The Columbia evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-28

ANY Doo biuhu$At th~ A'N''PsfSs~
Throughout: the country dwelt principally
on the cruel disappointment 10 the Amer.
ican people and especially those having
husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers in
the bitter fighting at the front" Much
emphasis was laid editorially on the fab
ulous cost Of the "fake" to the country,
total running into incompatible mil
lions and resulting primarily from the
fact that work was knocked of at noon
in virtually every Office and plant from
coast to coast and moi resumed until the
following day. The bill for stree,-clean-
ing after the celebration in the larger
cities presented in itself staggering to-
tai. One New York paper declared that
New Yorks own bill Of eighty.iive thou.
sand dollars should be presented 10 How.
ard for payment!
SECTION SIX
But If the Wilson statement exoncrat-
ed Howard, as il did and as it should
have done, for in my opinion he was
somewhat less responsible for the false
amistice celebration than the American
newspapers who printed his cable as alb
solute truth despite other conflicting de-
spatches they were in receipt Of at the
time, who was to blame?
1t is said that the wire signed by
Commander Jackson was based on infor-
nation telephoned to the American en-
bassy by person who purported to be
speaking officially from the French Min
istry Of War. Thus in way we find
ourselves face to face with an object Of
ultimate blame that is as mysterious as
il is unknown. Tor subsequent inyestiga-
tion showed that no one at the ministry
had called the embassy that day. There
is a possibility Of course. that the embas.
sy's anonymous informant was nothing
less than a practical joker. This, how
ever, is scarcely credible. Some otter
motivating force may very properly be
looked for than the mere desire to jest.
! ] realize that | may regard the matter
through spectacles somewhat tinted by
many months Of the army. but. for rea-
sons which l shall expound, ii is my be-
lief that the naval Office in Paris. Admir-.
al Wilson. Roy Howard, and the entire
United States Of America we're the VIC
tins Of one or more secret agents of the
German Espionage Corps.
1t will be recalled that. on the morning
Of November I, enemy plenipoteniiaries
were reported to be coming through the
lines to sue for an armisiice. 1t being
principle Of the German intelligence
system that fixed OVERWHELMINGLY
spies on permanent duty al one point
work actively on their own initiative and
without orders, taking into consideration
the news and needs of the day. it is reas.
enable to suppose that an intelligent en-
envy agent in Paris would set about doing
his utmost on November 10 create pop
ular desire and demand among the Allied
people for the Cerman-sought armistice.
The existence Of such an attitude on
the part Of the people would make for
more certain and swifter cessation of hos
tilities and an avoidance of the terrible
smashing blows that German arms and
Germany seemed doomed 10 receive.
From psychological and somewhat iypi.
cally German point Of view the best pos
sible way Of making the public ttnni an
armisiice would be TO tell then thai there
lrns an armistice. and let them taste of
the joy that would naturally await upon
the news.
| Had the American people not been re-
warded with a real termination Of the
struggle a short time after their wild
celebration Of the supposed, it must be
believed that the reaction Of their disap.
pointment would have been both severe
and dangerous to home morale. The
Globe quotes prominent citizen as
saying on November Z, 1T will be trag.
edy if this report proves untrue"
A similar effort to stampede the
French press into announcing an armistice
appears also to have been made. 1t was
impossible. Of course, to fool Paris, but
St. Nazaire received the rumor, as did
Bordeaux, Marseilles, Nice, Lorient, and
other French points 1t was present in
Brest before Admiral Wilson's receipt Of
the message from Paris London had it. |
but its press was highly conservative in
passing Judgment on its credibility, and,