The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-10-04
REPRIsALs FOR VANDALISM.

At the very hour when Bulgaria's collapse has con-
nearer the German armies are contestng with extreme
bitterness every inch of the invaded portion of France
and Belgium The French, British, American and Bel
gan armies making more heroic sacrifices than ever
before. The fighting is officially described as unprece
denied in bitterness. The struggle around st. Quentin
is of incredible fury" and around Cambria it is
'lOng bitter battle" The Americans are making slow
Roadway on account of vicious counter attacks.
The enemy is withdrawing only when blasted by shells
and bombs. German guners stand and fire until they
are actually killed The retiring forces bomb burn and
utterly destroy all cities villages farms and cultivated
ground. They doing this now at st. Quentin and
Cambria With painful thoroughness the wounded rep
leaves behind it only desoation and sterity The Ger
mans executing the war maxim of Won Clausewitz
and Ketschau to the letter: "The next war between
Germany and France will be duel unto DEATH One or
the other of the adversares must be annhilated CIV
erythng in war must be written in letters of blood"
Sometimes the opinion is expressed that the Germans
when they perceive that their defeat is certainty will
refrain from wanton destruction of property for fear
of retaliation But it should be borne in mind that this
is an intelligent and logical piece of reasoning which
presupposes that the power which destroys concerned
with the preservation of German property 1t is not the
armies, upon Withdrawing from enemy territory is to
destroy all that cannot be utilized That duty will be
performed up to the last inch of territory and to the last
of The German officers and soldiers have
nothing to do with peace considerations the policy
of the allies regarding reprisas 1t is the boast of the
German army that discipline makes it impervious to
humane emotions The kaiser has told his soldiers that
essary for his sake
Therefore there need be expectation that the enemy
will spare any French or Belgian property And yet
the allies ought to give public ultimatum in the form
Of notice that reprsals will be made upon German ter
rory for every wanton act of destruction in France
and Belgium The Germans will not abandon their dew
iish policy, but they will learn in due time that the
tce of the allies is not scrap of paper If the allies
will give notice that the destruction of Brussels will
the destruction of Berlin and then faithfully execute
their threat, the nsensate Germans, from junker to
peasant will know and remember for all time to come
that civilization will surely punish them for crime.
The allies ought to act quickly and in concert on this
question of wanton destruction The military operations
forward with magnificent energy and SKILL thanks to
Marshal Foch and the allied generals; but the political
generalship is still scattered about in dozen hands,
which pulling and hauling and neglectng vital situa
TONS The reports from London and Paris actually boast
that political factors considered in the armstce
with Bulgaria-that the arrangement was purely mill
tary; yet the situation mperatively demands political
treatment and would receive it if the Germans were in
the position of the allies The allied governments will
lose immense advantage if they do not quickly evolve
and execute political policy in the Balkans operating
simultaneously with the military developments
The need exists in the west in regard to the
treatment to be dealt out to the Germans for wanton
and atrocous acts beyond the pale of civilized war The
allies should not delay giving public notice to Germany
that destruction will be punished by destruction in good
measure and running over. The Rhine cities must be
RACED if the French and Belgian cities wanonly put
to the torch and bomb-Washington Post.