peninsulRs, all peace
was bound to be a truce, and each
peace was speedily followed by a re-
newal Of the struggle of all other
European people for freedom from
French domination. And the same is
true of Germany now.
1t is essential for all Americans to
grasp the fact of Mitteleuropa, be-
cause this fact is a menace to the
United States almost as much as to
Europe. Such a state would be with
in measurable distance of world su-
premacy; it would be within beckon-
ing distance of absolute control of
Europe, and when a few years had
provided the German with fresh re-
sources, drawn from his newly or
gantZed cOnquests, he would be cer-
tain to strike again, while the 1OO,-
100000 of subject peoples would be
perpetually driven to choose between
rebellion and slavery. The German
has still In his mind the purpose
which he had in 1914 to repeat the
Roman precedent, and Mitteleuropa. is
something more than a halfway
mark, il Ii can endure,
Not Mere Question of Frontiers.
1t is not, as many Americans seem
to believe, mere question Of ar
rangements of European frontiers