The Dominion. MONDAY AUGUST 16, 1915. IDLE PEACE TALK

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2541, 16 August 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY AUGUST 16, 1915. IDLE PEACE TALK

The vague talk about pcace and mediation which has been going on for some time past now seems to bo crystallising into a more or less definite movement to induce neutral States to co-operate for the purpose of. persuading belligerents to .bring the war to a close. Any such movement at the present stago of affairs is doomed to failure. 'The present is no time to discuss such matters. The Allies will not ccasc from fighting until'the way is clear for arriving at a settlement which will definitely free,the world from the Geiman evil. Up to the present nearly • all the peace talk appears to have been the result of feelers put out, directly or indirectly, from Berlin. It is possible that Germany may consider the present a favourable moment for terminating the struggle. But it is no real or lasting pcace she is aiming at. All she wants is breathing time. An American who recently returned from (Switzerland gives a very interesting account of the views of a leading German business man regarding the mind of Germany as regards the war. This German admitted that the educated classes are fully aware that Germany must bo defeated in the long run, and they would be pleased to see their Government making some movement towards scouring peace now "until such time as they arc ready to renew the struggle under more, favourable circumstances." The Germans know tliat Russia has not been beaten, and that their original plan of campaign in the West has failed. But the Russians have certainly had a severe setback, and nearly all Belgium and a, considerable portion of Francc is in possession ol the Germans. Tho •Autihoribics ai Purlin probably.

think that they arc_ now in a strong position for bargaining, so strings arc being pulled with the objcct of inducing outsiders to influence the Allies to come to terms. The Kaiser and his advisers know' that the pressure from Russia. still exists, and that at the_ least slackening of German effort will begin anew; that the British Empire is just beginning to put its whole might into the conflict; that' France is determined to fight to tho last, and that her resources are better organised than when the war began; that Austria is finding it increasingly difficult to resist the Italian attack; that Turkey is very hard pressed. In view of these circumstances they would, no doubt, b,e very glad to consent to some form of settlement by means of whioh Germany would escape from the consequences of hor wrongdoing. -We must not. however, delude ourselves with the idea that the enemy has been beaten. Germany's fighting power is still tremendous. We inust not relax our efforts for a moment. It is only by continually increasing the weight of our blows that we and our Allies can place ourselves in a- position to dictate the terms of peace. Until that timo comes. we must turn a deaf ear to all peace proposals from whatever quarter they may come. The Entente Powers have entered into an agreement to act in concert until tho struggle is over and the terms of settlement .are fixed. They are firmly, resolved, as Mr. Asquith declared in November last to continue the struggle until Belgium recovers all that she has sacrificed; until Franco has been adequately secured against _ the menace of aggression; until the rights of smaller . nationalities have been placed on an unassailable foundaand until Prussia's military domination has been destroyed. In March last tho British Prime Minister. solemnly reaffirmed this statement, and'declared that the talk of peace was "like the twittering of a sparrow amid the stress of a tempest which is shaking the foundations of the world." Nothing has occurred since then to alter this determination to fight to a finish whicli lias been endorsed by leading statesmen of France, Russia, and Italy. The Allies are strong enough and _ resolute • enough to unwaveringly resist any outside pressure that may be brought to bear for the purpose of bringing hostilities to a premature, conclusion. • They are no friends of the Entente Powers—no true friends of the world's welfare—who would attempt' to bring about peace at the present stage of affairs. If the WAV should cease before Germany fias been decisively defeated the enormous sacrifices of blood and treasure which Britain and her Allies havo_ made will have been made in vain. If Germany is left ■in a position to strike again with reasonable hopes of victory she undoubtedly will strike again at the first favourable opportunity. It would be sheer madness for any Power to trust Germany. If peace should be agreed to at the present time it would be armed peace. The nations would remain armed to the very teeth: they would be compelled to go on increasing their military and naval strength in anticipation of tho inevitable struggle to come,' and tho strain would almost be as great as that, caused bv actual warfare. It is infinitely better for tho whole world that the fight should go on until the power of the Teutonic Alliance has been completely smashed. In no other way can peace bo established on firm foundations. The New' York Tribune is certainly right in its assertion/that any patchcd-up settlement at the present timo would "simply mean victory' for Germany"—that is to say, the triumph of brutality, bad faith, and/oppression. Tho people of the British Empire will never submit to such a humiliation as this would mean. Let us put all peace thoughts out of our minds lest they should distract us from the one great task of winning this war, and winning it thoroughly. The best and only way of securing permanent peace is by defeating the great enemy of peace—Germany.