Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-04-14
FORESIGHT AND H1kDerGHT,

The conviction IL sro~1ng that Z sd mistak Ike was
made in the fall Of 1913, when the Allies signed the ar
untstics agreement with Germany, and thus nernoitted the
war to be brought to an uncertain and inconclusive end.
More and more it il becoming apparent that there should
have been no arnatstice: that instead, Germany's applioa.
o ono should have been met with the unqualified
demand for instant and unconditional surrender, ana that
Houne thts' the Allied armies should have pressed their ad-
VANTAGE crossed the Rhine, and pursued the enemy It
necessary Until his entire territory had been occupied and
the tact Of war had been brought home to the people Of
Germany. who up to that time had experienced it only at
long range.
It is easy to see, after the event, how better methods
might have bsen adopted than those actually pursued. It
is easy for many Americans now to sec that the United
States ought to have entered the war, il entrance had
been necessary, long before that step was taken, It H. at
least within the bounds Of possibility that a firm and pos
tive action on the part Of the United States in July. 1914.
might have ayerted war altogether. A protest against the
INVASION and subjusation Of Serbia BY Austrta would have
been warranted on humanitarian grounds alone; It would
have been warranted further on the sround that Austria
proposed an action 20 certain to create international con-
dadons which wossd b. tu1urteu. to the United States IN
that they would menace the peace of the world. A SINH
l* protest wa warranted on either Of these consideration.
and On the further consideration Of our treaty Obligations
when the invasion of Belgium by Germany was threatened
= protest been issued BY this country in proper time, the
great ceutfal empires might have staid their hand, and
the great wa might hare been averted.
Protests such - have been suggested, If Ineffective.
womb q sousse. have imposed upon the United States
almost the unavoidable obligation Of entering tholwar i'm
mediately. Had this occurred. there is every reason to
suppose that the var would have b4Hn sooner ended and
the United States would have been relieved Of the charge
tnat she waited, while 1t vas to her advantage to do no,
A very plausible argument can be constructed along this
line, but there existed certain conditions which made the
opposition OF the United States at that time loss simple
than now appears. When war was actually declared, the
declaration met with almost unanimous approval. An
early declaration without the repeated provocations to
which this country was subjected would have been differ
emily reoetved. Opposition to American participation
which had almost substded in the spring Of 1917 was very
strong during the many months preceding. 1t is not GER
tain that the president could have induced congress to de-
clare . state Of var very far in advance OF the time when
that action wa taken; and in estimating the wisdom Of
q course pursued. due regard must be had for conditions
which we apt to forget.
Similarly, at the time of the armistice, while there
was a very general feeling Of disappointment among all
the Allied peoples that Germany was to escape az lightly
as she did, there was also on the part Of the European
Aiies, the exhaustion, mental and physical. resulting from
four long years Of supreme struggle aud sacrifice, and
the desire to end it ON almost any terss.r Here that feel
ms was less pronounced because this country had been
IN the war tor a shorter time and had really lust begun
to get into action Nevertheless, there were our millions
OF young men At the front or on the way there, whose
friends desired above all things to have than back home
again. Considerations Of this kind outweighed the very
evident advantage which there would have been In pur-
suing the enamy INTO the most remote parts OF his empire.
Perhaps . mistake WA made, but It was made in the hope
that lives might thereby be aved. and prolonged suherinr
might sooner b ended.