THE ROADS TO PEACE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 25, 24 October 1917, Page 6

THE ROADS TO PEACE

GERMANS ADMIT INABILITY TO "COMPLETELY CONQUER"

WHEN WILL THE WAR END?

In a recent article the German newspaper "i'ninkfurter Zeituug" attempts to answer ths question—when will the el i "* ev 'deutly does not think that the moment has come to discuss terms oi peace, lor i t l'eels sure that the Allies will not listen to reason until they are convinced by hard facts that Germany can never be beaten. At the same time it makes the admission pretty iu the German Press at present,, that Germany cannot hope to dictate terms of peace by crushing her opponents-.—

When will this terrible conflict come to an end? We know that we cannot so completely conquer our enemies that, as Clausewitz would sny, they will become unable to oiler further resistance, because they are too numerous and too strong. But equally well do wo know our enemies cannot decisively break our resistance, even though they were to carry on the war for another ten years. Ihe German who > defends his home and hearth will remain as 'unconquerable in the future as ho has proved in three years of war, Is there, then, no way out of the darkness? Clausewitz, the greatest teacher of war, says that there are two causes which may prove the leading motives for peace if incapacity for iurther resistance is not reached. The first js the improbability of success, and the second is the payment of too high a price foi' t it. We hope to attain peace in a time not far distant on both tnese roads. Every new day of battle in which wo hold out successfully hammers it once more into our euennes that we are still strong mid uubroken, and our offensive in Russia, which is beset by so many dangers, has produced a gTeater recpgnition of the improbability of sfTccess among our enemies than all the peace speeches and resolutions of the Reichstag. And .will not the price of victory be greater for them with every day that we successfully pursue the war? We do not know when the hour will come in France when it will be recognised that the further bleeding of the nation is too high a price to pay for the gamble for the recovery of the lost provinces. But this wd <1 know, that there are cool reckoners in London who jot up every ship's loss, and that it wilt not require another year to bring the English to the conviction that they are playing with too high stakes, and that our U-boats are cutting one after another of the arteries through which the life blood of England is pouring. Already great outposts of England's world power are lost. She has had to leave TSast Asia and South America to tho Yankees to exploit, and the money centre of the world is no longer London but New York. With few months' more losses in ships England's farreaching arm. with which she rules over half the earth, wilt have become still weaker and feebler, and they will have to reckon new political losses on tho Thnmes.

"Then will come the hour when they Trill sneak nhont pone© in oth*r tones thi>.n TJord George •'nid Bonnr T-.iw run! Onrson rlo now. Then oven Churchill will have learnt n«d *vill "o loncrer demand n derisim victory oror Oev«nn"*\ And then, hnt *ot Wore, will they hold (Ti«iMißf\ions .wif l th* l prirrnv nhnnt peaee. T?i the monnfirnp. fTie hest wny to promote the eanse of psaee is to <=nenk «s IiHV r, c -Vrvnt it."