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The Dominion. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1918. REVOLUTION OR SURRENDER

Some of to-day's messages carry an inspiriting suggestion that her late misfortunes on tho battlefield aro working a change of heart in Germany. Uneasiness, we aro told, is widespread, and a peace of renunciation is talked about. Tho Frankfurter Zeitmig, which not many weeks ago was giving jubilant expression to tho hope- of a culminating German victory, is now at pains to point out the changed tone ot the Pan-Germans. They no longer rage, it observes, "but silently consider the situation." It is rumoured that Count Hbotlino will retire from the Chancellorship, to be succeeded by Dr. Solf, who will take office leading a, peace party. At tho same time there aro reports of serious strikes by workmen at Krupp's and elsewhere, and oven by soldiers, and it is stated that -an increasing number of German deserters, including Prussians, is entering the Allied lines. It would be very pleasant to accept these suggestions at their face value, but it would be also inconsistent with an elementary perception of the conditions in which this war arose and in being fought and of the issues it has raised. What forces in Germany aro working for peace it is at present impossible to say, but it is quite certain that those' who still control, her destinies will, mako

every effort that cunning or ingenur [ ity can suggest to avert the penal' .ties of defeat and trick the Allies into concluding such a peace as would nullify anything they havoj accomplished or have prospocts of! accomplishing in the war. So long j as tho .Kaiser and the parties in Germany who made tho war retain their present authority the Allied nations would be insane to regard the most ardent peace professions or j overtures coming from Germany as I anything elso' than, sham and hum- j bug intended to gain by fraud and guilo what it is no longer hoped to gain by force of arms. It is true, as Me. Lloyd George declared in a speech reported to-day, that in making tho world sccurn against tho menace of Prussian militarism the

Allies will at the same time emancipate the German masses. Possibly he is right also in his opinion that German Labour is becoming more and more convinced that it, can never achicvo its emancipation with-, out overthrowing Prussian militarism. But if - , will be time enough to admit and take note of amovement of popular reform ,'in Germany when it bears tangible fruit. Wα are dealing meantime as in the first days of tho war with a Germany in which the popular will counts for nothing—a country in which the masses are wholly subsorviont to autocrats who regard as laudable every crimo a.nd atrocity that takes them nearer to world dominion. It was long ago demonstrated that the German people- were incapable of being roused to spontaneous revolt by even the most abominable crimes on the part of their rulers. Beforo fche eyes of the world they have tol- ; crated and shared in crimes which are without parallel in history. After tho object-lesson of the BrestLitovsk peace and the enslavement

of Rumania—and these arc merely conspicuous examples of the policy Germany has followed consistently from first to last—any talk of a spontaneous movement amongst the German people in favour of democracy or a democratic peace is mere moonshine. The narrowed hope remaining open is that suffering- and ad' versity may convince the German people that a nation which, con- ' scntiVlo bo led arid governed by criminals in the guise of princes and statesmen brings retribution on its own head as well as desolation to the outer world. Possibly tho education of ,the German people on this point is now advancing apace, but it will be time enough to behove as. much when they overthrow the structure of autocracy under- tho shadow of which they have thus far lived. Thero are only two contingencies which tho Allies can afford to consider where' the question of peace with Gormany is concernod. . One is revolution and the other ia ' surrender. As President Wilson tersely observes in his Labour Day message, "Tho world cannot bo safe, men's lives secure, or their rjghta assorted so long as Governments like those which drew Austria and Germany into war are permitted to control tho destinies of men and nations." The destruction of tho Gorman and Austrian autocracies would go far to make jieace possible and to ensure its stability. Failing internal reform in tho Central Empires, the peace the Allies are fighting for will become possible only wnen they, are in a position to dictate.'it. ■ ■

There is, of course,: no reason to ] doubt that; tho desire for peace ia ' stronger to-day in Germany than it has ever been, and that it ia shared by all parties and all. sections of ; tho people. Otherwise wo must imagine that tho German "nation and its rulers are blind to the plainly-written trend, of tho war. The submarine campaign has definitely failed. While Germany is faced by many awkward problems in Eastern Europe, her armies are reeling back defeated over tho battlefields they traversed not very long ago in what they fondly hoped was a drive to victory. If Germany herself is in evil plight her warweary vassals are in even worse case. Tho autocrats of Berlin have every reason to fear that under the growing strain of tho war their alliance of brute force may fall asunder. It would bo extraordinary if in these circumstances there were not n strong and growing peace sentiment in Germany. But so long as tho war party retains control in the Central Empires tho inforence to bo drawn is not that tho peace tho Allies are fighting for is in sight. It is rather that the Allies arc now called upon to be more than over on. their guard against those manoeuvres on tho part of tho enemy which havo been aptly summed up in tho phraeo "peace- offensive." The danger is greater now than over bofore., Formerly peace negotiations represented to the German war party only an altemativo means of attaining its goal. To-day_ its last hope of escaping or minimising the penalties of defeat and preserving somo part of its projects of world dominion rests upon tho possibility of inducing tho Allies to negotiate, instead of dictating and enforcing, peace. Talk of strikes _ and warweariness in Germany is interesting, arid may bo of hopeful,.import, hut it oarries no positive significance so long as tho present rulers of the Fatherland retain position and

power. It goes without saying, fo instance, that if Dr. Solf is in stalled in offico to carry on a. pcac campaign any proposals he may ad vanco on behalf, of Germany wil be tainted wifcli/tho scheming duplic ity and utter lack of good fait! which characterised the activities o German statesmen long before tbi war, and have-been glanngly.appar ent at every stago of its progress This is so well understood that 1 may be. assumed that the Allies an well placed to counter Germany i most artful wiles. Perhaps the; ire, but it is safe- to say that thi Dcaco offensive now in prospect wil iest the loyalty and fortitude of th< Allied nations more searchingl; han anything of tho kind they have ret experienced. Given their way ;he military masters of the Centra Empires will no doubt proceed iron ham to real concessions. They wil iffer to yield up part of their plun Icr if they arc allowed to retair ,he rest. We have to look forward o a time, perhaps not • distant vhen France may be offered the ful , ■ealisatipn of her war aims, and i-sked how long she 'intends to pernit the devastation of her terrr ;ory for the sake of an uncertain ione'of liberating the Poles ant We may be certain that the heroic nation whicli ias endured the worst evils of wai vithout complaining or losing heart vill never abandon her allies. But he resolution of the nations leagued ig-ainet Germany may be still more leavily tried. It is conceivable ;hat Germany may offer to accede o every Allied demand for restituion and reparation so, far as Westirn Eurdpo is concerned,_ she may ven offer to resign all claim to her olonies, so long as she is granted a ree hand in Eastern Europe. This ast stipulation, of course, would be 'eiled in polite phrases, and prolosals on these lines would probably ie eagerly welcomed by pacifists in UlieeT countries. Such proposals, n the view of theso noisy t but lappily not- numerous agitators rauid remove every just impedincnt.to ending tho war. They vould, in fact, do nothing of the and. A peace which left Germany ice to establish her rule in Russia rould to simply a truce in which he would industriously, prepare , to enow her attack upon the liberies of tho world. Yet it is broady on theso lines that the German .utocrats may bo expected fo de'elop their peace offensive as their nilitary prospects, darken. The inal test of the Allied nations in his war will bo that of their ability o withstand and repel delusive ofera of poaco in all the tempting orms they can be made to assume. Chore can .be no compromise with Prussian militarism. All tho efr orts and sacrifices of the Allied naions will be stultified unless it is ithor overthrown by internal revolt w so crushed and curbed by v exterial force as to end its power for [arm.-

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19180903.2.12

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 296, 3 September 1918, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,590

The Dominion. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1918. REVOLUTION OR SURRENDER Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 296, 3 September 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1918. REVOLUTION OR SURRENDER Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 296, 3 September 1918, Page 4

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