Conquest of America: A Romance of Disaster and Victory, U.S.A., 1921 A.D. by Cleveland Moffett
CHAPTER XVI
AN AMERICAN GIRL BRINGS NEWS THAT CHANGES THE COURSE OF THE MOUNT VERNONPEACE CONFERENCE
The sessions of the Mount Vernon Peace Congress were held in a large roomof the historic mansion that was George Washington's business office. TheUnited States was represented by General Leonard Wood, William H. Taftand Elihu Root; Germany by General von Hindenburg, General von Kluck andCount von Bernstoff.
Although I was not personally present at these discussions I am able,thanks to the standing of the London _Times_, to set forth the mainpoints on the highest authority.
In the very first session the peace commissioners came straight to themain question.
"I am instructed by the President of the United States," began GeneralWood, "to ask your Excellency if the German Imperial Government willagree to withdraw their armies from America in consideration of receivinga money indemnity?"
"No, sir," replied General von Hindenburg. "That is quite out of thequestion."
GERMAN GUNS DESTROY THE HOTEL TAFT.]
"A large indemnity? I am empowered to offer three thousand milliondollars, which is three times as much, your Excellency will remember, asthe Imperial German Government accepted for withdrawing from France in1870."
"Yes, and we always regretted it," snapped von Hindenburg. "We shouldhave kept that territory, or part of it. We are going to keep thisterritory. That was our original intention in coming here. We need thisAtlantic seaboard for the extension of the German idea, for the spread ofGerman civilisation, for our inevitable expansion as the great worldpower."
"Suppose we agreed to pay four billion dollars?" suggested the Americancommander.
Von Hindenburg shook his head and then in his rough, positive way: "No,General. What we have taken by our victorious arms we shall hold for ourchildren and our grandchildren. I am instructed to say, however, that theImperial German Government will make one important concession to theUnited States. We will withdraw our troops from the mouths of theMississippi which we now hold, as you know; we will withdraw fromGalveston, New Orleans, Pensacola, Tampa, Key West; in short, from allports in the Gulf of Mexico and in Florida. If you will allow me,gentlemen, I will show you on this map what we propose to surrender toyou and what we propose to keep."
The venerable Field Marshal unrolled upon the broad surface of GeorgeWashington's desk a beautifully shaded relief map of the United States,and General Wood, ex-President Taft and Elihu Root bent over it withtense faces and studied a heavy black line that indicated the proposedboundary between the United States and the territory claimed by theinvaders. This latter included all of New England, about one-third of NewYork and Pennsylvania (the southeastern portions), all of New Jersey andDelaware, nearly all of Virginia and North Carolina and all of SouthCarolina and Georgia.
"You observe, gentlemen," said von Hindenburg, "that our Americanprovince is to bear the name New Germany. It is bounded on the north byCanada, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Florida, andon the west by Alabama and the Allegheny Mountains. It is a strip ofland; roughly speaking, a thousand miles long and two hundred mileswide."
"About the area of the German Empire," said ex-President Taft.
"Possibly, but not one-tenth of the entire territory of the UnitedStates, leaving out Alaska. We feel that as conquerors we are askinglittle enough." He eyed the Americans keenly.
"You are asking us to give up New York, Philadelphia and Washington andall of New England," said Elihu Root very quietly. "Does your Excellencyrealise what that means to us? New England is the cradle of ourliberties. New York is the heart of the nation. Washington is ourcapital."
"Washington _was_ your capital," broke in General von Kluck, with alaugh.
"I can assure your Excellency," said General Wood, keeping his composurewith an effort, "that the American people will never consent to such asacrifice of territory. You may drive us back to the deserts of Arizona,you may drive us back to the Rocky Mountains, but we will fight on."
Von Hindenburg's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ah, so!" he smiled grimly."Do you know what will happen if you refuse our terms? In the next fewmonths we shall land expeditions from Germany with a million moresoldiers. That will give us a million and a half men on American soil. Weshall then invade the Mississippi Valley from New Orleans, and our nextoffer of terms will be made to you from St. Louis or Chicago, _and itwill be a very different offer_."
"If your Excellency will allow me," said Elihu Root in a conciliatorytone, "may I ask if the Imperial German Government does not recognisethat there will be great difficulties in the way of permanently holding astrip of land along our Atlantic seaboard?"
"What difficulties? England holds Canada, doesn't she? Spain held Mexico,did she not?"
"But the Mexicans were willing to be held. Your Excellency must realisethat in New England, in New York, in New Jersey, you would be dealingwith irreconcilable hatred."
"Nothing is irreconcilable. Look at Belgium. They hated us in 1915, didthey not? But sixty-five percent of them accepted German citizenship whenwe offered it to them after the peace in 1919, and they have been awell-behaved German province ever since."
"You mean to say that New England would ever become a German province?"protested William H. Taft. "Do you think that New York and Virginia willever take the oath of allegiance to the German Emperor?"
"Of course they will, just as most of the Spaniards you conquered in thePhilippine Islands took the oath of allegiance to America. They sworethey would not but they did. Men follow the laws of necessity. Half ofyour population are of foreign descent. Millions of them are of Germandescent. These people crowded over here from Europe because they werestarving and you have kept them starving. They will come to us because wetreat them better; we give them higher wages, cleaner homes, morehappiness. They _have_ come to us already; the figures prove it. Not tenpercent of the people of New York and New England have moved away sincethe German occupation, although they were free to go. Why is that?Because they like our form of government, they see that it insures tothem and their children the benefits of a higher civilisation."
My informant assured me that at this point ex-President Taft, in spite ofhis even temper, almost exploded with indignation, while General Woodrose abruptly from his seat.
For a time it looked as if this first Peace Conference session wouldbreak up in a storm of angry recrimination; but Elihu Root, by tactfulappeals, finally smoothed things over and an adjournment was taken forforty-eight hours, during which it was agreed that both sides, bytelegraph and cable, should lay the situation before their respectivegovernments in Chicago and Berlin.
I remained at Mount Vernon for two weeks while the truce lasted. Everyday the peace commissioners met for hours of argument and pleading, butthe deadlock of conflicting purposes was not broken. Both sides kept intouch with their governments and both made concessions. America raisedher indemnity offer to five billion dollars, to six billion dollars, toseven billion dollars, but declared she would never surrender one foot ofthe Atlantic seaboard. Germany lessened her demands for territory, butrefused to withdraw from New York, New England and Philadelphia.
For some days this deadlock continued, then America began to weaken. Shefelt herself overpowered. The consequences of continuing the war were toofrightful to contemplate and, on September 8, I cabled my paper that theUnited States would probably cede to Germany within twenty-four hours thewhole of New England and a part of New York State, including New YorkCity and Long Island. This was the general opinion when, suddenly, out ofa clear sky came a dramatic happening destined to change the course ofevents and draw me personally into a whirlpool of exciting adventures.
It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of September 9, a blazing hotday, and I was seated on the lawn under one of the fine magnolia-treespresented years before by Prince Henry of Prussia, wondering how muchlonger I must swelter here before getting off my despatch to the _Times_,when I heard the panting of a swiftly approaching automobile whichpre
"A lady?" I asked in surprise. "Did she give her name?"
The chauffeur broke into a beaming smile. "She didn't give no name, boss,but she sure is a ve'hy handsome lady, an' she's powh'ful anxious to seeyou."
I lost no time in answering this mysterious summons, and a little laterfound myself in the presence of a young woman whom I recognised, when shedrew aside her veil, as Miss Mary Ryerson, sister of Lieutenant RandolphRyerson. With her in the car were her brother and a tall, gaunt man withdeep-set eyes. They were all travel-stained, and the car showed thebattering of Virginia mountain roads.
"Oh, Mr. Langston," cried the girl eagerly, "we have such wonderful news!The conference isn't over? They haven't yielded to Germany?"
"No," said I. "Not yet."
"They mustn't yield. We have news that changes everything. Oh, it's sosplendid! America is going to win."
Her lovely face was glowing with enthusiasm, but I shook my head.
"America's fleet is destroyed. Her army is beaten. How can she win?"
Miss Ryerson turned to her brother and to the other man. "Go with Mr.Langston. Tell him everything. Explain everything. He will take you toGeneral Wood." She fixed her radiant eyes on me. "You will help us? I cancount on you? Remember, it's for America!"
"I'll do my best," I promised, yielding to the spell of her charm andspirit. "May I ask--" I glanced at the tall man who was getting out ofthe car.
"Ah! Now you will believe. You will see how God is guiding us. This isthe father of the brave little boy in Wanamaker's store. He has seenThomas A. Edison, and Mr. Edison says his plan to destroy the Germanfleet is absolutely sound. Mr. Langston, Mr. Lemuel A. Widding. Nowhurry!"