New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-24
The New Peril
America Blind 10 The Dangers of a
Russo German Alliance


Russo German Alliance
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Are we to lose the coming war
and BECOME subjugated through the
very defect which nearly lost us the
last one, our unwillingness to sec tina
our enemy intends world conquest.
which necessarily includes conquest Of
this country, and that the time to re-
sist conquest is while our only posi-
Bile allies are still so far from ex-
hauSted as to cooperate effectively
with US? 1t was not inability to sec
this, but unwillingncss. The relative
ly few Of us who in 1914 and 1915
urged joining our allies before they
were exhausted found that our friends,
instead of listening, simply evaded.
To-day our natural leaders again
shrink from the truth. Instead of
giving active thought and effort for
preparation, instead of making clear
to our people the extreme gravity of
our peril, they shrug their shoulders,
regret that our people are disinclned
to enter another European war; and
discuss the League of Nations, which
is of trhing immediate Importance
compared with the peril which has al
ready marched as far as Warsaw. We
fiddle while Rome burns We do not
even talk about preparation, while our
enemies are fast making ready our
downfall.
How can we fail to see that we may
shortly have to fight Russian Drawn
directed by German brains? We know
that Germany instigatcd and guided
the Russian revolution, and that she
is now giving the Red army the guns
and munitions which she promised to
yield to us. We know that it is Ger
many which thus has enabled the Reds
to subjugate the buffer states between
Russia and Poland and to invade Po-
land
the Reds reach Germany, Teutonic
guile will find way to make them
Germany's allies. In this she may in
deed run some risk, but it will clearly
be more to her interest than the alter
native of fighting the Reds on the East
while being held in economic sub
lection to the West. Surely she would
not have created this Red monster on
her flank without preparing to benefit
from its existence. Not one of the
small powers would oppose that al
lance, lest she share the fate of Bel
GUM and Serbia. Our natural Euro
pean allies, Great Britain, France. Bel
GUM and Italy, arc terribly weakened
by the late war. They will have hard
enough work to pay their existing
debts. How are they to finance a new
war against stronger enemy, stronger
because Russia will supply in album
dance all the things which GERMANY
lacked in the last war, men. coal. food.
and raw materials of almost all kinds?
There is no limit to the factories
which Germany can build to utilize
the limitless resources of Russia.
The English Channel and the Atlantic
would delay the conquest of Great
Britain and Of ourselves only until
our enemies, having extended their
conquests over the three continents of
Europe, Asia and Africa, should have
founded enough shipyards in that
great territory to build vaster fleets
than ours and the British jointly.
This is an attempt to show that if
Germany plays her hand we'll, and is
opposed as feebly, hesitatingly and in
coherently as at present, she may we'll
destroy US, soon bringing the war back
to the Rhine, then to the whole Atlantic
and Mediterranean seaboard of Europe
and later subjugating Great Britain
and ourselves. 1t is a plea to those
who have the ear of the public to take
up the inevitably slow work of SHOWING
1T its dangers. The wise prepare for
that which threatens, even if not to-
day or next month. They do not
wait, as we did, and as we seem in
clined to do again, till the DANGER il
almost irresistible.
HENRY M. HOWE,
Bedford Hills, N. Y, Aug. II. 1920.