Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1918-11-08
A MILITARY VICTORY OUR FIRST
TASK.
by Leroy F. jackson,

Washington State College.
Fourth of a series of five articles. !
While we are talking Of American
leadership in a new regime of inter
national politics we must bear in
mind constantly that all our aims
and ideals are dependent for their
realization upon decisive victory
over Germany. II Is we'll to be fore
handed, to see what is at stake in
this conflict and what we must get
out of it, but still stands the sinister
fact that an absolute crushing OF
Germany and all that she stands for
is our first task. Unless this be done
nothing else can be.
Germany stands fair and square
for the old regime-the regime OF
the sovereign national state. In the
twentieth century she thinks in the
terms of the age of Frederick the
Great She is behind the times. This
is partly explained by the fact that
she attained her national unity about
four hundred years later than Eng
land, France, or Spain. She is now
in the stage Of rampant nationalism
which most young nations pass
through. She believes that a sover-
eign nation is the highest form Of
political development, that the citi-
zen can know no higher allegiance
than what he owes to the state, that
the state knows no limitation to it's
power, that, therefore, between
states might must makes right. She
carries these theories ruthlessly to
their logical conclusion.
1t is against this thing that Amer
lea contends. We stand with the
vanguard of progress Out of our
isolation we have learned to think
in world terms more clearly than the
European powers. We insist. have
insisted at every opportunity. that
America is in this war to get basis
for lasting peace" a peace made
secure by the organized major force
of mankind" No tempOrizing, no
patching up of differences, no trad
ing of benefits will satisfy us. We
will not cut off the leaves and let
this evil grow up-again from the
roots 1t must go root and branch.
1t is not enough to rid the world OF
the immediate menace of German
aggression, we will not stop until We
have utterly destroyed the old
regime OF aggressive, irresponsible
nationalism from which it sprung,
This is the position of America
supported time and again by the
other allied nations, 1t is an amht
tious undertaking, this Of ours. Il
is a bold adventure, reaching vel
out into the realm of the untried
But it is undertaken by the sons o.
the men who launched the "grea
experiment" of 1876 and 1889. tt
us is given Americas great chance
for supreme world service, ;
chance tor supreme world service
q chance to make a contribution com
parable to the gifts of Greece. o
Rome, of England. We have clea
conception of our purpose, we hav
!; supreme conviction of right, AM
. we will not stop half way. We vii
not stop until American resource
and American blood has inaugurate
! for the world new era and autoc
racy is shown the utter futility Q
. its claims to power and leadersbi
y in the modern world" When tina
1 has been done" says President Wi
s son, "as, God willing, it assured
= will be---we shall at last be free
: do an unprecedented thing, and tn
is the time to avow our purpose
a do it. We shall be free to base pea'
>, on generosity and justice. to the g
clusion of all selfish claims to q
advantage, even on the part of Il
victors.'