The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1918-01-10
THE NEW YEAR.

The vast majority of the civilized
people of the world have only one
wish for the New Year--Peace. Al
of them are war-Weary. All anr Of them ZEN
ly conflict will end and organized
murder and calamity will cease.
Military experts are agreed that
the year 1917 has gone badly with
the Allies, in spite of the interven-
not been able to offset the Russian
collapse, the Italian defeat and the
failure of the British campaign at
Cambria. Be that as it may, the
moral advantages still rest with the
Allies. In that respect they are far
stronger than they were a year ago,
and Germany IS lar weaker wes Ken ,n;s+o,e
than to deal with this war in military
terms alone. 1t is. not war OF
armies but war of peoples, and the
issues steadily clarity on the side OF
the Allies Even the Russian sur
render serious as it has been to the
pelied recognition by Germany of
some of the essential principles OF
peace which President Wilson detin-
ed in his reply to the Vatican. This
recognition may be nerfunctory.. IT
is PROFESSIONALLY insincere, but it is
nevertheless a matter OF record a.,
German autOcracy is beginning the
year 1918 with it's first practical ex-
perience with that decent respect
10 the opinions of mankind which
was affirmed by the Declaration OF
independence. 1t has been COMPEL
ed to state it's term Of peace, 1t
! has been forced to do the very thing
that it arrogantly refused to, 90 q
year ago when it abruptly ended az
the negotiations then in progress and
finally declared ruthless submarine
warfare against all neutrals as we'll
as all enemies. 1t has found even IN
conspiring with treacherous Boil
shevik Government that it must pay
lip-homage at least to public senti-
ment.
It will go still further. along the
road that it is. now travelling. More
and more the war aims Of the Allies
have been simplified. They are to-
day reduced to the Fundamental
principles defined by President Will
son in his reply to the vatican pro-
posals:
1--WE cannot take the word of the
present rulers of Germany. as a
guarantee of anything that is IT, en-
dure, unless explicitly supported by
such conclusive evidence of the will
and purpose of the German people
til emselves as the other peoples of
Ille WI AZ NOulu w J"oS -
cepting. -.
"Without such guarantees, treat
les of settlement, agreements for
disarmament, covenants to set up
arbitration in place OF force, terri
torial establishments, reconstltutlons
OF small nations, if made with the
German Government, no man. no
nation could now depend on.
1--WE must wait some new evidence
of the PURPOSES of the great peoples
Of the Central Powers. COD grant
il may be given soon and in way
to restore the confidence OF all PEG,
ples in the faith of the nations ana
the possibility of convenanteo
peace" -.
come, but it surely will come II the
Allies hold fast. The moral lSoia-
ton of Germany is now complete;
and to the German people that moral
isolation is hardly more enduraDle
than the economic isolation that mas
been forced upon them.
The outcome of the war is now IN
the hands of the democratic peoples.
They cannot set the day of peace;
but with tenacity of purpose ana
faith in the justice of their cause
they can face the future calmly ana
resolutely. They know today tnat
Prussianism can never conquer the
earth. What remains is to make
certain that Prussianism has perish
ed from earth, and that is the
task of resolute democracy for the
wear just drawing.-New YORK
w Orld.