Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-12

SomIne.' These splendid troops. who
struggled month after month and year
after year. without flinching and with
high courage. France and the world owe
a debt Of gratitude which the eternal
memory of man only can repay.
Problems Beyond Rhine
And now that the great conflict is
ended and the mighty war engine OF
Prussia Is crushed we have new prob
lens to solve, new dangers to overcome.
East of the Rhine taere are famine and
idleress. want and misery. Political
chaos ard outlawry have suppianted the
highly organized government of Imperial
Germany. The social order is breaking
down under the difficulties of defeat and
the hopelessncss of t:le future. Like the
anarchy which for years mado an in
lerno of Russia, the fires or terrorism
are ablaze in the states of Germany
over the ruins of this once great en-
pire the flames are sweeping eastward
ut is no time to allow sentiments Of
vengeance and hatred to stand in the
way of checking this conflagration.
which will soon be at the German bor-
ders and threatening other lands. We
must change the conditions on which
SpCldl uHItSI leeuS, anu SllINt " lc-
store Germany to normal though II
be weakened social order Two words
tell the story--food and peace. To
make Germany capable of resisting an
arChy and the hideous despotism of
the red terror Germany must be allowed
to purchase food and TO earn that food ;
Industrial conditions must be restored
by treaty of peace. 1t is not out of
pity for the German people that this
must be done and done without delay,
but because we, the victors in this war,
will he the chief sufferers if 1t is not
done.
You may demand reparation as
much as you please, but unless the Ger
man people are furnished materials for
their industries and commercial oppor-
tunities to sell the products of labor in
the foreign markets and unless the la
borers have food Germany can never
pay even in part. for the evil she has
done. Furthermore, II the present state
OF chaos continues and the political
power continues to grow weaker there
Will be no responsible German Govern
ment with which to make peace; there
Will be no government strong enough to
carry out the conditions of the treaty of
peace.
or
Il say to you. men of France and
men of America. and to you, men OF the
Allied powers. that there is no time to
be lost If We are to save the world from
the despotism of anarchy, even as we
have saved il from the despotism Of
autocracy. We ought to make. we must
make. peace without delay. and ships
laden with food must enter the haTbors
Of Germany. We have reached crisis
in the affairs of the world. We must
meet II without passion and without
permitting our judgment to be warped
by a natural and unaVoida BILE desire for
vengeance on a nation which has COM
mitted such atrocities as those the Ger
mans haze committed.
There cannot be any doubt in the
minds of thinking men as 10 the danger
that faces the nations. We are VIC
torious, and yet victory on the battle
field is not all. We must use our vic
tory wisely or we will lose even more
than we have gained 1t is no time to
permit selfishness to control our actions
or to permit an immediate advantage to
blind our eyes to the greater good which
lies in the future. II is not a spirit of
generosity which demands peace and
which cries our that the Germans must
be fed. II is common sense that de-
mands il and that points out the perils
before US if we do not listen to the
voice of reason.
France showed her greatness of soul
in the dark hours of adversely and we
Of America who give her unstinted
praise trust her to show the same spirit
in these days of triumph. II is true
philosophy which teaches man or a
nation to bear success as we'll as defeat.
Together. France, America and the
powers associated with them in this
great war must go forward to the ocm-
pletion Of the task which they set out
TO perform, TO make the world safe
for democracy.
And one last word word of affec-
ton for France, our ancient ally, word
of admiration for her great chiefs who
have led her onward through the dark
valley of death to the shining heights
of victory. a word of reverence for the
sacrifcial spirit of the people of France
which never faltered or failed, but
burned with undying patriotism in dark
est hours. The Yalor and glory of
France and her children are written in
letters OF eternal light across the heav-
ans yhzra thare dawna a now era and