and will continue to do so if no change is made in
that Government.” “The whole world,”
as Mr. Gerard says, “feels that peace made with
its present Government would not be lasting, that
such a peace would mean the detachment of some of the
Allies from the present world alliance against Germany,
preparation by Germany in light of her needs as disclosed
by the War, and the declaration of a new war in which
there would be no battle of the Marne to turn back
the tide of German world conquest.” No
such change of government can be imposed from without.
Every German would resent, and rightly, any such interference.
Mr. Balfour has declared expressly that a claim to
change the form of government in Germany is not one
of our war aims. The change must be a change
of spirit, which will not come unless facts prove that
the violent assertion of the claim to domination, to
override justice where self-interest appears to be
served thereby, has led to disaster, and is in reality
opposed to self-interest in the long run. As a
means of carrying out the ideas of Germany in its
relations with other countries, it must be admitted
that its Government is a singularly effective machine.
It is those ideas which must be given up if a real
change is to be made. The clever devil could have
invented nothing better than the highly organised
machinery of the German Government for doing his work.
There are two conditions, at all events, which are
necessary in regard to any such change if permanent
peace is to result.
First, that we should not look for a disruption of
settled and orderly government in Germany. The
anarchy of Russia does not make for world peace.
Would not a reasonable man, however liberal his views,
prefer for his country the rule of the Kaiser and
his devotees to the rule of a Lenin and of Bolsheviks?
Second, it must be clear that we do not desire the
destruction of Germany—a futile desire,
even if not wicked—but its regeneration.
No doubt for a time, whatever happens in Germany,
it will be impossible to forget the crimes that have
been committed. British sailors will naturally
refuse all association with those who have been guilty
of the series of murders at sea. Any attempt,
however, to exclude Germany from the markets of the
world, permanently to destroy German commerce for all
time, would make permanent peace impossible. To
make that a war aim would be to strengthen every evil
influence in Germany, and if done with the object
of securing gain to ourselves by forcible means, would
degrade us almost to the level of those who forced
this War upon the world. It was the purity of
our aims that united all the best elements of the
nation in entering upon and in prosecuting the War,
and in facing its losses. It was that which has
confirmed the stability of the alliance, and from
the beginning of the War made the best and most enlightened
Americans earnest supporters of our cause, and has
finally brought in the whole American nation, sworn