The Dominion. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1915. BRITAIN'S ANSWER TO GERMAN BOASTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2643, 14 December 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1915. BRITAIN'S ANSWER TO GERMAN BOASTS

In replying' to Here Scheuermann's request for information regarding the basis of peace negotiations, the German Chancellor's main idea was evidently to place Germany's position before the world in ; the most favourable light'. By this means he no doubt hoped to create ■ the impression that if Germany should i feel inclined to talk about peace it would not be out of necessity but out of magnanimity. Why need a nation which could point to such "gigantic successes" make suggestions for the restoration of peace 1 Without making any definite'proposals, ho wishes to make the world believe that Germany is willing, to bring the struggle to a close in-or-der to put an end to "the distress which is filling' Europe and the ! world." Not for her own sake, but for- the sake of others, she would 6hea-the the,sword if the other side would only' be reasonable. The Chancellor is endeavouring to throw the responsibility of continuing the war upon the Entente Powers. Germany 13 now acting like a man who, having got in the first blow on an unready opponent,'wants to stop the fight just when the other man has recovered from the first / shock and has braced himself up for a fight to a finish. The Allies have made it clear that they -are quite prepared to accept the responsibility of continuing"the distress" a little longer in order to save the world from thestill greater distress which would result from the triumph of Germanism. The Chancellor has to admit that our "ambitions have not changed." This means_ that we are resolved to fight without ceasing until the objects for which we went to war are fully achieved. If our enemies'ever imagined that Britain was growing weary of the struggle, their hopes must have been rudely, shattered by the magnificent manner in which Lord Derby's recruiting scheme has been brought to a close. A few tlays ago Lord Derby himself expressed doubts as;to the sue-, cess of his campaign, but at. .the eleventh hour the whole country appears to have, pulled itself together in the most remarkable way. This tremendous response to the call for. men is Britain's - answer—and 'it is a most convincing answer—to the German Chancellor's references to the terms and possibilities of peace. The manhood of Britain has indicated with an emphasis which cannot .he mistaken that it will give Germany its answer on the battlefield. Instead of bringing , peace proposals "proper to Germany's dignity," the British Empire is making manifest its intention to wage the war more vigorously than ever. Every word in the German Chancellor's .speech had evidently been carefully weighed before being uttered. Fact and fiction are so cunningly intermingled that in some instances it requires a considerable amount of knowledge 'and judgment to separate the one from the other. In order to arrive at a truo understanding of the significance of the Chancellor's speech it is necessary to bear in mind that his principal concern is to create certain impressions. What is omitted is almost as important as what is stated. His choice of "facts" and his method of presenting them are governed by the desire to hearten the Teutonic Alliance, to dishearten .the * Entente Powers, and to impress neutrals. He wants the world to believe that Germany has practically won the war—and if the struggle were brought to an end at the present moment Germany might reasonably claim the advantage; but the finish is not yet in sight, The Chancellor is also anxious to make neutrals feel that Germany is in a position to reward or punish, and that it will pay them to be on her side, either openly or secretly. Fortunately the Entente._ Powers have come to see the necessity of demonstrating that they too can and will help their friends and punish their foes. The main weakness of the Chancellor's utterance consists in its too obvious exaggeration of Germany's successes and in its ignoring or understating of the cost. The Germans themselves have grown suspicious regarding the procession of victories on which their hopes have hitherto been sustained. They are beginning to fear that in spite of their enormous sacrifices of bloocl and treasure, and in spite of "gigantic successes" the prospects of ultimate victory are dwindling away. 'When one thinks of the failure of the plan to crush France by a sudden and overwhelming blow, of the failure of the march to Paris, of the failure of the attempt to capturc of the failure of tho &reat

effort to sccurc a "Sedan" in either Franco or Russia, of the failure to strike an effective blow at Britain— the' emptiness of the Chancellor's proud declaration that Germany's calculations have been flawless, and that no uncertain factors shatter her firm confidence, becomes so obvious that one is surprised that such an exalted personage should blunder so clumsily. One Berlin newspaper goes so far as to assert that "the Chancellor has deceived everybody." It would , probably bo more correct to ■say that ho has deceived nobody. Notwithstanding all his astuteness he has not sufficient art to conceal his artfulness and it is altogether too plain that he is telling only one side of the,story. The Allies, however, have to face the fact that up to the present Germany has had the best of the struggle. There are signs that the tide is turning, but we must not allow ourselves to be deluded by false hopes. The war can only be won by making.our fighting machine more powerful and more efficient than that of our enemies. This , means that there can' be no slackening in our efforts until final victory is actually attained.