The Dominion. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1918. THE CRAFT OF THE ENEMY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 307, 16 September 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1918. THE CRAFT OF THE ENEMY

The German Government appears to have decided that tho psychologic;;! moment has arrived for an official declaration of peace terms, and the Vice-Ohancellor has been_ deputed to make public tho conditions on which Germany woutd be prepared to bring the war to an end. It is undoubtedly tho most authoritative and tho most definite statement which tho Kaiser's Gov r crnment has so far made, but even if it were an honest announcement it would open no. Way of approach to a settlement which could, by any stretch of the imagination, be acceptable to tho Allies. _ But it is not honest. - It is steeped in dishonesty. It is not a genuine peace offer; it is merely a weapon of war. The obvious intention of von Payer's utterance is to weaken the fighting power of tho Allies by fomenting discord among tho pacifist elements in their populations. Von Payer is, of course, well aware that the proposals ho makes will be ■promptly and decisively rejected dj the overwhelming majority of the people in all tho Allied countries. Unless they suddenly went mad it would, as Jie says, be "an illusion to calculate" on their will to make peace on such impudent terms as ho proposes. No one knows this better than the Kaiser and his advisers; but they profess to believe that somo "among those peoples think differently." Von Payer wants to embarrass the enemies of Germany by playing upon the hopes, and fears of the faint hearted, and encouraging tho whimperers to set up a wail for peace. . Experience and common sense compel us to regard this latest peace feeler as a part of Germany's plan of, campaign. Tho military offensive on tho West. front having failed, a, new peace offensive is now being tried, and it is just as necessary for us to defeat it as it is to defeat any other form of attack. The Germans arc at present desperately anxious to create an "atwhich will help them to attain their war aims, or at any rate to rob tho Allies of the victory which certainly is theirs if they resolutely refuse to bo diverted from the great task they have set before them. Von Payer is simply acting in accordance with the. advice given by Professor Delbruck a few months ago. This professor's suggestions enable us to understand tho true character of von Payer's speech. Delbruck points out that it is useless to ask for confidential talks with "the present English •Government under Lloyd George." He then goes on to contend that the best way of hampering Britain is to supply for pacifist propaganda. "The diplomatic offensive," he- says, "which must go side by side with the Hindcnburg offensive, must be a real offensive; it must aim. not at an agreement with the English war party, but at making the English war party impossible." Delbruck explains that in order to do this "it is'necessary to place weapons in the hands of tho decent.elements of tho enemy peoples." All thin is most illuminating. Head in the light of Delhruck's statement,, von Payer's of-' for is seen to bo a deliberately aimed blow. To. call. it an offensive, a "real offensive," "is a simple statement of plain truth. No one but a fool could bo misled by it. Any Britisher who would handle this foul 'weapon forged in Germany would bo a traitor to his country. Tho Germans may call him "decent," but such a compliment from such a quarter would be regarded by any really decent-minded man or woman as the grossest insult. Von Payer tries to enhearten his countrymen by assuring them that the defeatist elements in tho Allied nations will prevail soon or late; but if Germany has no better hope than this her outlook must bo black indeed. She has made many miscalculations, hut none more futile than this. It is not worth while to criticise in detail the contents of von Payer's dishonest speech. It is finite sufficient to examine briefly his reference to Belgium. He does appear at first sight' to declare Germany's willingness to restore Belgium. But the closer his, remarks are looked into the more ambiguous they become. All ho tells us is that Germany could restore Belgium without encumbrance and without resorve—if. And the "if" is a, very big one. _ Germany, must be allowed to exercise control over Belgium's future foreign policy; Germany must get back all her colonies, but must not be asked to relinquish her hold 1 on Russia. As a. matter, of fact, von Payer craftily .avoids committing Germany to any' specific promise. Belgium is still a "pawn," Ho docs not evon speak as. plainly as Delbruck has suggested. Here again, tho professor helps us. to interpret the Vice-Chancellor's'utter-ance. ' He says it is possible to "speak so plainly about Belgium that not only the diplomatists but also the man in tho street will understand what we want," and such a statement would cost Germany nothing. ' . Nothing is more false (ho says) than the idea that by making an open' declaration about Belgium we should bo playing out a trump with which we might have won something. The declaration about Belgium is not Belgium itself;.wo keep Belgium in our hands until tho general pence', even if wo declare to-day that no. right over Belgium will be among our peace conditions. No form of deception or subterfuge is too degrading for this exponent of Kvllur. He lias no scruples— nono whatever. He does not expect that his" Machiavellian tactics will lead directly to peace, but he thinks that their influence, combined with "Hindenbuiio's hammer blows," will gradually cause the British and French public to grow weary of their other aims, and ho believes that "the growth of the peace parties in England and also in France can be' so far promoted that' Germany's enemies will be greatly hampered in tho continuation of the war." If any of us has up-to tho present retained any vestige of belief -in Germany's honour or honesty such open-and brutal advocacy of a policy of unblushing mendacity cannot fail to eradicate it. Knowing what wo do_ know it'is our positive duty to view with the utmost suspicion any olive branch tho enemy may hold out to ua. We can put no trust in Germany's word, written or spoken: her promises arc worthless; her offers cost her nothing, and can be disowned at any lime. If we listen to her hypocritical appeals for' parleys wc will have only ourselves to blame if wc fall into hor traps. The position of tho Central Powers is growing more des-

pcratc every day, and the more desperate ib grows the- more tempting will be the peace bait they willdangle before us. But our duty is plain as daylight: wc must not diverge by a hairsbrcadth from our path to' victory until our goal has been reached. Then the time for haggling will be past, and wc will bo able to dictate tho terms of a just and lasting settlement.