Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 231, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1918 — Only One Road to Peace—America Must Go on With War Until It Is Won [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Only One Road to Peace —America Must Go on With War Until It Is Won

By ROBERT LANSING.

Secretary of State.

Prussian ism and the idea of enduring peace among nations can never be brought into harmony; compromise cannot even be considered. / It is a fact not generally known that within six Weeks after the German government had, in ‘the case of the Sussex, given this government its solemn promise that it would cease ruthless slaughter upon the seas, Count Bernstorff, appreciating the worthlessness of the promise, asked the Berlin foreign office to advise him in ample time before the campaign of submarine murder was renewed, in order that he might

notify the German merchant jihipe in American ports to destroy their machinery, because he expected that the renewal of that method of warfare would, in all probability, bring the United States into the war. J •, How well the ambassador knew the character of his government and how perfectly frank he was. He asked for the information without apology or indirection. The very bluntness of his message shows he was sure his superiors would not take offense at the assumption that their word was valueless and had only been given to gain time and that, when an increase of Germany’s submarine fleet warranted, the promise would be broken without hesitation or compunction. In view of this spirit of hypocrisy and bad faith, manifesting an entire lack of conscience, we ought not to be astonished that the Berlin foreign office never permitted a promise or a, treaty agreement to stand in the way of a course of action which the German government deemed expedient. I need not cite as proof of this fact the flagrant violation of the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. • This discreditable characteristic of German foreign policy was accepted by German diplomats as a„ matter of course and as a natural, if not a praiseworthy dealing with other governments. - We must go on with the war. There is no other way. This task must not be left half done. We must not transmit to posterity a legacy of blood and misery. We may in this great conflict go down into the valley of shadows because our foe is powerful and inured to war. We must be prepared to meet disappointment and temporary reverse, but we must, with American spirit, rise above them;*with courageous hearts we must go forward until this war is won. - . ,