A DEMOCRATISED GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3125, 2 July 1917, Page 5

A DEMOCRATISED GERMANY

HOW THE ALLIES WOULD MEET HER THE GUARANTEE OP ABIDING PEACE DESTRUCTION OF PRUSSIAN MILITARY POWER (Rec. July 1, 5.5 p.m.) \ London, June 29. On receiving tho freedom of tho City of Glasgow, Mr. Lloyd George said that, after carefully reckoning the possibilities, the Government had come to the conclusion, after the best advice, that the submarines cannot starve us nor drive the armies out of the fields abroad. Our shipping losses in. May and June, although heavy, were hundreds of thousands of tons beneath the Admiralty forecast. Arrangements had been mndo for frustrating or destroying tho submarines. Ho had no hesitation in saying that if wo all did our part the submarines would be as great a failure as the Zepplins. "You may bo driven to eat less wheat and more barley and oats. Wo are running the war on.:tho stock of energy drawn from that food." Alluding to Mesopotamia, Mr. Lloyd George said what would happen to Mesopotamia must be left to the Peace Congress. It could never be restored to the blasting tyranny of tho Turk. The same observation applied to Armenia. Regarding the fate of the German colonics, their people's desires and wishes must be the dominant factor. The untutored peoples of the world would probably want gentler hands than those of the Germans to rule them. "Is there any desire on the part of Germany to settle on these essential terms? The Austrian Premier repudiated the grinoiple that nations must control their own destinies, but unless this principle is given effect to not only will there bo no peaco but If wo had peace there would be no guarantee of its continuance. A peace framed upon an equitable basis would not be broken by the nations. An abiding peace must bo guaranteed by tho destruction of Prussian military power."

Mr. Lloyd George said the best guarantee would bo the democratization of the German Government..' "No one," he said, "wishes to dictate the form of Government, but we would enter negotiation with a democratised Germany in an entirely different spirit, attitude and temper from a Germany dominated by the aggressive and arrogant spirit of Prussian, militarism." The Allied Governments would bo acting wisely if they drow; that distinction in their general attitude in any discussion of the terms of peace.

The Premier concluded: "Europe is drenched with the Wood of its bravest and best. But do not forget the great succession of (hallowed causes. They are stations of tho Cross on the road to tho emancipation of mankind. I appeal to the people of this country and beyond to continue the fight for tho great'goal of international rights and international justice, so that never again 6hatl brute force sit on the throne of Justice nor barbaric strength wield the sceptre of Liberty."-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Ueuter.