Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1918 — WAR MOST NOT BE CALLED DRAW [ARTICLE]

WAR MOST NOT BE CALLED DRAW

i . • Germany Cannot Be Given Chance to Repeat Crime Against World. DANGEROUS MOMENT AHEAD Americana Must Guard Against Day When Teutons, Beaten, Offer Peace on Bisis of Status Quo Ante. By J. FRANK DAVIS. Perhaps the most dangerous moment for America in all this war will be the moment when Germany, admitting she cannot win, offers to make peace on the basis of the status quo ante —to go back to where things were before she set forth so blithely upon "her great adventure.

Already her newspapers talk of such a peace. The reichstag “no annexations and no indemnities” resolution isa “feeler” for it. The war lords allow this talk to be made, although they have not officially sanctioned the proposition The day will come when they will, however, and that will be a dangerous day for America. ' From what we see quoted from German newspapers it is quite clear that the people of Germany think they have only to offer to go back to where they were before the war to gain peace. When they say. “no annexations and no Indemnities” they mean no annexations by Germany and no indemnities to be collected by Germany, because it has not even entered the head of one man in ten in all Germany that they may be forced to make reparation. Germans Still Deceived. Also Germany does not understand that any mere promise on her. part not to attack her neighbors will not, be taken. The Germans as a whole still are deceived into thinking their rulers did not start the war. They do not appreciate that their promise not to of--fend again would be a worthless promise. They do not know that their nation is morally bankrupt; that the word of its overlords is no longer of the slightest value in the councils of civilization. When they get ready to admit that they cannot win and to offer to return to the status quo they will expect their enemies to accept those terms —in effect a peace made in Germany. And we must be prepared for a considerable movement in the United States , advocating the acceptance of such an offer. The hyphenates and the pacifists and the cowards and all the other copperheads will be for it. “What more is there that we should fight for?” they will shout. “Why should we take sides in any European quarrel over territory or indemnities? Let the Germans return Belgium and northern France, and let the British and the Italians give back the former German colonies and the territory taken from Austria. And let us all get together—Germany to do her share, of course —and .rebuild the towns in France a Belgium that have been destroyed. Let us be generous." May Gain Following. If only the traitors -and the pacifists were for such a plan we should have no more to worry about than we now have to trouble us in the activities of I. W. W. and peace councils and disloyal proGerman newspapers. But they may gain an additional following among lack-brained folk who now are hot with , them. We Americans are a sentimental people, We like to think about punishing criminals, but we seldom like to punish them. We will not repeal our laws against capital punishment, but we hate to convict under them.

The cry that will go up from all the German propagandists when the offer of a status quo peace is made will be a loud one, and thousands of i Americans who are loyal enough at heart, but loose-thinking, may be attracted by it. Germany, in that hour, may be depended upon to use every tool at her command in this country to throw? up dust, to obscure the issue, to influence Americans toward a peace that shall leave the world as much in peril as it was prior to August, 1914. Would Be German Victory. If they can get a great number of people in the United States to agree that Germany ought not to be put where she cannot repeat her crime against civilization, the war will have been in vain. If the Germans are able to cease fighting, unpunished, and go back home to prepare for the next war, with Mlttel-Europa in their hands, it will have been a German victory, even though not such a victory as Germany expected when she began the conflict Nobody expects to annihilate Germany. Nobody wants to see her annihilated. Nobody wants to crush her, except as a military menace. But she must keep the peace hereafter, and to make sure that she does so ber power .to repeat her offense must be destroyed. And —most important of-all — the German people must have learned that the militaristic policy of their war lords does not pay. Watch and guard against the day when Germany offers to call it a draw. It would be a-black day for the world If America’s influence were then to be thrown Into the scale in favor of such t peace.