Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1920-03-03

honor due? To France? To England?
To Italy? Or to the United States
The military glory Of each Of the
three European nations awakens
much enthusiasm in our neighbor-
ing republic, but thanks to the chau.
vanistic spirit the glory Of Ameri
ca makes the strongest appeal tc
the American heart.
Amid so it happens that among
the masses Of the people the great
majority believe without the least
doubt that the United States, by its
effective intervention at an oppor.
tune moment, earned the honor Of
winning the war
But without claiming to discount
the judgment Of history, we think
there is an excellent way of dis
covering which nation really won
the war o., more correctly, which
nation most broadly, most complete
ly and most effectively contributed
to winning il, and that it is to state
The question thus;
If the Allies had been beaten,
which nation would have been most
to blame.
France? OF course not
Trance stood as one man from
the very first day Of mobilization.
Size stood with her long and wise
preparation behind her. She stood
ready with Incompatible generals.
She stood with valiant men, pre-
pared by thorough training and
proved by colonial campaigns. She
stood, with all her men Of military
age in front, and with her brave
women in the fields, in he factory,
and at the counter She stood with
her powerful moral. industrial and
financial reserves. She stood, and
won alone the most decisive often
sive victory Of history-the Mane.
She stood, and won-again alone
the most terrible defensive fight
the world has ever known-Verdun.
The first to stand, France was still
standing and NOSE redoubtable
than ever when the Germans ac-
cepted the conditions of armistice
which Foch laid down. No; if we
are not willing to grant that
France was the most important fac.
tor in the victory, We must still adj
NIT that in the event of defeat
Frances conscience was clear.
And England? Surely England s
part in the frightful war was ire
mendous. and her navy rendered
priceless service from the first
hours of the war, But in August,
1914, England was not ready. and
she lost two long years in putting
on foot the powerful army that lat
err did such gallant deeds under
Haig. Had the Allies been beaten.
England would certainly have re-
preached herself bitterly for the
false security in which she had so
innocently lived in the face of Ger
many openly polishing it's arms. A
great and fair nation like the Eng
lish could not have been excused by
History for not fOreseeing the aw-
full events which, long before they
happened, darkened the sky of Eu
rope as a cloud before the tempest.
Italy? During the first year Of the
struggle Italy WAS feeling her way.
Still she had the courage to resist
Lne SeducIlonS OIL the central en-
pires and to free herself from the
bonds that bound her to Berlin and
Vienna. But while she thus hesitat-
cd between her alliances and her in
stinets. French and English blood
were flowing freely for the iustest
of causes, If the Allies had been
beaten, what confession of guilt
Italy would have had to make
But If the Kaiser had emerged
triumphant from the war, it is the
United States that would have had