THE ARMISTICE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 42, 13 November 1918, Page 6

THE ARMISTICE

In the strictest sense the armisticc terms Germany has been constrained to accept entail her unconditional surrender. The terms mean siniply that Germany's Army and fleet are to be disarmed to the poin.t of helplessness, and that the Allies are to take up a commanding position in German territory as a preliminary to dictating conditions of pcace. All Allied and United States soldiers held prisoner by Germany are to be repatriated immediately. German prisoners in the hands of the Allies .are to remain meantime in durance. This is typical of the details of the armistice throughout. It is definitely an agreement between conquerors and conquered. The speedy evacuation of AlsaceLorrainc is the least onerous condition imposed. Germany is to evacuate for the time being all her own territory west of the llhine. A neutral zone is to be established along the west bank of that river, but this is subject to the reservation that the' Af'iies are to occupy Cologne, Coblonz, and Mainz, and territory within a radius of about nineteen, miles of these cities on the cast bank of the Rhine. A glance at the map of Germany will show; what this proviso entails. The Allies are to take possession of the three most important railway crossings over the Rhine and of sufficient territory east of the river at each point to give them a secure bridgehead. In the unlikely event of hostilities being resumed, Germany east of tho Rhine would be at their mercy. The Cologne bridgehead immediately commands the area in whicn Germany's most important war industries are concentrated. Essen, the site of the Krupp works, is almost within normal artillery range of tho bridgehead area. a whole possession of the Rhine bridgeheads they have demanded would enable the Allies, should the,need arise, to swiftly seize the enemy's greatest arsenals and to advance by tno most direct routes upon Hamburg and tho 'German naval ports, and also, on Berlin. The conditions relating to the "surrender of guns, ammunition, and war materials" have not been elaborated at time of writing, but it is safe to assume that the surrender will be comprehensive. Tho ; naval terms are equally drastic. Germany probably possesses not more than twenty-five Dreadnoughts—eight of them battle-cruis-ers. The 'actual may be somewhat smallor. She is to disarm ten battleships arid six battlecruisers under the supervision of the Allies, and eight light cruisers and'so destroyers are to bo dealt with in the same way. All submarines at sea or ready to, put to sea are to be surrendered, and Heligoland i 3 to be occupied by tho Allies. Germany in a word has subscribed to conditions which make her power-' less to resume hostilities.on land or at sea. She has admitted complete and irretrievable defeat.

The armistice leaves peace conditions to bo, settled later, but it clears the way for a dictated peace.. The terms which bear mos't directly oii the future peacc settlement require Germany not only to evacuate Alsace-Lorraine, but to abandon the whole of her Eastern conquests, and repudiate the so-called treaties-of Brest-Litovsk and Bucharest. Another stipulation indicating what the Allies have in mind is, to the effect that there shall be 110 transfer of the German mercantile marine to neutral flags. It is, of course, to be clearly understood that the armistice is iri no respect a- final settlement with Germany. It is purely- preliminary and temporary. But it leaves her humbled and at mercy, with no option but to accept whatever terms of peacc the Allies think it right to impose. It is now to be-' seen whether revolutionary upheavals and internal disorders' in Germany are destined to impede in any ' way the fulfilment of the armistice terms. Should Germany fail to carry out her obligations the Allied armies would, 'of course, immediately resume their advance; and there is no doubt that they would speedily compel Germany to do all that she is now required to do. as - part and parcel of an act of surrender. The Allies in any case have won the war, and accomplished their essential aim. They have overthrown Prussian militarism. It remains to exact all possible reparation, to punish the guilty, and to establish the conditions best calculated to .ensure permanent peace. '