Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-08
Great Advantage for Japan

From the purely military strateg-
ical point of view the defeat in the
straits of Corea ends the chances for
a decided turn of the scales in your
favor; the Japanese are now free to
pour any amount Of reserves, re-
cruits, ammunition, etc, into Man
churia for the siege of Vladivostok,
which will hardly be able to resist
very long without fleet to support
it. The army of Lenewitsch will
need at least three or four fresh
army corps to bring it up to it's
former efficiency and even then it
is difficult to foretell what the con-
sequences will be and whether an
other large battle will promise more
success than the former did. For
mally, it is of course possible, even
under these adverse circumstances
to continue the war for any amount
of time But then on the other hand
the human part must not be over
looked. Your country has sent thou
sands of it's sons to the front, where
they died, or were taken i'll and were
left cripples for the rest CT their
lives. Now as 1 wrote to you in my
last letter-Feb. 6-the war is very
unpopular and the people see their
sons and fathers reluctantly, even
unwillingly, leave their homes to
fight for a cause they not only not
espouse, but abhor! Is it compatible
with the responsibility of a ruler to
continue to force whole nation
against it's declared will to send it's
sons to be killed by hecatombs only
for his sake? Only for his way Of
conception of national honor? After
the people by their behavior have
clearly shown their disapproval of a
continuance Of war? Will not, in
time to come, the life blood of all
uselessly sacrificed thousands be laid
at the rulers door, and will he not
once be called upon by Him, the
ruler and master of all kings and
men, to answer for those who were
placed under his control by the Crea-
tor, who entrusted THEM welfare to
him?
Suggests Concluding Peace
National honor is very good
thing in itself, but only in the case
that the whole of the nation itself
is determined to uphold it with all
the means possible. But when a
enough and that tout est perdu fort
Phonneur' Gall is lost save honor) is
it's way of thinking, is it not reason
able that also it's ruler should then
no doubt with heavy heart-draw
the consequences and conclude peace?
Even though it be a bitter one?
Rather than riski4g through the pro-
longation of an unpopular war to
create such a bitter feeling in his
country that it would not even re-
frain from taking serious steps to
eventually force the ruler to comply
to their wish and adopt their views?
of course there is the army to be
considered. 1t has fought and brave
ly fought-throug heat and cold for
one and one-half years trying to win
victory for you and your country,
but up to now providence has with
held success from. it. Defeat, fear
full loss of life, and suffering I'M
speakable have instead been sent to
the poor army and have been will
ingly borne by these capital, brave,
quiet, self-sacrificing fellows, your
soldiers. That they should burn for
revenge and be ready to do battle at
every possible moment is quite nat
uraL But is there any new leader or
general among the captains who is
able to guarantee success, so that it
would justify a new trmendOus' eff
tort at the expense of thousands Of
the soldiers lives? Is the army real
Iy absolutely convinced that it will
yet be able to turn the scales? To
this question you Of course alone
are able to know the answer.
Subjects Would Welcome Peace
Should the answer, however, be
given in the negative by your gen.
erals in your soldiers name, declar-
ing on their honor that they could
only die for their emperor but hard
ly win any decisive victories for
him, then I think your conscience
may be at res AS to whether YOU
ought to go on fighting or not, and
you could open the peace negotia-
tions which would be hailed with
joy JOY by all your loyal subjects
throughout Russia after the tribute
of blood they readily gave their en-
peror. You may then say like the
old French grenadier Bombardon
sings: 'Das CLICK des Kriegs hat
wider uns entschieden, doch die Ar
NEE hat hire Pflicht gethan, die
haeltte fiel, der rest ward Invali-
den! Je nun man traegt was man
NIGHT aendern kann" ('The fortune
of war has gone against us, but the
army did it's duty; one-half fell. the
rest became invalids. What cannot
be alteRed NUT be borne)
Napoleon 1 and Frederick the
Great also suffered defeat!
ut must be looked upon as. Gods
will that things have taken this
course! God has imposed this bur
den on you, and IL must be borne,