Sunday, November 11, 2018

Wilson Editor John D. Gold on the End of the World War, Nov. 11, 1918

From the editorial page of The Daily Times, Wilson, N.C., November 11, 1918, John D. Gold, Editor

The World War Is Over

The world war is over and German militarism is no more. The German Kaiser who is responsible for all the misery and woe he has afflicted the world with during these four years is flying a fugitive from justice. He was reported last night to be trying to find refuge in Holland, but Holland does not want him, for he has been sinking Holland ships and murdering the people of Holland and committing other acts of vandalism and inhumanity upon this quiet and peaceful neighbor under the pretext that it was right and necessary, as an act of war, because he was compelled to prevent food and supplies from going into hostile countries by way of neutral shipping.

This arch fiend wanted to stop all the commerce of the world while he whipped the nations with whom he sought war, and after he whipped and ruined all those with whom he was then engaged he proposed to bring the others under subjection and America was one of them.

Where will he go and who wants him? No one. For he has been like Attila the scourge of the world if not the scourge of God. Every nation in the world has a grievance against him and his people have little sympathy because they allowed this devil to seduce them into thinking that they should rule the world and that Germany had a place in the stars founded upon force and might rather than upon the principles that the Saviour taught, love and kindness, and consideration and regard for the rights and property of others.

It is needless to say that doubtless the allies will soon demand of any country in which he has taken refuge that he and the Crown Prince and all others associated with him who are known to have purposely desired this war with all its butchery and inhumane acts shall at least make reparation with their lives.

And what of Germany? She will begin at once to reap what she has sown. Her people are savages and instructed in the arts of war and butchery and therefore it is not unreasonable to suppose that they will now turn on each other, especially the under classes who have suffered for so long at the hands of the upper caste. Again the return of the huge army and the various leaders seeking power and followings make the anticipation of conditions in Germany anything but pleasant to contemplate. The picture painted by a German on the front page of the Times today is not too bad for we expect its realization.

Then what of the new government? The working man and soldiers are in command. It will take a strong hand to maintain order and more unselfishness than we believe the German people possess before conditions will reach normal and matters have adjusted themselves in the country. It strikes us that matters will assume very much the shape they have done in Russia following the signing of the Brestlitovsk treaty and the assumption of power by the Bolsheviki.

There is a new order of things. Democracy is in the saddle. The lessons of the war have been so great and so drastic that it will be a long time before any nation will want to go to war again.

The Allied nations will now rule the world and it is safe to say that they will maintain sufficient land and naval forces to forever guarantee a world peace.

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