| OCR Text |
Show llll WHEN THE WAR IS ENDED Some have adventured to make the prediction that, if the Germans Ger-mans are 'crushed, the Kaiser's empire will be dismembered; if thev are simply, driven back and forced to sue for peace, the empire will be held in tact, except Alsace-Lorraine, which will be ceded back to France. One of the possible punishments is the prohibition of German foreign commerce by sea for a period of years, which would be a cruel blow, depriving the German people of much of their industrial life. Last year Germany exported goods to the value of $2,131,000,000 and imported $2,544,000,000. That represents a commerce approaching five billion dollars a year, or $14 000,000 a day. At least 4,000, 000 men and women were dependent on that trade for a livelihood, representing a population pop-ulation of fully .20,000,000. To destroy that industrial lite would be equivalent to burning down every third city m the entire empire and consigning a third of the people-to starvation. And yet such a terrible punishment is within the range ot possibility. pos-sibility. . , , U this time, while the fortunes of war are undecided, some expression should be obtained from the belligerents as to what thev will demand, if successful. Causing the battling nations to commit themselves before any one of them knows its own f-ite should bring the minimum of indemnity and revenge. ' This war is unlike any other conflict of arms waged m modern times, with the exception of the struggle which drove Napoleon into exile The side that is triumphant need not consult the wishes of any other force on earth. The prostrate foe will be at the mercy of the conqueror. ffTIT |
